VS

Ask the AI or export to Excel?

Short answer: for quick, changing questions about your projects, hours, instalments and purchasing, asking your AI assistant through Bouw Botje is faster than processing an export from Exact Online Construction (Exact Online Bouw, formerly Bouw7) in Excel. For complex models, pivot tables and scenario calculations, Excel remains the better tool. You can also combine them: let the AI build an overview and work it out further in Excel.

When to choose which?

Choose Bouw Botje if you want a quick answer to a specific question with current data, or want to record something in Exact Online Construction right away. Choose an Excel export if you need a fixed snapshot, want to do extensive modelling, or need to share a file with someone without access.

01 Comparison

Bouw Botje (ask AI) vs Excel/CSV export

The key differences side by side.

Bouw Botje (ask AI) vs Excel/CSV export
Aspect Bouw Botje (ask AI) Excel/CSV export
Freshness Synchronised data that is updated automatically Snapshot: as current as the moment of export
Effort per question One question in plain language Export, clean up, join, build formulas or a pivot table
Risk of errors The AI may misinterpret a question; check the outcome Formula errors, wrong filters or outdated files
Combining data The AI puts e.g. estimate, hours and purchasing side by side Manually via several exports and lookup formulas
Writing back Yes, with Advanced: log hours, create instalments or projects No, you enter changes separately in Exact Online Construction
Complex models Limited; good for overviews and comparisons Strong: pivot tables, scenarios, custom formulas
Sharing and archiving The answer lives in your chat A file you can keep, email or have reviewed
From the building site Yes, via the AI app on your phone Awkward on a phone
Cost Subscription from €39 per month No extra cost if you already have Excel; your own time
02 Decision guide

Which fits your situation?

Honest answer: sometimes the alternative is the better choice.

Choose Bouw Botje if…

  • you have a specific question: “which instalment invoices are still open?” or “how many hours were logged on project X this week?”;
  • you want to combine data from several areas without joining exports;
  • you want to record something in Exact Online Construction right after your question (Advanced);
  • you work on the go or on the building site.

Choose an Excel export if…

  • you build complex pivot tables, scenarios or your own calculation models;
  • you need a fixed snapshot, for example for a month-end close or your accountant;
  • you want to share a file with someone who has no access to your administration;
  • you want to be able to check every calculation step yourself.

How current is the data in each case?

An export is as current as the moment you made it. If you keep working with the same file the next day, you are looking at yesterday. Bouw Botje works with a synchronised copy of your administration that is updated automatically; write actions go directly to Exact Online Construction. That is not real-time to the second, but you never have to export again yourself.

What takes the most time?

With Excel the time goes into the preparation: exporting the right lists, cleaning up columns, joining files and building formulas or pivot tables. With Bouw Botje you ask the question and the AI gathers the data. The difference is largest for questions you only ask once.

Where do things go wrong more often?

Both have their own risks. In Excel, errors come from wrong filters, shifted formulas or working with an old version of a file. An AI assistant may interpret a question differently than you meant or make a wrong assumption. So always check the outcome and, when in doubt, ask for project or invoice numbers so you can verify them in Exact Online Construction.

When is Excel genuinely better?

For complex models: several pivot tables, scenario calculations, custom calculation rules you want to follow step by step. Also when you want to record a fixed snapshot, or need to share a file with someone who has no access to your administration. An AI answer in a chat is less suited to that.

Can you combine Bouw Botje and Excel?

Yes. Ask the AI for an overview, for example hours logged per employee or open instalments per project, and have it produced as a table or file. In ChatGPT you can do this with the built-in data analysis feature. You then work that file out further in Excel. That way you combine the speed of asking with the power of a spreadsheet.

03 Frequently asked questions

Questions about this comparison

Yes. Ask your AI assistant for an overview, for example hours logged per employee or margins per project. In ChatGPT you can have the result turned into an Excel file or chart with the data analysis feature.
Usually, yes. An export is a snapshot. Bouw Botje works with a synchronised copy of your administration that is updated automatically. It is not real-time to the second, but you do not have to export again yourself.
For complex pivot tables, scenario calculations and your own calculation models, for a fixed snapshot (such as a month-end close) and when you need to share a file with someone who has no access to your administration.
Yes, with the Advanced plan you can for example log hours and create instalments and projects. Write access is enabled per user. An Excel export cannot do that: you enter changes separately in Exact Online Construction.
Yes. An AI assistant may misinterpret a question. When in doubt, ask for project or invoice numbers so you can verify the result in Exact Online Construction.

Other comparisons

Try it yourself?

14 days free, then from €39 per month. Connect your administration with an API key and ask your first question.