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Integration with Microsoft Excel

In this tutorial, you'll install the DIAL Add-in for Microsoft Excel and call a DIAL model straight from a spreadsheet cell. By the end, a formula in your worksheet will return a model's answer, and a second formula will list the models available to you. This tutorial is for developers and power users who already have access to a running DIAL instance. No prior add-in experience is needed.

Tip

Watch a demo video to see the add-in in action before you start.

Prerequisites​

This tutorial assumes the add-in is already deployed for your organization. Installing it on a clean machine is not part of this tutorial — your administrator deploys the add-in and gives you its manifest file. Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A deployed DIAL Add-in for Microsoft Excel instance and a running DIAL Core, both reachable from your machine.
  • The add-in manifest.xml file, provided by your administrator.
  • Microsoft Excel — the desktop client or Excel on the web.
  • A DIAL account. The add-in signs you in through your organization's identity provider. For background, see Auth and access control and, for the default provider, Keycloak.

What you'll build​

By the end of this tutorial, a spreadsheet cell will hold a live model response generated by the Dial.ASK function:

A Dial.ASK formula returning a model response in an Excel cell

The add-in provides two functions:

  • Dial.ASK — sends a prompt to a model or application in DIAL and returns the response.
  • Dial.LISTMODELS — returns the models and applications available to your account.

Step 1: Sideload the add-in​

Sideload the add-in into Excel using the manifest.xml file from your administrator. The manifest registers the add-in's functions and points Excel at the add-in backend.

  1. Open Excel.
  2. Load the manifest.xml file using the sideloading method for your platform. For the exact steps on Windows, Mac, and Excel on the web, follow Microsoft's sideload an Office Add-in guide.

Loading the add-in manifest into Excel

Verify: The DIAL Add-in appears on the Excel ribbon, and typing =Dial. in a cell offers Dial.ASK and Dial.LISTMODELS in the formula autocomplete.

Step 2: Sign in and choose a model​

The add-in calls DIAL on your behalf, so you authenticate once before using the functions.

  1. Open the add-in pane from the ribbon and start the sign-in flow.
  2. Sign in with your organization's identity provider. After authentication, the add-in receives a token and uses it to authorize requests to DIAL Core.
  3. Open the add-in settings dialog and select a default model or application. The functions use this model when a formula does not name one explicitly.

The DIAL Add-in settings dialog

Verify: The settings dialog shows your selected model, and the add-in pane indicates you are signed in.

Step 3: Run your first Dial.ASK formula​

Send a prompt to your selected model directly from a cell.

  1. In cell A1, enter some source text — for example, DIAL is an enterprise platform for orchestrating language models.

  2. In cell B1, enter the following formula:

    =Dial.ASK("Summarize this in five words: " & A1)

  3. Press Enter.

To target a specific model instead of the default, pass its deployment name as an argument. Excel's formula autocomplete shows the exact argument order as you type.

Verify: Cell B1 shows a model-generated summary of the text in A1. Editing A1 and recalculating updates the response, the same as any other Excel formula.

Step 4: List available models with Dial.LISTMODELS​

Discover which models and applications your account can reach.

  1. In an empty cell, enter the following formula:

    =Dial.LISTMODELS()

  2. Press Enter.

Dial.LISTMODELS returning available models

Verify: The formula returns a spilled list of model and application names. Each name is valid as the model argument to Dial.ASK.

How it works​

Excel talks to the add-in backend through the endpoints declared in the manifest. The backend calls DIAL Core over the Unified API — the list deployments endpoint backs Dial.LISTMODELS, and the chat completion endpoint backs Dial.ASK. Your identity token travels with each request, so DIAL enforces the same role-based access control it applies everywhere else.

Further reading​