# AI presentations for finance teams: board packs, reporting, budgets > Finance teams turn Excel into board packs, monthly reports and budget decks. The AI reads the workbook, builds the pages, draws the charts, a waterfall bridge included, and can build the Excel model itself, with typed inputs and a formula for everything derived. Numbers on pages that the AI linked to cells update when the workbook changes. Compare every figure with your workbook before it goes out. - Source: https://ai-presentations.com/for/finance-teams/ - Updated: 22 October 2026 - Language: English - German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/fuer/finanzteams/ ## At a glance - Reads the values of every sheet in an attached workbook, up to 30 MB a file - Builds Excel models: inputs are typed, everything derived is a formula such as SUMIFS, XLOOKUP, NPV or IRR - Numbers the AI linked to cells update when the workbook changes - Draws charts, waterfall bridges included; tables export to PowerPoint with editable cells ## Steps 1. **Attach the numbers.** Attach the Excel reporting sheets or model and last period's pack. Name the period, the comparison, the units and the rounding. 2. **Add the reasons.** Write the cause of each variance into the brief and ask the AI to name only the causes you give, so every page carries your explanation. 3. **Check the plan.** On a new document the AI shows a page plan with a “What I assumed” list. Check periods, units and comparisons there, then click “Let’s go”. 4. **Tie out every figure.** Compare each figure, sign and unit with the workbook and check that bridges add up. The render check covers layout and images. 5. **Start next period from this pack.** “Use as template” copies pages, page format and images with no credits. Attach the new workbook; the first request keeps look and structure and rewrites the content. ## Spec sheet | Item | Detail | Status | | --- | --- | --- | | Excel in | Values of every sheet are read, up to 30 MB a file. Edits to an uploaded workbook change values and formulas in place, so its own charts and PivotTables stay. | Yes | | Excel models out | Budgets, forecasts, price calculators, financial plans. Only inputs are typed; everything derived is a formula: SUM, SUMIFS, XLOOKUP, NPV, IRR, PMT. | Yes | | Workbook size | Up to 24 sheets per workbook, each with up to 10,000 rows and 256 columns. | Yes | | Linked numbers | Numbers on pages that the AI linked to cells update when the workbook changes. In a budget round, change a growth input in the grid and read the result. | Yes | | Charts | The AI draws charts from your values, waterfall bridges included. When the numbers change, ask the AI for an update. | Yes | | Tables | Export to PowerPoint as tables with editable cells and to Word as tables. | Yes | | Pages per document | Plus builds up to 12 pages, Pro and Max up to 500. Imports: 12 slides on Plus, up to 150 on Pro and Max. | Yes | | Version history | A version is saved before every AI change and round of hand edits, up to 50 per document. Restoring uses no credits. | Yes | A finance team needs a presentation tool that moves numbers, not one that writes them. The AI reads your workbook, builds the pages, draws the charts and can build the Excel model itself. This page says what works today. ## Which finance decks and models can AI handle? Four decks return on every finance calendar. Each template page gives a sample structure and a brief; replace the periods, units and comparisons with your own. | Deliverable | What you attach | Template | | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | Quarterly board pack | Management accounts as Excel, the last pack, a KPI list | [Board presentation](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/board-presentation/) | | Budget round | Budget model as Excel, last year's budget, assumptions | [Budget presentation](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/budget-presentation/) | | Investor update | Monthly KPIs, cash and runway as Excel | [Investor update](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/investor-update/) | | Management summary | The model or report it summarizes | [Executive summary](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/executive-summary/) | A monthly management report fits the board and summary structures: attach the month's workbook and say which comparison you report against. For a written report as a Word document, see the [AI report generator](https://ai-presentations.com/ai-report-generator/). ## How do you turn an Excel workbook into a board pack? Attach the workbook and last period's pack. The AI reads the values of every sheet in a file up to 30 MB, so attach the reporting sheets and it works from the numbers you chose. The page on [Excel to PowerPoint](https://ai-presentations.com/convert/excel-to-powerpoint/) covers this route. Last period's pack gives the structure. If it is already a document in your library, choose “Use as template”: it copies pages, page format and images with no credits, and the first request keeps look and structure and rewrites the content. If it is a PowerPoint file, open it with “Open PowerPoint, PDF or Word”. The import keeps speaker notes and slide size and uses no credits. It takes the first 12 slides on Plus and the whole file, up to 150 slides, on Pro and Max. Then give the frame: which period, which comparison, which units and which rounding apply. Name missing values instead of leaving them blank, so none silently becomes zero. Write the cause of each variance into the brief and ask the AI to name only the causes you give. Ask for action titles, as in “Margin expansion came mostly from volume and better network utilization”, so each page states its conclusion. Our guide to [action titles](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/action-titles/) shows how. On a new document the AI asks up to four questions where the brief leaves gaps and shows a page plan first, with a “What I assumed” list. Check periods, units and comparisons there; it is the cheapest place to fix them. If the CFO presents the pack, ask for speaker notes. They go into the notes pane of the PowerPoint file. ## Can AI draw a waterfall bridge? Ask for it like any chart: give the start value, the drivers with their signs and the end value, then check that they add up. In the example below, 4.8 plus 1.6, 0.7 and 1.3, minus 0.6 and 0.9, gives 6.9. *An EBITDA bridge from Q3 2025 to Q3 2026: the start, five drivers up or down and the end, with an action title that names the main driver. Example with invented figures.* 5. Margin expansion came mostly from volume and better network utilization The AI draws the chart from the values you give; when a number changes, ask the AI for an update. The entry on the [waterfall chart](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/waterfall-chart/) explains the form, and the guide to [choosing the right chart](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/choosing-the-right-chart/) helps with the rest. ## Which numbers update when the workbook changes? A deck or report that uses a calculation gets pages plus a workbook. Numbers on pages that the AI linked to cells update when the workbook changes. In a budget round you can change a growth input in the grid and read the linked numbers on the pages. For the model itself, the AI builds Excel workbooks for budgets, forecasts, price calculators and financial plans. Only inputs are typed numbers; everything derived is a formula, such as SUM, SUMIFS, XLOOKUP, NPV, IRR or PMT. It checks formulas while building and labels missing inputs as assumptions. A workbook holds up to 24 sheets, each with up to 10,000 rows and 256 columns. If you upload a workbook of your own, the AI edits values and formulas in place, so the file's charts and PivotTables stay; a new layout becomes a separate workbook next to it. The .xlsx downloads from the workbook chip (Options, Download). ## How do you check the numbers before the board sees them? **Key takeaways** - **Figures.** Tie every number, sign and unit to the workbook, thousands against millions included. - **Periods.** Month against year to date, this year against last year, budget against forecast. - **Rounding.** Totals can differ from the sum of rounded parts; say in the brief how you round. - **Bridges.** The start plus the drivers must equal the end. - **Links.** Numbers the AI linked to cells update when the workbook changes. - **Assumptions.** The closing chat message names material assumptions. Read it first. The render check on every page covers layout: overflowing text, broken images, weak contrast. The AI is told not to fill gaps with invented figures, to keep your numbers and to label assumptions. Before the pack goes out, compare every figure with your workbook. ## What does a finance team need to know about confidentiality? Unreleased results are among the most sensitive files you handle. Accounts, documents and uploads are stored with Supabase in the EU, and AI requests go through OpenRouter to language-model providers in the USA; training use is excluded by contract with the providers. First check whether your policy allows processing in the USA. Send board material as an export through your usual channel. Slaide saves up to 50 versions per document, and restoring a version uses no credits. Slaide has contracts under Art. 28 GDPR with its own service providers; for the contract with you, ask , and for team rollouts see slaide.de/team. ## What does a monthly pack cost? Credits depend on length and complexity. The usage page shows what each document used, so build one real pack and read the number. As of October 2026, Plus costs €7.99 a month (€5.99 billed yearly) and builds up to 12 pages per document. Pro costs €17.99 (€14.99 billed yearly) and builds up to 500 pages per document. Hand edits, exports, imports and restoring versions use no credits. The [pricing page](https://ai-presentations.com/pricing/) has the current plans, and a team plan for 3 or more people is on request via slaide.de/team; credits and billing are confirmed in the offer. To start, open last period's pack with “Use as template”, attach the new workbook and build this period's pack from it. ## Brief for the AI A complete brief for the AI. Replace the [placeholders] with your facts. ```text Create a [12]-slide quarterly report for the [supervisory board] of [company, industry]. Period: [Q3 2026], compared with [budget and prior year]; amounts in [EUR thousand], rounded to [one decimal]. Structure: summary with the three messages and the decision we request, [four] KPIs against budget and prior year, revenue by [segment], an EBITDA waterfall from [Q3 2025] to [Q3 2026] with [five] drivers, cash and net debt, the main variances with the causes below, risks and opportunities, outlook for [next quarter], decisions requested. Use only figures from the attached [Excel workbook]; if a figure is missing, ask me instead of estimating. Causes: [cause 1], [cause 2]; name only these causes. Design: our board template, 16:9. Language: [English]. ``` [Open this brief in the editor](https://app.slaide.de/registrieren?prompt=Create+a+%5B12%5D-slide+quarterly+report+for+the+%5Bsupervisory+board%5D+of+%5Bcompany%2C+industry%5D.+Period%3A+%5BQ3+2026%5D%2C+compared+with+%5Bbudget+and+prior+year%5D%3B+amounts+in+%5BEUR+thousand%5D%2C+rounded+to+%5Bone+decimal%5D.+Structure%3A+summary+with+the+three+messages+and+the+decision+we+request%2C+%5Bfour%5D+KPIs+against+budget+and+prior+year%2C+revenue+by+%5Bsegment%5D%2C+an+EBITDA+waterfall+from+%5BQ3+2025%5D+to+%5BQ3+2026%5D+with+%5Bfive%5D+drivers%2C+cash+and+net+debt%2C+the+main+variances+with+the+causes+below%2C+risks+and+opportunities%2C+outlook+for+%5Bnext+quarter%5D%2C+decisions+requested.+Use+only+figures+from+the+attached+%5BExcel+workbook%5D%3B+if+a+figure+is+missing%2C+ask+me+instead+of+estimating.+Causes%3A+%5Bcause+1%5D%2C+%5Bcause+2%5D%3B+name+only+these+causes.+Design%3A+our+board+template%2C+16%3A9.+Language%3A+%5BEnglish%5D.&utm_source=ai-presentations.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=audience%3Afinance-teams&utm_content=markdown) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can the AI read our Excel reporting pack? Yes. It reads the values of every sheet in a file up to 30 MB. Attach the reporting sheets and last period's pack, and name the period, the comparison, the units and the rounding. ### Can AI draw an EBITDA bridge? Yes. Give the start value, the drivers with their signs and the end value, and the AI draws the waterfall as a chart on the page. Check that the start plus the drivers equals the end. When a number changes, ask the AI for an update. ### Does the deck update when the workbook changes? Yes, for numbers the AI linked to cells. They update when the workbook changes; in a budget round, change a growth input in the grid and read the linked numbers on the pages. ### Can AI build a budget or forecast model? Yes. It builds Excel workbooks for budgets, forecasts, price calculators and financial plans. Only the inputs are typed numbers; everything derived is a formula, and missing inputs are labeled as assumptions. ### How do you check the figures on the slides? Compare each figure, sign and unit with your workbook, as you would with any first draft. The AI is told not to fill gaps with invented figures, to keep your numbers and to label assumptions, and the closing chat message names material assumptions. ### Is an AI presentation tool suitable for unreleased results? It depends on your policy. Files are stored in the EU, AI requests go to language-model providers in the USA, and training use is excluded by contract with the providers. Check whether your policy allows processing in the USA, and send board material as an export through your usual channel. ## Related pages - [Excel to PowerPoint](https://ai-presentations.com/convert/excel-to-powerpoint/): Attach an Excel workbook and get a PowerPoint deck: tables with editable cells, charts drawn by the AI and a clear way to change the numbers later. - [Waterfall chart](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/waterfall-chart/): A waterfall chart shows how a start value becomes an end value through a series of increases and decreases. Definition, how to read it and typical mistakes. - [Choosing the right chart](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/choosing-the-right-chart/): Which chart fits which message: bars to compare, lines for trends, a waterfall for bridges. Includes when a pie works, when a table beats a chart, common traps. - [Board presentation](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/board-presentation/): A board presentation template with the 8 slides a quarterly board meeting needs: summary, KPIs, revenue, EBITDA bridge, initiatives, risks and decisions. - [Budget presentation](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/budget-presentation/): A budget presentation template with 8 slides: summary, assumptions, income statement, EBITDA bridge, capex, sensitivity and the decisions you need. - [AI presentations for mid-sized companies](https://ai-presentations.com/for/mid-sized-companies/): How a mid-sized company uses AI presentations across departments: one company look, German and English decks, plain answers on data and how to start a rollout. --- ai-presentations.com is published by Slaide (https://www.slaide.de), a sole proprietorship run by Nathalie Scholl in Heilbronn, Germany. 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