CakeXL is an Excel add-in that processes 40+ million rows at speed, working directly with local or connected data sources, in ways you're already familiar with. Stay simple or go deeper when you're ready.
Built by MNC Actuaries — Australian actuarial specialists in life insurance & reinsurance.
We'll be in touch when your access is ready.
No credit card required • Free during beta
See It in Action
What You Can Do
Who It's Built For
If any of these sound familiar, you're the right fit for the beta.
Teams Handling Big DataYou work with large datasets daily and need Excel to keep up without moving to a different platform or learning specialist tools.
Analysts Working with Large DatasetsYou need fast answers from big data but don't want to leave Excel to get them. Every extra tool in the chain slows you down.
Teams Sharing Data Across FilesYou pass files between colleagues and deal with the duplication, version drift, and merge headaches that come with it. CakeXL gives everyone a shared source.
SQL, R, or Python Users Who Still Rely on ExcelYou have the technical skills but the final deliverable always ends up in a spreadsheet. CakeXL bridges those two worlds without the friction.
How It Works
No new interfaces, no new software to install beyond the add-in. CakeXL fits inside the workflow you already have.
Bring your data into CakeXL. Keep it in your preferred location, local or connected, or let CakeXL manage storage for you.
Ask questions of your data using native Excel functions, CakeXL user-defined functions, or SQL queries that return results at speed.
Results land directly in your sheet, exactly where you need them, ready for further work without copying, pasting, or exporting.
Work with results using the full power of Excel: model, visualise, and report in the environment you already know.
Under the Hood
No compromises on the things that matter most when the data gets serious.
Handle 40–50 million rows without breaking a sweat, inside a tool you already have open.
Queries that used to take minutes return in seconds. The engine is optimised for the kind of data Excel users actually work with.
Files save in compressed format, a fraction of the size of an equivalent workbook. Faster to open, faster to share, lighter on your machine.
One local data source, many workbooks. No more emailing files. Teams query the same data and stay in sync.
Flexible, serverless-first setup. Run everything locally or connect securely to external databases, keeping control over where your data lives and how it's processed. Governance teams will thank you.
Multiple team members can query the same local database simultaneously, without locking each other out or waiting for refreshes.
Write in SQL for precision and control, or stick with Excel-native functions. CakeXL works the way you want to work.
Why Join the Beta
Beta testers aren't just users. They're the people who shape what CakeXL becomes through regular feedback, testing, error identification and product improvement suggestions."
Get in before the public launch and start solving large-dataset problems in Excel right away.
Your feedback goes directly to the team. What you find, what you need, and what frustrates you shapes the roadmap.
Full access at no cost while the beta runs. No credit card, no commitment, no catch.
CakeXL was built by people who work in Excel with serious data. It's designed for the problems you actually face, not edge cases.
For teams with specific requirements, there's potential to collaborate on features built around your exact use case.
Beta testers get free access, priority support, and a direct line to the team to shape what gets built next.
Join the Beta Waitlist →No credit card required. No commitment.
Common Questions
CakeXL is a Microsoft Excel add-in that brings your data and calculations together connecting to databases and enabling SQL queries, Excel functions and CakeXL user defined functions directly inside Excel.
Unlike Power BI, CakeXL removes the DAX learning curve and eliminates licensing fees for sharing results. Cloud connectivity is optional, not required. Unlike Power Query, CakeXL is designed to handle large scale joins and aggregations locally without performance bottlenecks. Your data remains fully under your control whether on your local machine, cloud infrastructure, or on-prem servers.
No. CakeXL supports both Excel-native formulas and SQL syntax. You can start with the Excel formulas you already know and use SQL when you need more control. There's no requirement to learn SQL to get value from the product.
No. You can connect directly to your database, analyze and understand your data, and even create reports and dashboards—all within Excel.
When your data is stored locally, no internet connection is needed for processing. When your data resides in the cloud, CakeXL securely retrieves it and processes it locally on your machine for maximum performance and control.
CakeXL is free during its beta program. Beta testers get early access, the opportunity to shape product direction and may collaborate on features tailored to their workflow. Spots are limited.
CakeXL is designed for Excel users working with large or complex datasets, including financial analysts, actuaries, wealth managers, data scientists, business intelligence analysts, Big 4 audit teams, government analysts, and anyone who relies on Excel for serious data work.
CakeXL is developed by MNC Actuaries, an Australian actuarial firm specialising in life insurance, reinsurance, and superannuation. Built by people who understand demanding data work firsthand.