LSDM: AI Forum: Claude Add-In for Excel & Other Office Apps

Actionable Guidance for Agentic AI in MS Office

Description:

As we in the LSDM AI Forum transition from AI chat to concept to action, MS Office users now have integrated agentic tools that don’t just answer questions—they operate inside live spreadsheets & documents.

This practical “How To” session explores the Claude Add‑Ins for Excel & other Office apps, with a focus on real‑world usage, setup, safeguards, & pitfalls.

Attendees will learn how to enable and access Claude within Excel. The session will walk through & take the mystery out of common scenarios such as explaining & modifying complex formulas, prompting for data handling & charting, analyzing files, working directly from files & images, etc. Concepts extend beyond Excel into PowerPoint, Word, & email.

Join Aspiring Geek as he walks through his own recent foibles & successes, including live demos.

Primary Outcome: Observers will have all the guidance necessary to start using Claude in Excel immediately

Level:  Beginner & Intermediate

High-Level Outline

• Intro
• Requirements
• Prompting via Voice
• Actionable Step-by-Step Implementation
• Examples: Successes & Gotchas
• Q-&-A

Bio

Aspiring Geek has worked at several tech firms, large & small, including for nearly a decade at Microsoft.  He was a Principal Database Architect & Solutions Architect for Microsoft, Western Digital, SanDisk, as well as at Fusion-io’s Data Propulsion Lab.  He has spoken at the largest database conferences on four continents, including ten times for the Professional Association for SQL Server (SQL PASS).