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

# Drop a spreadsheet, ask Bower

> Bower now reads CSVs and Excel files natively — summarises what's in them, compares across files, and answers questions about the data.

**Shipped 2026-04-24 · AI**

A lot of lab data lives in spreadsheets — instrument exports, plate maps,
parameter tables, sample manifests. Bower now reads them natively. Drop a
CSV or Excel file into the chat, ask a question, and Bower answers using
the data inside.

## What's new

* **Native spreadsheet parsing** — `.csv`, `.xlsx`, `.tsv`, multi-sheet
  workbooks. Bower reads the data, infers column types, and uses the
  values directly when answering.
* **Compare across files** — drop several spreadsheets in and ask Bower to
  compare them. "Which run had the highest yield?" works without you
  pre-processing anything.
* **Pulls from notes too** — Bower can cross-reference what's in a
  spreadsheet against what's in your notes, so "is this batch's pH
  consistent with what I logged on Tuesday?" is a single question.

## Try it

Open Bower Chat (or Live Mode). Drag a spreadsheet onto the input, or use
the attach button. Then ask a question about the data.

Example prompts:

* "Which sample has the highest absorbance at 280 nm?"
* "Compare these two runs. What's different?"
* "Which rows fall outside the expected range from my protocol?"

When the answer is better expressed visually, Bower draws a chart inline —
see [Inline charts](/changelog/2026-04-24-inline-charts).

## Related docs

* [Bower, your AI assistant](/ai-and-search/bower-ai-assistant)