Analyze Excel files

In Agent Mode, MAIA reads Excel files and answers questions about them in plain language, such as “What's the revenue per region in Q2?” or “Which suppliers have more than three open orders?”. Every figure in the answer is backed by the cell it comes from. MAIA recalculates sums, counts and matches itself before stating them.

MAIA only reads your files. The file in the File Manager stays unchanged.

Before you start

• The file is saved in .xlsx format.
• Agent Mode is turned on in the chat. Excel analysis is enabled by default in every workspace. If it doesn't work for you, contact support@getmaia.ai.

How it works

1. Upload the Excel file. You have two options:

   • In chat: click “+” > “Upload Files”, or drag and drop the file onto the chat window.
   • In the File Manager: open a collection and click “Upload”. See Upload and share documents.
   

2. If the file is already in the File Manager, pick it with “Select Files”.

3. Check in the “+” menu that “Agent-Mode” is turned on.

   

4. Ask your question. If you can, name the sheet or the columns you mean.

5. Read the answer and, if needed, check the cited cells in the file.

Unlike PDFs or Word files, the contents of an Excel file can't be found through general search. Always select the file explicitly.

What the answer looks like

MAIA separates three kinds of statements in the answer:

• Verified figures from the file: values with a cell reference that MAIA checked against the exact cell.
• Recalculated values: sums, counts and matches MAIA calculated and double-checked itself. The cell ranges used are listed.
• Interpretation: MAIA's own reading of the numbers, labelled as such.

Cell references appear in the answer as small tags with a table icon and the value from the cell, for example right inside a calculation such as “4 × 1850”. That way you see which values MAIA took from the file.

When MAIA says something isn't in the file, it has searched the whole file for it, not just a sample.

Values from formulas

MAIA doesn't recalculate Excel formulas. For formula cells it uses the value Excel stored the last time the file was saved, and the answer points out that these formula values “may be stale”. If you changed values without saving the file in Excel again, this value may be off. If a formula has no stored value at all, MAIA calculates it herself and says so in the answer.

If a formula has no stored value, MAIA may calculate it itself. The answer then says the value was calculated by MAIA and not verified.

Tip: open the file in Excel and save it once before uploading. That way all formula values are up to date.

Files MAIA rejects

When you upload them, MAIA rejects the following files with a message:

• older Excel files in .xls format (message: “The file type of … is not supported here”)
• files with macros, such as .xlsm, even if they were renamed to .xlsx
• files in .xlsb format
• password-protected or encrypted files

Save these files in Excel as a regular .xlsx file without a password and without macros, then upload them again.

Limits

• Checking limit: MAIA checks up to 50,000 cells per question. If a question needs more, MAIA doesn't deliver the values, or doesn't fully back them, and says so in the answer. Narrow the question down, for example to one sheet, a time period or specific columns. - Several files in one question: You can select several Excel files at once and have MAIA analyze or compare them in one question. MAIA then backs the values with cells from each file. - Not analyzed: charts, images and pivot tables in the file.
• Other formats: OpenDocument spreadsheets (.ods) aren't supported. You can keep using CSV files as regular documents.
• Read only: MAIA never changes an uploaded file. It can create a new Excel file for you in Agent Mode, though; see release 1.22. MAIA answers questions about a file created this way in the same chat, including cell references. You can't select it in other chats; download it and upload it again there.
  

FAQ

MAIA says it can't read the file. What can I do? Check that the file is saved as .xlsx without a password and without macros, and that Agent Mode is on. If that doesn't help, write to us at support@getmaia.ai.

Does MAIA change my Excel files? No. MAIA only reads the file.

How large can the spreadsheet be? MAIA goes through tables with several thousand rows in full. What matters is how many cells a single question involves (see the checking limit above).