Columns AI

Columns AI turns raw files and connected data into repeatable workflows, charts, and client-ready reports. The platform has three connected products. Drive extracts structured data from spreadsheets, PDFs, images, and text files. Flow cleans, transforms, schedules, and monitors that data. Graph turns the results into branded visuals and shareable reports.

Columns Flow is where most of the automation happens. Connect a warehouse, file, API, Drive folder, or another flow node, then describe the transformation in plain English. Columns builds the logic without requiring SQL. A flow can run hourly, daily, or weekly, and every run records its inputs, outputs, and timestamps. Schema-aware validation helps catch changes that could otherwise break a report further down the pipeline.

Rules can watch for a spike, drop, or crossed threshold and send an alert through Slack, email, or a webhook. This suits recurring work such as weekly advertising reports, revenue summaries, inventory checks, and client KPI packs. A workflow can begin with an attachment selected through the Columns Drive Gmail add-on and end with an updated embedded chart, without another manual export.

Columns Drive handles CSV, Excel, PDF, PNG, JPG, and unstructured text. It uses OCR and AI to extract rows, infer schemas, remove duplicates, standardize dates, and normalize currencies. You can inspect the detected schema before the data enters a Flow pipeline, which is important when invoices, reports, or supplier files arrive in inconsistent formats.

Graph creates charts through plain-language requests and supports brand colors, fonts, and visual styles. Results can be shared as live links, password-protected embeds, PNG or SVG files, CSV data, or interactive presentation decks. Domain whitelisting and role-based sharing provide more control when reports are published for clients or internal teams.

Plain-language transformations still need checking before they are trusted for finance, compliance, or client reporting. Teams working with complex, version-controlled SQL and large warehouse models will probably keep their specialist data tools. Columns makes more sense when the recurring problem is messy files, manual spreadsheet work, and reports that go stale between updates.

There is a permanent free plan, with paid tiers and usage-based processing available as data volumes grow.

• Columns Flow: Builds connected data pipelines from plain-language instructions.
• Multiple Data Sources: Connects files, warehouses, APIs, Drive folders, and upstream flow nodes.
• Scheduled Processing: Runs workflows hourly, daily, or weekly without manual refreshes.
• Schema Validation: Checks transformations against the source data structure before results move downstream.
• Run History: Records inputs, outputs, and timestamps for each workflow execution.
• Data Rules and Alerts: Sends Slack, email, or webhook notifications when defined conditions are met.
• Columns Drive: Extracts structured data from spreadsheets, PDFs, images, and text files.
• OCR and File Cleaning: Detects rows, removes duplicates, standardizes dates, and normalizes currencies.
• Gmail Add-on: Converts selected email attachments into structured spreadsheet data.
• Columns Graph: Creates branded charts and reports from structured data or plain-language questions.
• Live Visuals: Keeps embedded charts updated when their source data changes.
• Sharing and Export: Supports live links, iframes, PNG, SVG, CSV, and interactive presentation decks.
• Access Controls: Includes password-protected embeds, domain whitelisting, and role-based sharing.