Limitations of Unito's Microsoft Excel Integration

Here's a breakdown of what Unito's Excel integration can't do yet — and a few other considerations.

Unito's Excel integration is designed with flexibility in mind to help you get the most out of your spreadsheets. You've seen what Unito can do for Excel users, so this article will cover what it can't do — yet.

What does this article cover?

• Unsupported fields & mappings
• Limitations of Unito's Excel Integration
• Other Excel integration considerations
• What happens if I manually delete a synced Microsoft Excel row?

Unsupported fields

• Rich text: That means bold and italic text won't sync over.
• Attachments: Not currently supported for this integration.
• Hyperlinks: These are considered rich text, so they're not supported by this integration. Note: If you try to sync a hyperlink from one spreadsheet to another, the link might get deleted in the destination spreadsheet.

Unsupported mappings

• Comments: Since Excel doesn't have comments, it's not possible to map comments from another tool into Excel.

Limitations of Unito's Excel Integration

• On-premise: Unito doesn't support on-premise Excel instances.
• Documents: Unito can only sync documents stored in Excel Online. If they're stored anywhere else — like dropbox or box.com — you won't be able to sync them with Unito.
• Live sync: Due to limitations in Excel’s API, there can be a bit of a delay in sending information over once created in Excel. If your row is taking a bit longer to sync, try manually saving your spreadsheet.
• Syncing via forms or automations: Unito can only sync rows or updates that are added to work items manually. The platform won't sync data to a spreadsheet via forms or automation rules outside of Unito's. 
• Syncing workbooks that use desktop-only features: A limitation in Excel's API means that workbooks and spreadsheets that use features only available in the desktop version of Excel can't be synced with Unito. Not sure if you're using these features? Check Microsoft's documentation here.
• Custom fields: In order to properly sync custom fields from another tool, they have to be identical to the data in Excel. So if a dropdown in Asana has an option called Editorial, that same option in Excel has to be called Editorial as well.
• Subtasks: Since Excel spreadsheets don't have a work item hierarchy the way some tools do, you won't be able to sync subtasks and other sub-items (e.g. Trello checklists and Asana subtasks) to Excel.
• Syncing spreadsheets from other platforms: Unito can only access Excel spreadsheets stored in Excel Online. If they're stored on a third-party service like Dropbox or box, you won't be able to sync them with a Unito flow. Sharepoint isn't supported, either.
• Syncing data from forms or automations: Unito can only sync rows or updates that are added to spreadsheet rows manually. The platform won't sync data to a spreadsheet via forms or automation rules outside of Unito's.
• Updating cells in header rows: If you need to update the cells in your header row, you'll have to update the field mappings in Unito to match. Otherwise, your flow will stop syncing any cells in a column with an updated header.

Other Excel integration considerations

Installation instructions

To use this integration, you’ll need to install the Unito add-in for Excel. Add-ins let you do more with your spreadsheets, and you need to install this for Unito to work.

1. Start by going to the top of your spreadsheet. Click on File, then Get Add-ins.
2. In the next screen click STORE and type Unito into the search box.
3. Click Add and follow the on-screen instructions to install the Unito add-in

Before you start syncing your spreadsheet to other tools, you’ll want to open the Unito add-in through the home menu.

How to use the Unito add-in for Excel

Once the Unito add-in is installed, you can access it at any time.

1. Select Home
2. Click the ellipsis (three dots) on the right-hand side of the ribbon and select Open Unito.
   1. Note: you'll need to be using a single-line ribbon. If you're using the classic ribbon, expand your window first until you see the Open Unito button.
3. Now, select Insert Two Columns Into This Sheet.

Unito will automatically add columns called UnitoID and Last Modified.

What happens if I manually delete a synced Microsoft Excel row?

If someone with access to your synced Microsoft Excel spreadsheet chooses to delete a destination row, you'll likely encounter problems with your Unito flow.

This often goes unnoticed at first if that person later manually re-adds the deleted spreadsheet rows. If that's the case, unfortunately those manually added Excel rows won't be synced to the originals via Unito.