> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cfo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Import an existing spreadsheet model

> Give Ari an Excel workbook, spreadsheet export, CSV, or financial report and rebuild its business logic as a native cfo.ai Model.

If your financial model already lives in a spreadsheet, ask Ari to rebuild it as a native cfo.ai Model. Ari uses the source as evidence of how the business works, then recreates its data, assumptions, formulas, Scenarios, and reporting views.

## Start with the original file

Attach the Excel workbook, spreadsheet export, CSV, PDF, or other readable financial-model source to your Ari conversation.

Then say whether you want Ari to analyze the file or rebuild it:

> Import this workbook into cfo.ai. Rebuild the revenue forecast, hiring plan, operating expenses, financial statements, and the Scenarios shown in the file.

If you only want Ari to explain the file, say that directly:

> Review this workbook and explain how the forecast works. Do not change the Model.

## What Ari looks for

Ari examines the source to understand:

* Which sheets contain inputs, source data, calculations, financial statements, or reporting views.
* How the sheets depend on each other.
* Which repeated rows, columns, or sheet groups represent business Dimensions.
* The source's time horizon, reporting grain, and Actuals cutoff.
* The assumptions and formulas that produce the visible results.
* Alternative cases that should become Scenarios.
* Missing inputs, broken references, or source numbers that do not reconcile.

When a workbook contains formulas, Ari can inspect both the saved formulas and the values shown in the file. A PDF or values-only export provides less evidence, so any inferred business logic should be identified as an assumption.

## What the rebuilt Model contains

A native rebuild expresses the underlying business concepts directly:

* Repeated department, customer, employee, product, or entity sections become shared Dimensions.
* Revenue, payroll, assumptions, balances, and other financial results become reusable Variables.
* Spreadsheet calculations become cfo.ai formulas.
* Closed historical data and future planning logic are separated using Last close and formula ranges.
* Statement and reporting sheets become Pages with saved Table Blocks.
* Alternative plans become Scenarios when the source and your request support that interpretation.

The goal is a Model you can operate and update, not a cell-for-cell copy of the old spreadsheet layout.

## Review the result

Ask Ari to compare the rebuilt values with the attached source file or export, explain any differences, and list the assumptions it had to infer.

> Reconcile the rebuilt revenue, payroll, and cash totals to the attached source for every quarter. Explain any difference you cannot resolve.

Pay particular attention to:

* The Actuals cutoff and the first Forecast period.
* The business categories used to segment the Model.
* Imported source totals versus calculated subtotals.
* Scenario names and assumptions.
* Existing workspace content that should remain unchanged.

## Related

* [Attach files to an Ari conversation](/workspace-settings/file-attachments-in-chat)
* [Build a financial model](/getting-started/build-your-financial-model)
* [Understand the formula model](/formulas/get-started/understand-the-formula-model)