Automation with Viete
Transform hours of repetitive Excel work into automated processes that run in the background. Viete's automation capabilities eliminate manual data entry, reduce errors, and keep your Excel models continuously updated with fresh data from 8,000+ sources—completely automatically.
The Cost of Manual Excel Work
Most organizations waste countless hours every week on repetitive Excel tasks:
Time Waste
- • Copying data from multiple systems into Excel
- • Updating monthly reports with new figures manually
- • Refreshing dashboards by hand every morning
- • Rebuilding analysis models with updated datasets
- • Manually formatting and structuring incoming data
Error Risk
- • Every manual copy-paste invites mistakes
- • Typos in critical financial data
- • Forgetting to update key sections
- • Inconsistent data across reports
- • Broken formulas from manual edits
Viete Automation eliminates both problems completely.
Set it up once, and your Excel models stay updated automatically—no manual work, no errors, no time wasted. Just fresh, accurate data exactly when you need it.
How Viete Automation Works
Viete connects directly to your data sources and automatically generates or updates Excel models on your schedule:
Connect to 8,000+ Data Sources
Through MCP (Model Context Protocol), Viete can pull data from virtually any system: databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB), SaaS platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, QuickBooks), cloud storage (AWS S3, Google Drive), APIs, and more.
No manual exports, no copy-pasting, no downloading CSVs. Viete fetches data directly from the source.
Define Your Model & Update Behavior
Choose how you want your Excel models handled:
- • Create New Model: Generate a fresh workbook each time
- • Update - Replace Data: Overwrite existing data with current period
- • Update - Add Data: Append new data to build historical records
Set Your Schedule
Determine how often the automation should run with flexible scheduling options:
- • Hourly: Run at a specific minute past each hour
- • Daily: Execute at the same time every day
- • Weekly: Run on specific day(s) of the week
- • Monthly: Execute on a specific day each month
- • Custom (Cron): Use cron expressions for complex schedules
Note: All schedules use Norwegian time (Europe/Oslo timezone) for consistency.
Apply Templates or Styles (Optional)
Choose one of two options for formatting consistency (mutually exclusive):
- • Templates: Use pre-built Excel templates saved from previous models
- • Styles: Apply formatting rules from reference models (stored as markdown)
Note: Templates and styles cannot be combined in the same automation. Available only for "Create New Model" type (not for update automations).
Let It Run
That's it. Automation runs in the background, generating or updating your Excel models automatically. No manual intervention needed—just check the results when convenient.
Three Types of Automation
Viete offers three distinct automation approaches, each designed for different business needs:
Automate Excel Model Creation
Fresh FilesCreates a completely new workbook each time the automation runs. Perfect for recurring reports, daily analysis, or any scenario where each execution should produce an independent file.
Example Use Case:
"Automatically fetch new sales data from Shopify every morning at 8 AM and generate a fresh daily performance report with charts and analysis. Each day gets its own file for easy comparison and archiving."
Automate Excel Model Update (Replace Data)
Current PeriodUpdates an existing workbook by replacing its data with fresh information. Maintains the same model structure, formulas, and formatting—only data values change. Perfect for current-period dashboards.
Example Use Case:
"Refresh executive KPI dashboard on the 1st of each month with current month's metrics from the company database, CRM, and financial system. Previous month's data is replaced, charts and formulas automatically recalculate."
Automate Excel Model Update (Add Data)
Historical BuildAppends new data to an existing workbook without overwriting previous records. Builds comprehensive historical datasets over time. Essential for cumulative tracking, trend analysis, and year-over-year comparisons.
Example Use Case:
"Automatically append daily sales transactions from e-commerce platform to build year-to-date sales log. Each day adds new rows while preserving all historical data for cumulative analysis and trend identification."
Setting Up Automation: Two Paths
You can approach automation in two ways, depending on your starting point:
Path 1: Generate, Then Automate
Use Viete AI to create your Excel model first. Once you're happy with the structure, formulas, and design, set up automation to keep it updated or generate new instances.
Step 1: Describe your model to Viete AI
Step 2: Review and refine the generated model
Step 3: Configure automation with data sources
Step 4: Set schedule and activate
Path 2: Upload, Then Automate
Already have an Excel model that works? Upload it (.xlsx or .xls files) to Viete and configure automation to keep it updated. Viete respects your existing structure while automating data refresh.
Step 1: Upload your existing Excel file (.xlsx or .xls)
Step 2: Define which data should be automated
Step 3: Connect data sources via MCP servers
Step 4: Set schedule and activate
Note: Automation file uploads support Excel files only (.xlsx, .xls). For other file types, use Workflows instead.
Templates & Styles for Consistency
For "Create New Model" automations, maintain formatting consistency with templates or styles (choose one):
Templates
Save any Viete-generated model as a reusable template. Templates preserve the complete workbook structure, formulas, and formatting.
Best for: Exact replication of a specific model structure
Storage: Saved in database with complete workbook definition
Usage: Select template when creating automation
Styles
Upload reference Excel files that get converted to markdown descriptions capturing formatting, branding, structure, and design patterns.
Best for: Applying consistent branding and formatting rules
Storage: Stored as markdown files on VM (name is the identifier)
Usage: Select style when creating automation
Monitoring & Session History
Track your automations with complete visibility into execution history:
Execution Tracking
Monitor automation status (active, paused, draft), view next scheduled run time, and see last execution timestamp.
Session Preservation
Every automation run creates a session with full execution history. Sessions are marked with [Auto] prefix for easy identification.
Run Counter
Track total number of executions for each automation. Useful for understanding usage patterns and verifying schedules.
Dashboard Controls
Pause/activate automations, edit settings, download Excel outputs, and navigate to sessions directly from the dashboard.
Automation Dashboard & Management
Manage all your automations from a centralized dashboard with real-time updates:
- View all automation sessions with [Auto] prefix for easy identification
- Dropdown selector to switch between different automated sessions
- Real-time countdown to next scheduled run (updates every second)
- Last run timestamp showing exactly when automation last executed
- Automatic polling every 10 seconds for status updates
- Session preview displaying the generated Excel workbook
- Pause/activate toggle to control automation execution
- Edit automation settings (prompt, schedule, data sources, style)
- Download Excel output directly from dashboard
- Navigate to full session view for detailed interaction
- Delete automations when no longer needed
Session History Preservation
Each automation run creates a new session (for creation type) or updates an existing session (for update type). All sessions are preserved with complete execution history, allowing you to:
- • Review any previous automation output
- • Compare results across different time periods
- • Audit what data was used and when
- • Troubleshoot by examining session details
- • Track the evolution of updated models over time
Unlimited Automations
Set up as many automations as you need—there's no limit:
By Department
Finance automations, marketing dashboards, operations tracking, HR reports—each department can have dedicated automations for their needs.
By Client
Create separate automations for each client, each with client-specific data sources, branding styles, and delivery schedules.
By Report Type
Daily dashboards, weekly summaries, monthly financials, quarterly reviews—different frequencies and formats, all automated independently.
Real-World Automation Examples
E-commerce Daily Operations Dashboard
Data Sources (via MCP):
- • Shopify API (sales data)
- • Inventory database (stock levels)
- • ShipStation API (fulfillment metrics)
- • Google Analytics (traffic data)
Automation Setup:
- • Type: Create New Model
- • Schedule: Every morning at 7 AM
- • Output: Branded daily operations report
- • Charts: Sales trends, inventory alerts
Result: Complete operations visibility every morning without any manual data gathering. Team reviews the latest dashboard with coffee, makes informed decisions based on yesterday's performance.
Agency Multi-Client Reporting
Data Sources (via MCP):
- • Google Ads API (per client)
- • Facebook Ads API (per client)
- • Google Analytics (per client website)
- • CRM data (HubSpot)
Automation Setup:
- • Type: Create New Model (per client)
- • Schedule: Weekly, Monday 6 AM
- • Style: Client-specific branding
- • Output: Branded performance report
Result: 20 clients, 20 separate automations, each with client-specific data sources and branding. Every Monday morning, all client reports ready for delivery—zero manual work from the team.
Financial Month-End Close Automation
Data Sources (via MCP):
- • QuickBooks API (accounting data)
- • Bank APIs (transaction feeds)
- • Payroll system (employee costs)
- • Internal database (operational metrics)
Automation Setup:
- • Type: Update - Add Data
- • Schedule: Monthly, 1st at 9 AM
- • Builds: Year-to-date financials
- • Includes: P&L, balance sheet, variance
Result: Month-end close that used to take 2 days of manual work now completes overnight. Finance team arrives on the 1st to complete, accurate financial package ready for executive review.
Choose Your Automation Type
Create New Model
Generate fresh workbooks on schedule for recurring reports and period-based analysis
Update - Replace Data
Refresh existing models with current period data, maintaining structure and formulas
Update - Add Data
Build cumulative historical records by appending new data over time