Version control, collaboration and questions in Excel, without leaving Excel

Final_v3_REALLY.xlsx lands in your inbox. Two colleagues are working at the same time, each in their own copy. At a meeting someone cites a number, but nobody can trace where it came from. Anyone working with a shared spreadsheet will recognise the situation.

Excel is not the problem. It has been one of the most widely used business tools for years. What is often missing around it is clear version control: who owns the data, which version counts, who can change a value and how can people ask questions about the contents?

That missing layer can be put in place. An Excel file becomes a governed business asset in minutes: one current source, visible history, a clear owner and rules for collaboration and questions in plain language. The worksheet remains usable.

Do these five sound familiar?

1. Which version is the real one? Copies pile up in inboxes and folders. Nobody is confident enough to say which one counts.
2. Collaboration means waiting. One person is in the file while another makes a copy. Reconciling differences is manual work. Even when several people can edit the same Excel file, the meaning of its numbers often remains implicit.
3. Numbers without provenance. A figure appears in a report, but it is no longer clear who changed it, when or why.
4. Access is all or nothing. Either the entire file is shared, or sharing is so cumbersome that someone emails it instead.
5. You cannot ask it questions. “What does this file tell us about customer X?” still has to go to the colleague who knows the formulas and tabs.

Why a document platform is not the whole answer

SharePoint and other document platforms are useful for storing and sharing files. They also offer file version history and ways to edit together. But a version of a file is not a history of an individual number or the definition behind it. Document permissions control access to the file, not automatically to every piece of data inside it.

When copies live in several places, old documents can still sit alongside the current version. Permission structures also need maintenance to keep access clear. This is not a failure of Excel or SharePoint: a document platform is designed for documents, not for governing the contents of a worksheet as concepts with owners and relationships.

So the answer to a search for a SharePoint alternative need not be another document platform. The question is what happens to the data inside the file. While the numbers live only in a file, questions, automation and AI remain dependent on whoever understands its tabs.

From Excel to a governed business asset in minutes

Using Excel as a database can seem like the quickest route. The columns already exist, but meaning, permissions and provenance are usually not captured in the file itself. Treating the file as a starting point and governing its contents means nobody has to abandon their daily workflow overnight.

1. Import the file. The worksheet enters the company brain. Columns become concepts with agreed definitions. A team confirms what “active customer” or “stock” actually means.
2. One version, visible history. There is one current source. Changes can be traced at the level of individual values rather than through another filename.
3. An owner and clear rules. An owner works with the team to decide what the data means and who may see or change it. Access no longer has to be all or nothing.
4. Questions for people and systems. Colleagues, reports, automations and connected AI assistants use the same agreed concepts. An answer in plain language can point back to its source.

Excel remains available as a worksheet and export format. The governed source is authoritative; the file is a way to work with it. The uncertainty about copies and provenance is what goes away.

What becomes possible next

Start with one file and one team. Once definitions and access are agreed, an alert in Teams or Outlook can follow when a value crosses a threshold. A recurring check can be automated. Other teams can then work from the same meaning without producing their own version of the number.

Each step builds on the last. Working together in Excel then becomes more than editing at the same time: it means trusting the same data. To ask questions of Excel using AI, those agreed definitions, source records and access rules matter most.

You can start with one team from €499 per month, excluding VAT. See pricing and the Team plan.

Want to embed these agreements into the work alongside an implementation partner? See how Datahub works with partners.

Frequently asked questions

Do we have to stop using Excel?

No. Excel remains useful as a worksheet and export format. The governed source holds the current data and agreements; the file is a view you can continue working with.

How long does it take to convert an Excel file?

An initial import can take minutes. The concepts then need confirmation, an owner must be assigned and permissions agreed. The amount of coordination depends on the file and the organisation.

Does this work with multiple files that refer to one another?

Yes, multiple files can be connected. References become relationships between agreed concepts, making them visible and manageable rather than hidden only in formulas.

Can we really ask questions in plain language?

Yes, through the interface or an AI assistant connected to the company brain. The questioner's access rights still apply and answers can be traced back to the source.

Where is the data stored?

In a dedicated EU environment hosted by Datahub, or in your own Azure tenant. You choose when setting things up.

One file is enough to begin. Book an introductory call or see pricing.