Podium Excel Add-In

Overview

Podium allows you to pull structured, detailed data from your solved models directly into your existing Excel templates.

This workflow helps you to:

Keep your existing Excel-based process and calculation methods

Reuse your own formulas, benchmarks, and regional rates/metrics

Reduce manual exporting and copy-paste between tools

Ensure your Excel models stay in sync with the latest Podium feasibility data

Maintain control of your proprietary calculation logic and assumptions

Working with Podium Data in Excel

The Podium Excel Add-in connects your Podium scenarios to Excel and lets you work with live data from your feasibility models. It provides a consistent source of data, while you control how that data is analysed and presented in your spreadsheets.

Using Excel for Your Own Analysis and Reporting

Once the data is in Excel, you have the full power of Microsoft’s analytical suite at your fingertips. You can build bespoke tools that Podium doesn't offer out-of-the-box, tailored specifically to your internal standards:

Custom Feasibility Dashboards: Create high-impact summaries that update instantly as you refresh your Podium model.

Dynamic Pivot Tables: Slice and dice your unit mixes or material quantities to find hidden efficiencies.

Advanced Data Visualisation: Use Excel’s charting engine to create "Target vs. Actual" graphs, heat maps, or trend lines for scenario comparisons.

Complex Financial Modelling: Link live spatial metrics directly into your existing calculators to see the immediate financial impact of a design change.

Classic Schedule Export

Our classic schedule and export feature is perfect for when you need a static point-in-time record of your project data.

When to use it: For one-off reporting, sharing data with external partners who don’t have Podium access, or creating an archived "snapshot" of a specific project milestone.

How it works: Simply generate your desired schedule within the Podium web platform and Download it. You’ll receive a clean, pre-formatted spreadsheet containing all your current metrics.

Workflow 1: Generate Podium schedule, export to Excel, copy-paste data into your spreadsheet

‘Live-Link’ with Podium Excel add-in

The new Podium Excel add-in is designed for iterative work where your Excel sheet acts as a living calculator.

When to use it: For complex feasibility models, internal IP templates, or any scenario where you are frequently adjusting your Podium model and want to see the results update in Excel instantly.

The Advantage: By creating a direct bridge to the Podium API, you remove the need for repetitive manual data transfers. Once your sheet is set up, a simple Refresh brings in the latest data.

Workflow 2: Import data directly into your spreadsheet using the Podium Excel add-in

Advanced Data Control: The Podium Query Language

At the heart of the Excel Add-in is a custom-built query language developed by the Podium team, called CUBS-QL. This language allows for precise communication with our data models, ensuring you can extract exactly the metrics you need from any project or scenario.

How It Works

The Podium Excel Add-in uses this query language to speak directly to the Podium API. When you select a schedule or refresh a table, the add-in is actually running a sophisticated script in the background to filter, organise, and deliver your data into Excel.

Customisation for Power Users

For those who require deep customisation:

Custom Queries: Power users with the appropriate permissions can move beyond our predefined schedules.

The Podium Console: Power users can write and test their own unique queries directly within the Podium Console.

Bespoke Workflows: This level of access allows you to create highly specific data pulls that align with more complex internal spreadsheets.

Note: Access to the Podium Console and custom query writing is typically reserved for Admin or Power User roles. If you are interested in unlocking these features for your organisation, please contact our team.

Key Features

Live Sync: Refresh your data with a single click as you iterate in the Podium web platform. You no longer have to work with "last week's metrics", instead you can access the latest data.

Data Integrity: By eliminating the step of copy-pasting exported data into your spreadsheets, you remove the risk of human error in your feasibility assessments.

IP Security: Podium provides the raw data and your custom Excel formulas do the rest of the magic.

Split-Screen Productivity: Manipulate Podium scenarios in your browser and let your Excel feasibility model update in real-time.

Installation/Uninstallation

Depending on your environment, please follow the steps below in order to deploy the Podium Excel Add-in. After these steps you will be able to see and launch the add-in via your Excel ribbon panel.

Prerequisites

Microsoft Excel

Windows: Excel 2019 or later / Microsoft 365

macOS: Excel for Mac (Microsoft 365 recommended)

Individual user

Windows Desktop - Installer Option

Download the Windows installer podium-excel-plugin-v1.0.0.exe from the Podium website.

Run the installer — dismiss the initial SmartScreen warning. When you launch the installer, a Windows SmartScreen may display a blue warning screen. Click More info to reveal additional options.

Click "Run anyway" to proceed. After clicking More info, the app name and publisher details are shown. Click Run anyway to continue with the installation. This warning appears because the installer is not yet code-signed. The application is safe to install.

Welcome screen — click "Next" to begin. The Podium Excel Add-in Setup wizard launches. Close any open Excel workbooks before proceeding, then click Next > to continue.

Select your environment, then click "Install". Use the dropdown to select the appropriate environment (e.g. Production – podium.app.podium.io). Click Install to start the installation.

Installation in progress — wait for completion. The installer runs automatically. A progress bar shows the current status. Wait until it completes — this usually takes under a minute.

Installation complete — click "OK". A confirmation dialog confirms the add-in was installed successfully. The Podium button will appear in the Home tab of Excel. Click OK to finish.

If the Podium button does not appear in the Home tab after installation, locate it manually via: Insert > Get Add-ins > My Add-ins > Developer Add-ins

Windows Desktop - Manual Process

On Windows, the add-in is loaded using Excel’s Advanced / Shared Folder Add-in mechanism.

Close Microsoft Excel if it is running.

Ensure the file manifest-prod.xml is available on your local machine.

Open Microsoft Excel.

Navigate to Home → Add-ins → More Add-ins.

Select the Advanced

Click on Upload My Add in

Browse and select manifest-prod.xml.

Confirm and load the add-in.

The add-in Podium-excel should now appear in Excel.

macOS

On macOS, Excel loads add-ins from a local WEF (Web Extension Framework) directory.

Download the manifest xml-file from the Podium website.

Close Microsoft Excel if it is currently running.

Open Finder.

Press CMD + Shift + G (Go to Folder).

Enter the following path and click Go:

Paste this path: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Documents/wef

Copy the file manifest-prod.xml into the wef folder (create the wef folder if it does not already exist).

Open Microsoft Excel.

Go to the Home tab in the ribbon.

Select Add-ins → My Add-ins.

The add-in Podium-excel should now appear in the list.

Click Add / Open to load the add-in.

Browser

Download the manifest xml-file from the Podium website or for Windows users, you can download the podium-excel-plugin-v1.0.0.exe file.

Open a workbook in Excel Online.

Go to the Insert tab (or Home tab in some versions) and select Add-ins.

In the dialog click ‘Manage My Add-ins’ and select ‘Upload My Add-in’.

Browse to the downloaded Podium Excel manifest xml-file and click upload.

Organisation

Download the manifest xml-file or the installer from the Podium website.

As an admin log into the ‘Microsoft 365 Admin Center’

Got to Settings > Integrated Apps

Click ‘Upload custom apps’

For ‘App type’ select ‘Office Add-in’

Upload the Podium Excel manifest xml-file.

Assign users as desired.

Accept permissions.

Uninstallation

macOS

Close Microsoft Excel.

Open Finder.

Navigate to:~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Documents/wef

Delete manifest-prod.xml.

Reopen Microsoft Excel.

Confirm the add-in is no longer available.

Windows

Open Microsoft Excel.

Go to Home → Add-ins → More Add-ins.

Locate Podium-excel.

Remove or disable the add-in.

Restart Excel to confirm removal.

Launch The Excel Add-In

Once deployed, the Podium Excel Add-in lives directly within your workflow, turning Excel into a powerful, live dashboard for your property data.

Access the Add-in In Excel Ribbon

After deployment, you’ll find the Podium Add-in conveniently located in your Excel Ribbon. Click on the Podium Add-in.

Sign-In: Use your standard Podium credentials.

Environment: Enter your organisations Tenant URL to ensure you are connected to your specific environment.

The Bridge: Think of the add-in as a secure "live bridge" between your local spreadsheet and the Podium cloud. You will have instant access to all the projects and scenarios you own. If you can’t see a project a colleague asked you to review, ask them to add you to it as a project owner, which will make it appear in the Excel add-in.

Predefined Schedules & Metrics

You don’t have to build your data tables from scratch. We provide Predefined Schedules—curated sets of data specifically designed for site and building metrics. Whether you need metrics of towers on your site, or a bill of quantities of columns of your building, these schedules are ready to go with one click.

The Podium team is managing and expanding our library of Predefined Schedules.

Zero Downtime: Because these schedules are managed directly within the Podium platform, you get instant access to the latest data points and reporting structures the moment they are released.

No Re-deployment Required: You don’t have to worry about manually updating the add-in or asking your IT team to push a new version just to see a new schedule. If we add it in Podium, it appears in your Excel side-panel automatically.

We Value Your Input

If you find that a particular schedule is missing, or if you have a vision for a specific use case that would transform your workflow, we want to hear from you.

Request a Custom Schedule: If you can’t find the exact data you need for your proprietary templates, let us know. We frequently add new schedules based on user feedback.

Share Your Use Case: Have an idea for a complex comparison sheet or a new way to visualise risk? Our Podium specialists are ready to help you turn those ideas into reality.

Navigating the Podium Excel Add-in

The Podium Excel Add-in is designed with a simple, three-tab interface to help you find and sync your data with ease. Depending on the scale of your analysis—from site-wide metrics to granular building details you can use one of the following:

The 'By Project' Tab

Best for: Top down cost-planning Select this tab if you want to import data from Podium’s Site View. This is where you’ll find site-wide metrics such as total net-lettable-area, total apartment unit-count or total car-parking-lots. It’s the perfect starting point for early-stage development assessments.

In order to run a schedule, you need to select a project and scenario first.

The add-in provides you access to projects you either created or have been added to as a project owner.

You can make use of the project typology filter, and the project list is sorted alphabetically.

The Schedules field gives you access to predefined schedule tables compatible with Podium’s site view.

The 'By Building' Tab

Best for: Bottoms-up cost planning and scheduling Select this tab to dive into the Building View. This allows you to pull elemental data and specific metrics for individual building structures. Whether you need column material-volumes, beam weights or embodied carbon metrics for precast slabs, this tab provides the granular detail required for deep-dive analysis.

To run a schedule, you need to select a project scenario and building first.

You also need to solve the building(s) first in Podium’s building view.

The add-in provides you access to projects you either created or have been added to as a project owner.

The Schedules field gives you access to predefined schedule tables compatible with Podium’s building view.

The 'Refresh' Tab

Best for: Iterative design and live-syncing. The Refresh tab is the heart of your dynamic workflow. Once you have established your schedules in Excel, use this tab to live-sync your current spreadsheet.

Instant Updates: If you’ve made changes to your model in the Podium web platform, simply click refresh here to update all selected data tables in your spreadsheet instantly.

Data Harmony: This ensures your Excel formulas are always calculating based on the very latest version of your design.

Example Use-Cases

"We provide the data, you provide the expertise." By combining Podium’s generative design power with your proprietary Excel logic, you can create workflows that are uniquely yours, faster, more accurate, and completely customisable.

Site Metrics

This example demonstrates how to leverage the Podium Excel Add-in to create a high-level comparison dashboard. By pulling data from both the site-wide view and individual building elements, you can instantly measure design options against your project’s specific targets.

The Objective

To aggregate and compare site-level metrics with granular data from towers and podiums, ensuring the scenarios align with your commercial targets.

The Result

Instead of manually compiling reports, you now have a dynamic scorecard. You can manipulate your scenario in the Podium browser and immediately see the impact in Excel, enabling your team to make better data-driven decisions.

Building Metrics

This example demonstrates how to use the Podium Excel Add-in to dive beneath the surface of a building’s elements. By extracting granular elemental data down to individual columns, beams, and slabs, your team can generate precise cost estimates and construction timelines.

The Objective

To transform a solved Podium building model into a detailed Bill of Quantities (BoQ) and assembly schedule, allowing for a "bottom-up" assessment of project viability.

The Result

By pulling this level of detail into Excel, you bridge the gap between Design and Delivery Estimates. You are no longer just looking at a building's massing; you are analysing its elements to assess it could be built on time and on budget.