This guide walks NetSuite administrators through everything needed to get up and running with the CloudExtend Financial Reporting Add-in for Microsoft Excel. Please read all sections before beginning.

⚠️ Important: This is a pre-release MVP version made available to a limited number of early access testers. You may encounter issues not listed in our Known Issues article. That is expected and your feedback helps us improve.

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If you have found a new issue not listed in our Known Issues or just want to provide general feedback kindly use this link to provide feedback.

Overview of Steps

Setup involves three phases:

Admin: NetSuite Configuration — Install the bundle, enable Token-Based Authentication, and assign role permissions.
Admin: Deploy the Add-In via Microsoft 365 Centralized Deployment — Push the Excel add-in to your users automatically.

Part 1 — Admin: NetSuite Configuration

Complete these steps before asking end users to set up the add-in.

Step 1 — Share Your NetSuite Account Number

Share your NetSuite account number with your CloudExtend contact. We will make the bundle available to your account and notify you once it is ready to install.

📌 Do not proceed to Step 2 until you have received confirmation from CloudExtend.

Step 2 — Install the CloudExtend Financial Reporting Bundle

Once CloudExtend has confirmed availability, install the bundle in your NetSuite account:

Navigate to Customization → SuiteBundler → Search & Install Bundles.
Search for Bundle ID 596143 or by name: CloudExtend FRE (Prod).
Select the bundle and click Install.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

Step 3 — Enable Token-Based Authentication For Your NetSuite Account

Token-Based Authentication (TBA) must be enabled in your NetSuite account for the add-in to connect securely.

Navigate to Setup → Company → Enable Features.
Click the SuiteCloud tab.
Locate Token-Based Authentication and check the box to enable it.
Click Save.

Step 4 — Add Required Permissions to NetSuite Roles

The following permissions must be added to any NetSuite role that test users will be signing in with. Without these, users will not be able to authenticate.

Navigate to Setup → Users/Roles → Manage Roles and open the relevant role.
Click the Permissions tab, then the Setup sub-tab.
Add the following three permissions, each set to Full: User Access Tokens, Access Token Management, and Log in using Access Tokens.
Click Save. Repeat for any additional roles your test users will use.

✅ NetSuite configuration is now complete. You are ready to deploy the add-in to end users.

Part 2 — Microsoft Admin: Deploy the Add-In via Microsoft 365 Centralized Deployment

This section walks your Microsoft 365 Administrator through deploying the CloudExtend Financial Reporting Excel add-in using Centralized Deployment. Once deployed, the add-in will appear in Excel automatically for the assigned users — no action required on their part.

Prerequisites

Admin role required: Global Administrator
Microsoft 365 licensing: Users must have Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, Premium, or an E1/E3/E5 plan.
Manifest file: You will have received a file named manifest-fre-prod.xml from CloudExtend. Keep it accessible on your desktop or downloads folder before beginning.

Step 1 — Sign In to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Open your browser and go to https://admin.microsoft.com. Sign in with your Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator credentials.

Step 2 — Navigate to Integrated Apps

In the left navigation panel, select Settings, then select Integrated apps.

Step 3 — Upload the Manifest File

On the Integrated apps page, click Upload custom apps in the top-right area.
A panel will open on the right. Under Choose how to upload app, select Office Add-in as the app type, then choose Upload manifest file (.xml) from device.
Click Choose File, browse to manifest-fre-prod.xml on your computer, and click Open.

📌 Note: The admin center will validate the manifest automatically. If an error appears, confirm you are using the exact file provided by CloudExtend and that it has not been renamed or modified. Once validation succeeds, you will see a confirmation message. Click Next to continue.

Step 4 — Assign Users or Groups

Choose who the add-in will be deployed to:

Entire organization — deploys to all licensed Microsoft 365 users.
Specific users and groups — use the search box to find individuals or security/distribution groups by name or email.
Just me — useful for testing before a broader rollout.

💡 Tip: We recommend deploying to a pilot group first (for example, your finance team or power users) before rolling out to the entire organization.

Click Next when your selection is complete.

Step 5 — Accept Permissions and Deploy

Review the permissions the add-in requires. CloudExtend Financial Reporting connects to your NetSuite account — no data is stored by Microsoft.
Click Accept permissions if prompted.
Review the deployment summary, then click Finish deployment.

A green checkmark will appear confirming the deployment is complete.

Step 6 — Verify the Add-In Appears in Excel

After deployment, users may need to restart Excel to see the add-in. It will appear in the Home ribbon under Add-Ins.

To verify deployment status in the admin center at any time: return to Settings → Integrated apps, click CloudExtend Financial Reporting in the list, and confirm the status column displays Deployed.

Updating the Add-In

If CloudExtend provides an updated manifest file in the future: return to Settings → Integrated apps, click CloudExtend Financial Reporting, click Update in the bottom-right corner of the details panel, upload the new manifest-fre-prod.xml file, and click Save. Updates take effect the next time users open Excel — no action is required from end users.

Troubleshooting

Manifest validation fails on upload: Ensure you are using the original manifest-fre-prod.xml file provided by CloudExtend without any modifications.
Add-in does not appear in Excel after deployment: Have the user close and fully reopen Excel. Allow up to 24 hours for propagation after initial deployment.
Upload custom apps button not visible: Confirm your account has the Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator role assigned in Microsoft 365.
User sees the add-in but it fails to load: Verify the user's Microsoft 365 Excel version meets minimum requirements (v1704 on Windows, v15.34 on Mac). Contact CloudExtend support if the issue persists.
User cannot sign in / authentication fails: Verify Token-Based Authentication is enabled in NetSuite and that the user's role includes the three required TBA permissions (see Part 1, Step 4).