AI + Spreadsheets
Starting System + Modalities
Which tool does what, and where to start
Choose the right spreadsheet system first, then learn the main AI paths: a chat app, Google Sheets, Gemini in Sheets, Claude for Excel, native Excel help, and approved connectors. The right starting point depends on what you already use, what you need to read or change, and what your data can safely leave.
Worth knowing:The web app remains the macro-code path because Claude for Excel does not support VBA or macros.
First-timersAdmins with IT restrictionsAnyone setting up
Start Module 1 →Module 2
Business & Admin
Automate the work that eats your Fridays
Budget vs. actuals, invoice tracking, HR attendance, CRM-lite pipelines, Gantt charts, and executive dashboards. An AI assistant becomes the analyst layer. You stay in Excel or Sheets.
Worth knowing:One-click executive narrative: an AI assistant reads your dashboard and writes the status update. Copy, paste, send.
Office managersProject leadsOps & admin
Start Module 2 →Module 3
Personal Finance
Your money, finally in a spreadsheet that makes sense
50/30/20 budgets, expense tracking from bank exports, debt payoff calculators, investment portfolio snapshots, and tax prep workflows, all explained in plain English.
Worth knowing:An AI assistant compares the snowball and avalanche methods side by side, then personalizes the payoff order for your actual balances.
Anyone with a bank accountFreelancersFirst-time budgeters
Start Module 3 →Module 4
Personas
Your specific job, step by step
Six real roles: warehouse manager, small business owner, freelancer, educator, event planner, real estate investor. Each persona gets its own workflow, formula set, and AI prompts.
Worth knowing:Warehouse: 80/20 SKU analysis reveals which 20% of products drive 80% of your stockout headaches. The assistant finds them in your inventory sheet.
Warehouse managersSmall business ownersFreelancersEducatorsEvent plannersReal estate investors
Start Module 4 →Module 5
Dashboards & Visuals
Charts that update themselves, dashboards that explain themselves
Pick the right chart type, get setup instructions from an AI assistant, use Gemini or Copilot for native chart insertion, and build the 3-tab dashboard architecture.
Worth knowing:Gemini and Copilot are best for inserting charts directly into a spreadsheet. Claude and ChatGPT are better for deciding what to chart and why. This module teaches the handoff.
Anyone building exec reportsData-to-decision makers
Start Module 5 →Module 6
Skills & Connectors
Save a workflow once, then let AI work with live sheets
The capstone. Save a multi-step analysis your whole team can run without rebuilding it, then prove connector access with a test file before any real workbook is touched. Skills guide Claude for Excel when enabled, and approved connectors decide what spreadsheet data an AI surface can read or write.
Worth knowing:Saved workflows are macro-like automation without code. Build the workflow once in plain English; anyone on the team runs it with one click.
Team leads standardizing processPower usersAnyone past the basics
Start Module 6 →