Microsoft Excel

The Microsoft Excel connector lets you read from and write to Excel workbooks (OneDrive or SharePoint) inside Nected workflows. You can look up rows, insert new rows, or update existing rows, and use the results in the rest of your workflow.

Important: Microsoft Excel is available only in the Workflow editor. It is not available in Rules (neither as a data source nor as an action). Use workflows when you need to integrate with Excel.

Prerequisites

• Access to the Nected platform

• A Microsoft account (personal or work/school) with access to Excel workbooks in OneDrive or SharePoint

Step 1: Connect Microsoft Excel

1. In the left navigation, go to Integrations.

2. Connect a new integration and choose Sign in with Microsoft.

3. Sign in with your Microsoft account and grant access to OneDrive/SharePoint and Excel when prompted.

4. After connecting, test the connection and publish to Staging or Production as needed.

You do not create a separate “data source” for Excel. Once the integration is connected, you use it by selecting an Excel connector when you add an Excel node in a workflow.

Step 2: Add Excel in a Workflow

1. Open the Workflow editor and open or create a workflow.

2. On the canvas, click the "+" to add a node.

3. From the node list, select Microsoft Excel (or MS Excel).

4. The Excel node configuration panel opens (e.g. titled msexcel or the name you give the node).

Step 3: Configure the Excel Node

The configuration panel has three tabs: Input Params, Test Results, and Settings.

Input Params

• Stay on the Input Params tab to configure the chosen action.

• Depending on the action, you will:

  • Select the workbook and worksheet (e.g. via “Add sheet” or worksheet picker).

  • For Update Row(s): set which rows to update and the values to write.

  • For Insert Row(s): map workflow outputs (or previous node outputs) to the worksheet columns.

  • For Look-up: define conditions (e.g. column = value) so only matching rows are returned.

• Fill in any required fields and save.

Integration

In Integration, choose the Excel connector you want to use from the dropdown.

• Use the refresh icon to reload the list if you just created a connector.

• Use the pencil icon to edit the selected connector’s settings.

If you see a red warning icon next to the integration, the connector may be misconfigured or disconnected. Open the integration in the Integrations page, fix or re-authenticate, then come back and refresh.

Action

In Action, pick what this node should do. After selecting an action, the Input Params tab will show the fields you need to configure for that specific action.

Action	Use when you want to
Update Row(s)	Change existing rows in a sheet (e.g. status, totals, flags).
Insert Row(s)	Append new rows (e.g. log entries, new records from the workflow).
Look-up	Read rows that match criteria and use them in subsequent nodes.

Update Row(s)

Update Row(s) lets you update one or more rows in your Excel worksheet. After selecting this action:

1. You'll need to select the workbook and worksheet you want to update (click Add sheet to choose from your available Excel files).

2. Configure which rows to update (e.g. by specifying a key column and matching values, or by row number/range).

3. Map the values you want to write to specific columns in those rows. You can use values from previous workflow nodes or static values.

4. Fill in all the required details in the Input Params tab, then test and save.

Insert Row(s)

Insert Row(s) lets you insert values into one or more new rows in your Excel worksheet. After selecting this action:

1. Select the workbook and worksheet where you want to insert rows (click Add sheet to choose from your available Excel files).

2. Map the workflow data (from previous nodes or inputs) to the worksheet columns where you want to insert the new rows.

3. Configure how many rows to insert and the data for each row.

4. Fill in all the details accordingly in the Input Params tab, then test and save.

Look-up

Look-up finds one or multiple rows from your Excel worksheet based on conditions you define. After selecting this action:

1. Select the workbook and worksheet you want to search (click Add sheet to choose from your available Excel files).

2. Write conditions to filter rows (e.g. Column Name = Value, Status = "Active", etc.). You can use values from previous workflow nodes in your conditions.

3. The matching rows will be returned and can be used in subsequent nodes in your workflow.

4. Configure the conditions in the Input Params tab, test to verify the correct rows are returned, then save.

Test Results

• Use the Test Results tab to run the node with sample or live data.

• Check that the action runs successfully and that returned or updated data matches what you expect.

Settings

The Settings tab lets you control timeouts, error behavior, row limits, and caching for the Excel node:

Setting	Description
Timeout for API (s)	Maximum time in seconds for the Excel API call to complete (e.g. default 10). Use the info icon next to the label for more details.
Timeout for Webhook/Cron (s)	Maximum time in seconds when the node is triggered by a webhook or cron (e.g. default 20).
Continue on error?	Toggle: when on, the workflow continues to the next node even if this Excel node fails; when off, the workflow stops on error.
Row Limit	Maximum number of rows to process or return (e.g. default 1000). Useful to avoid timeouts or large payloads.
Cache	Toggle: when on, results can be cached to improve performance for repeated look-ups.
Time to expire	When cache is enabled, how long cached data is valid. Set the number and unit (e.g. 5 Minutes) before the cache expires.

---

Troubleshooting

Red warning icon next to the integration

If a red warning icon appears next to the selected Excel connector in the node panel:

• The connector may be invalid, expired, or not fully configured.

• Go to Integrations, find the Excel connector, and check its status. Re-authenticate or fix the configuration if needed.

• Return to the workflow, click refresh in the Integration dropdown, and select the connector again.

Authentication errors

• Complete the full Microsoft sign-in and consent flow when connecting.

• In Integrations, confirm the Microsoft Excel integration is connected and published.

• If it still fails, remove Nected’s access in your Microsoft account (Security → Third-party access) and connect again.

• Use an account that has at least Edit permission on the target workbook.

Connector not in the list

• Click the refresh icon in the Integration dropdown.

• Confirm the connector exists and is saved under Integrations.

• Reload the page and try again.

Workbook or worksheet not found

• Ensure the Microsoft account used for the connector can view or edit the workbook and worksheet.

• If the file is in a shared OneDrive/SharePoint location, ensure it is shared with that account.

• Check that the workbook is not in Recycle bin or deleted.

Errors when inserting or updating rows

• Verify data types match (e.g. numbers vs text, date format).

• Ensure required columns and ranges are valid and the sheet is not protected where you are writing.

• Test with simple, static values first.

Look-up returns no or wrong rows

• Check that conditions use the correct column names and data types.

• Ensure the values you’re matching exist in the sheet and are formatted consistently (e.g. no extra spaces).

• If using values from previous nodes, confirm they are passed correctly and in the expected format.

Conclusion

Microsoft Excel integration is designed to be used within the Workflow editor—Rules are not supported. To get started, simply connect your Excel integration, add an Excel node to your workflow, select the appropriate connector, choose an action (Update Row(s), Insert Row(s), or Look-up), and configure the necessary input parameters. Always use Test Results to confirm your setup works as intended before saving your workflow.