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Pre-Built Tooling

CategoryDetails
AuthenticationOAuth 2.0 (Authorization Code with refresh tokens)
Two-Way SyncNo
Events SupportedNo
RealtimePolling
Supports Rate LimitingYes (Microsoft Graph API limits apply)
Authentication Scopes Supportedopenid, profile, email, user.read, Mail.send, offline_access, Files.ReadWrite.All, Sites.ReadWrite.All

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Objects Supported

Alloy Automation supports syncing the following objects from Microsoft Excel: Based on the Microsoft Graph Excel API, typical objects include:
  • Workbooks
  • Worksheets
  • Tables
  • Ranges
  • Charts
  • Named Items

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Set Up Guide

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Trial Access

QuestionAnswer
Offers free trial?Yes. Microsoft offers free personal Microsoft accounts with limited OneDrive storage and Excel Online access. Create Microsoft account
Requires paid sandboxNo. Free Microsoft accounts can be used for testing and development.
Requires partnership to obtain authentication?No, but you must register an application in the Azure Portal.

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Authentication (OAuth 2.0)

For customers who want to completely whitelabel their OAuth experience, you can provide your own developer keys instead of using Alloy Automation’s.

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Create your OAuth app (Azure Portal)

  1. Go to Azure Portal (https://portal.azure.com/) and sign in with your Microsoft account.
  2. Navigate to Azure Active Directory → App registrations → New registration.
  3. Fill in your application details:
    • Name: Your application’s name
    • Supported account types: Choose “Accounts in any organizational directory and personal Microsoft accounts” for broad access
    • Redirect URI: Select “Web” and enter https://api.runalloy.com/api/strategy/connector/microsoftExcel/callback
  4. Click Register to create the application.
  5. Note your Application (client) ID from the Overview page.
  6. Navigate to Certificates & secrets and click New client secret.
  7. Add a description and expiration period, then click Add.
  8. Copy the Value of the client secret immediately (it won’t be shown again).
  9. Navigate to API permissions and click Add a permission.
  10. Select Microsoft Graph and add the following delegated permissions:
    • Files.ReadWrite or Files.ReadWrite.All - Read and write files
    • Sites.ReadWrite.All - Read and write SharePoint sites (for shared workbooks)
    • User.Read - Read user profile
    • offline_access - Maintain access to data
  11. Add the following permissions for email capabilities if needed:
    • Mail.Send - Send emails
  12. Click Grant admin consent if you have admin privileges for organizational accounts.
  13. Copy your Application (client) ID and Client Secret into Alloy Automation.

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Important Notes

  • Excel files must be stored in OneDrive or SharePoint to be accessed via the API.
  • Local Excel files (.xlsx) cannot be accessed - files must be cloud-hosted.
  • The Graph API supports Excel Online but not Excel for Desktop through the API.

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Use Cases

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1) Automated report generation

Extract data from your application and populate Excel templates with charts and formatted tables, automatically saving reports to SharePoint or OneDrive for team access.

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2) Spreadsheet-based data collection

Read data from Excel workbooks used by non-technical users as data entry forms, validating and importing the data into your database or business application.

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3) Financial model automation

Update Excel-based financial models with real-time data from accounting systems, automatically recalculating projections, budgets, and forecasts based on latest actuals.

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4) Collaborative data synchronization

Sync data between your application and shared Excel workbooks in SharePoint, enabling teams to collaborate on data while maintaining a system of record in your platform.

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5) Template-based document generation

Use Excel as a templating engine for generating invoices, reports, or data exports with custom formatting, formulas, and charts that are then distributed via email or stored in the cloud.

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API Gotchas

  • Excel files must be stored in OneDrive or SharePoint to be accessible via the Microsoft Graph API. Local files or files in other storage systems cannot be accessed, which surprises many developers expecting broader file system access.
  • The API uses session-based access for performance. Creating a session (/createSession) is recommended for multiple operations on the same workbook, but sessions expire after a period of inactivity. Always implement session refresh logic.
  • Cell address notation is strict and must use A1-style references (e.g., A1:D10). R1C1 notation is not supported. Range addresses are case-insensitive but must be properly formatted or the API returns validation errors.
  • Formula calculation can be delayed. When writing formulas to cells, the calculated values may not be immediately available. Use the /calculate endpoint to force synchronous calculation if you need immediate results.
For questions or troubleshooting, contact support@runalloy.com.
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