Introducing Coherent Assistant, Excel's New Best Friend

Remember Clippy? The little paperclip that popped up in Microsoft Office, always ready to help – whether you wanted it to or not? While Clippy had mixed reviews, its goal was simple: to make working in Office apps easier.

Now, meet Coherent Assistant – a sophisticated Excel add-in that truly delivers on the promise of helpful guidance, seamlessly integrating Coherent Spark’s capabilities directly into your Excel workflow. Designed to help Excel power users work faster, reduce errors, and simplify the transition from spreadsheets to APIs.

Once installed, you'll have access to a suite of powerful features:

• Quick file uploads when you make updates
• Version comparison tools
• Rate table building with outlier analysis
• Direct API testing from Excel
• Live connections to external APIs and Spark services

What Is Coherent Assistant?

Coherent Assistant is an Excel add-in that enhances the functionality of Coherent Spark by enabling direct integration within your spreadsheet. Whether you’re mapping inputs and outputs, running calculations, or linking live APIs, Coherent Assistant lets you do it all from within Excel – without disrupting your workflow.

Key Capabilities of Coherent Assistant:

• Seamless Spark Connection: Easily link Excel with your Coherent Spark instance, upload and download Spark services, and create testbeds for analysis.
• Intelligent Data Mapping: Define, edit, and validate inputs and outputs directly in Excel before pushing them to Spark.
• Automated Testing & Validation: Run test cases, compare outputs, and identify potential errors without leaving Excel.
• Live API Integration: Establish real-time connections between Excel and external APIs or Spark services for dynamic calculations.

Let’s dive deeper into what Coherent Assistant can do!

How Coherent Assistant Enhances Your Workflow

1. Connect Excel to Spark Instantly

With Coherent Assistant, you can securely connect your Excel file to your Coherent Spark instance in just a few clicks. This integration allows you to:

• Link your spreadsheets to Spark without switching applications.
• Pull and push data seamlessly between Excel and Spark.
• Keep your Spark models up to date while working in a familiar Excel environment.

📖 Learn More: Connecting to Spark

2. Map Data Inputs and Outputs with Ease

Building APIs from Excel models requires precise input and output mapping. Coherent Assistant simplifies this by allowing users to:

• Define input and output parameters directly within Excel.
• Validate mappings before uploading files to Spark.
• Adjust named ranges and ensure data consistency across versions.

📖 Learn More: Mapping Inputs and Outputs

3. Link Excel Models to Spark Services

Instead of manually converting Excel files into Spark services, Coherent Assistant enables:

• Direct linking of your spreadsheet to Spark services.
• Quick updates to Spark without re-uploading entire files.
• Smoother API creation with minimal effort.

📖 Learn More: Linking Your File to Spark

4. Use Solver to Automate & Optimize Calculations

Need to perform iterative calculations? The Solver function in Coherent Assistant lets you:

• Define equations and solve for unknowns within Excel.
• Automate repetitive calculations and optimize outputs.
• Reduce manual effort while increasing accuracy.

📖 Learn More: Creating a Solver

5. Create an Excel-based Frontend for a Spark Service with Shell

You can benefit from Control and auditability while maintaining operational usage of workbook through Shell in Coherent Assistant:

• Convert a workbook into a controlled asset, with no development required
• Protect and validate workbook logic
• Ensure users are always on the latest published version of the workbook

📖 Learn More: What is Shell?

6. Access External Data & Existing Spark Services

Access tools through Coherent Assistant to optimize processes by externalizing calculations and data:

• Create modularized, standardized functions across workbooks
• Incorporate external data directly into your Excel file

📖 Learn More: Using CS.SPARK_XCALL() UDF

Why Coherent Assistant Matters

For teams that rely on Excel but need the power of Spark, Coherent Assistant bridges the gap. It streamlines workflows, reduces manual errors, and allows users to:

• Work within Excel while leveraging Coherent Spark’s capabilities
• Maintain version control and collaborate more effectively
• Automate testing, validation, and optimization processes
• Eliminate tedious file uploads and manual API interactions

Get Started with Coherent Assistant

Excel is one of the most widely used tools in the business world, and Coherent Assistant takes it a step further by integrating it directly with Coherent Spark.  

By bringing Coherent Spark’s capabilities inside Excel, teams can work more efficiently, reduce friction, and make the most of their models.

Excel is now one step closer to becoming your favorite app with Coherent Spark inside it.