Excel Online Integration Overview

This article explains how to connect the Excel Online integration and use it in a workflow to add rows to an Excel table. With Excel Online, you can automatically append data from your workflow into an existing Excel workbook, keeping records organized and up to date in Microsoft’s cloud-based spreadsheet platform.

This integration is especially useful for logging submissions, tracking requests, or maintaining structured datasets without manual data entry.

Section 1: Connect the Excel Online Integration

Navigate to the Integrations Tab

From the left-hand navigation, click Integrations to view available connections.

Click New Connection

Select New Connection to see the list of available integrations.

Use the search bar or browse to locate Excel Online.

💡 Tip: You can use the category filter on the left to narrow down by integration type related to Append Row actions.

Name Your Connection

Provide a clear, descriptive name so it’s easy to identify later.

Examples:

• Excel Online – Form Submissions Log
• Excel Online – Request Tracking

Authenticate the Integration

You’ll be prompted to sign in with your Microsoft account and authorize access to Excel Online.

Important: The Microsoft account you authenticate with determines which locations, drives, folders, and workbooks are available during setup. If you are already signed in via OAuth, you may be prompted to confirm or switch accounts.

Complete Setup

Once authentication is complete, click Finish.

The Excel Online integration will now appear on the Integrations page along with its connection status.

💡 Tip: You can rename or update the connection description at any time by clicking the three dots (⋮) and selecting Edit details.

Section 2: Add the Excel Online Step to a Workflow

Open Your Workflow

Navigate to the workflow where you want to use Excel Online and click the plus (+) button to add a new step. Select Excel Online from the list of available steps.

💡 Tip: This step is typically added after a step that collects data, such as a Form step.

Name and Configure the Step

Enter a name for the step, then click to open the configuration panel.

Select Your Excel Online Connection

Choose the Excel Online integration you previously set up.

Choose the Action Type

Select Append Row as the action.

This action adds a new row to an existing Excel table each time the workflow runs.

Set Up the Worksheet

Configure where the data will be written by selecting:

• Location – The Microsoft tenant or environment where your Excel file is stored
• Drive – The OneDrive or SharePoint drive that contains the workbook
• Folder – The folder path where the workbook is located
• Workbook – The Excel file that contains the table
• Worksheet – The worksheet within the workbook

• Table (optional) – The table within the worksheet where rows will be appended. If no table is selected, the integration will write directly to the worksheet.

  

Each selection narrows down the available options, helping you precisely target where your workflow data should be written.

Important: The Excel table must already exist in the worksheet before you can append rows to it.

Header Row Option

You’ll also see an option to enable or disable the header row.

• Enable this if the first row of your table contains column names
• Disable it if your table does not include headers

This ensures that workflow data maps correctly to the appropriate columns.

💡 Tips:

• Make sure the Excel file is stored in a location accessible by the Microsoft account used for authentication
• If a workbook or table does not appear, confirm that it exists and that you have permission to access it
• The worksheet must use a formatted Excel table, not just a cell range

Map Columns to Workflow Data

Below the worksheet setup, map your Excel table columns to data from previous workflow steps.

You can:

• Drag and drop fields from earlier steps into each column, or
• Manually enter values if needed

Each mapped value will be written into the corresponding column when a new row is appended.

Save and Close

When you’re finished configuring the step, click the X in the upper-right corner to save your changes.

The Excel Online step is now part of your workflow.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Data Not Writing to the Spreadsheet

Issue:

The workflow completes successfully, but no data appears in the Excel workbook.

Solution:

Verify that the destination cells are formatted as an Excel Table. The Excel Online integration requires data to be written into a table structure.

To create an Excel table:

1. Open your workbook in Excel Online
2. Select the range of cells you want to use, including the header row
3. Go to Home > Format as Table
4. Choose a table style and confirm the selected range
5. Ensure My table has headers is checked if the first row contains column names

If needed, refer to Microsoft’s documentation for additional guidance on working with Excel tables.

Excel Online Step Not Appearing in the Workflow Builder

Issue:

The Excel Online step does not appear as an option when adding a step to a workflow.

Solution:

An administrator must first configure and authenticate the Excel Online integration in the Integrations Marketplace. Once at least one Excel Online connection has been created, the step will become available for all builders.

Authentication Errors

Issue:

Authentication fails or the connection to Excel Online cannot be established.

Solution:

Check the following:

• The Microsoft account used for authentication has the required permissions

• The required OAuth scopes were approved during consent:

   

  • Files.ReadWrite.All
  • Sites.Read.All
  • Sites.ReadWrite.All
  • offline_access
• The workbook is accessible to the authenticated user in SharePoint or OneDrive

Cannot Find Workbook or Worksheet

Issue:

The expected workbook or worksheet does not appear in the selection dropdown.

Solution:

Confirm the following:

• The workbook is stored in SharePoint or OneDrive (local files are not accessible)
• The authenticated user has at least read access to the file location
• The file is in .xlsx format (legacy .xls files are not supported)

Feature Considerations

Excel Table Requirement

To write data to an Excel workbook, the destination cells must be formatted as an Excel Table. Excel Tables define a structured range of cells that the integration can reliably write to.

Please keep in mind:

• The integration will only write data to cells that are part of an Excel Table
• Data cannot be written to unformatted cell ranges
• You must create the Excel Table before configuring the integration

For guidance on creating and working with Excel Tables, refer to Microsoft’s documentation: Overview of Excel Tables

Data Format Considerations

When appending data to Excel:

• Data is written as values only; formulas are not supported during write operations
• Existing cell formatting in the table is preserved
• The integration does not apply new formatting

Operations Not Supported

The Excel Online integration supports append-only write operations. The following actions are not supported:

• Reading data from Excel
• Triggering workflows based on Excel file changes
• Updating or modifying existing rows
• Writing data outside of defined Excel Tables
• Creating new workbooks or worksheets from a workflow

Authentication Considerations

Authentication behavior is tied directly to the Microsoft account used during setup:

• Each Excel Online connection is associated with a specific Microsoft user
• Only files accessible to that user will appear during configuration

Summary

That’s it! You’ve successfully:

• Connected the Excel Online integration
• Added an Append Row step to your workflow
• Configured where data is written and how it maps to your Excel table

Your workflow will now automatically add new rows to Excel each time it runs, helping you keep records accurate and up to date.

If you have questions or need help troubleshooting, reach out to your admin or contact support.