Frequently Asked Questions

The founder consistently built financial models in Excel because other tools never delivered the same flexibility or technical capability. After testing multiple alternatives, he was repeatedly disappointed and concluded that many platforms simply duplicated functionality Excel already handled well.

Tenet was created to take spreadsheet-based modeling and planning to the next level. The platform streamlines and enhances Excel's capabilities so that accounting and finance teams can leverage advanced modeling techniques without needing to build complex solutions from scratch.

Instead of building advanced models internally for a single company, those same capabilities were transformed into software that can automate the process for thousands of companies simultaneously. Tenet is software the founder built to use himself and intentionally designed to make FP&A teams' work easier, faster, and more enjoyable.

Many FP&A platforms attempt to double as accounting software. In our view, this is unnecessary because most companies already have an established accounting system by the time they begin evaluating FP&A tools.

Accounting systems that offer planning modules often provide limited functionality, require steep learning curves, or fail to integrate well with Excel. As a result, many finance teams abandon those features and return to building models directly in Excel.

Tenet takes a different approach. We focus on doing one thing extremely well: enabling powerful financial modeling within a streamlined platform that works seamlessly with Excel. Our goal is to deliver a solution that is robust, scalable, and easy to implement without unnecessary complexity or features you don't need.

Tenet is designed for finance, accounting, and FP&A teams that rely heavily on Excel but need a more powerful and scalable environment. It is particularly well suited for organizations that want the flexibility of spreadsheets combined with the performance and structure of a modern financial platform.

More broadly, Tenet is ideal for any team working with multidimensional data for forecasting, planning, or analysis who needs a flexible system to model, organize, and fill gaps across complex datasets and overlapping segments.

Currently, data can be imported with a CSV file. Most accounting systems allow you to export a trial balance, which can then be imported into Tenet within minutes. Over time we plan to build API integrations with widely used accounting systems based on customer demand. However, we will always support CSV imports because many teams prefer their simplicity and flexibility.

Tenet's calculation engine runs on a real-time cloud architecture purpose-built for massive, multidimensional datasets. Our analytical layer runs on Tinybird and ClickHouse, the same column-oriented technology that powers analytics at companies like Cloudflare and Uber, while our operational layer runs on Convex, a real-time transactional database that keeps every workspace, permission, and live edit in sync across users. Together they deliver sub-second query response times across millions of rows, with no refresh required.

Every dimension in your dataset is pre-compiled into a proprietary high-density representation. This means recalculations and scenario modeling that traditionally take minutes (or crash Excel entirely) return instantly. Teams can connect live to their data inside Excel without ever maintaining raw data tabs, and every change propagates across business segments. Data can also be exported with customizable filters whenever needed.

We also solved a problem most analytics stacks do not even attempt: dimension-level permissions at scale. Tenet's authorization layer is woven directly into the calculation engine giving us row-level permissions at sub millisecond speeds. Denied rows are never read, never computed against, and never returned. The model is provably row-level, evaluated per query, with no shared state between tenants.

Tenet is dramatically faster than traditional spreadsheet models because calculations are handled by a powerful backend engine. Models that might take 30 minutes or more to calculate in Excel alone can often be processed in seconds within Tenet. This allows teams to run scenarios, forecasts, and analysis far more quickly without waiting for spreadsheets to recalculate.

Tenet can handle very large datasets and process millions of rows of data across many dimensions while maintaining high performance. Because calculations occur in a scalable cloud environment rather than inside a single file, users are not constrained by the limitations of traditional spreadsheets.

Yes, Tenet is built for collaboration and designed to support large teams working simultaneously with real-time updates, fast performance, and shared access to the same underlying data. Finance teams can delegate responsibility for different models across departments while maintaining a centralized source of truth. Executives, managers, and other stakeholders can also access the system with custom edit or view permissions for reporting and analysis.

Version control issues are common in spreadsheet workflows where multiple files and versions circulate simultaneously. Tenet eliminates this problem by maintaining a centralized system where all users interact with the same underlying data and logic structure. The platform manages updates automatically so teams always work from a single source of truth without worrying about conflicting versions.

At the moment yes, but many features are already available through a web interface as well. The backend engine is the core of the platform, performing the computational work and managing multidimensional data.

For now, teams will interact with Tenet through the web and Excel because finance professionals are already comfortable working there. However, the user interface can be experienced through multiple frontends. Additional interfaces are being explored, including potential compatibility with Google Sheets and other environments.

Yes, preserving the flexibility of Excel was one of the core design goals. Users maintain control over how models are structured, how dimensions are organized, and how calculations are defined. Tenet enhances Excel's flexibility with greater performance, scalability, and collaboration capabilities, without forcing teams into rigid modeling structures.

Yes, while many teams can begin using Tenet quickly on their own, we also offer implementation support for organizations that want assistance configuring models, importing data, or structuring their planning environment. Our goal is to ensure the platform is set up in a way that best supports your financial processes.

Not currently. As an early-stage startup, our priority is building a strong and reliable foundation rather than rushing out features for the sake of novelty. We believe new functionality should be introduced thoughtfully and only when it adds meaningful value to the user experience.

That said, we do see strong future potential for AI within Tenet. Possible applications could include identifying important dimension intersections, highlighting unusual trends or conflicts, recommending potential actions based on business goals, and generating deeper analytical insights to support decision-making.

Our focus is to make sure that when AI is introduced, it is practical, well-executed, and genuinely useful for teams.