Baserow vs Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Graph workbook API)

Baserow

Database tokens are limited to chosen tables and to create, read, update or delete, and the REST API has a public OpenAPI description with batch calls of 200 rows. The MCP server authenticates with a key in its URL, runs over SSE only and has no read-only mode. Cloud requests are capped at 10 at a time.

Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Graph workbook API)

Ranges, tables, charts and 366 worksheet function endpoints are reachable over REST with a public OpenAPI, and a non-persistent session lets an agent test changes without saving them. The reference pages list delegated permissions only, with Files.ReadWrite as the least privileged scope, and writes take no idempotency key.

Baserow

1. Create a database token with only the tables and operations needed. It can't change tables or fields, which need a JWT from /api/user/token-auth/
2. Send Authorization: Token YOUR_DATABASE_TOKEN, and add user_field_names=true or rows come back keyed as field_123
3. Use the /batch/ endpoints for up to 200 rows a call, and keep to 10 requests in flight on Baserow Cloud
4. Treat the MCP URL as a password. Keep it out of logs and version control, and delete the endpoint to revoke it
5. Over MCP, call get_table_schema before create_rows or update_rows, and page list_table_rows with page and size

Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Graph workbook API)

1. Create a session with POST /workbook/createSession and send workbook-session-id on every call. Persistent sessions expire after about 5 minutes idle
2. Set persistChanges to false when you only need a calculation or a chart image, so nothing is saved to the file
3. Send one request at a time per workbook and wait for each response. Microsoft warns that parallel writes cause throttling, timeouts and merge conflicts
4. Add rows in one call with a two-dimensional values array, and check the table before repeating a row add that returned 504
5. Read bounded addresses such as A1:D500. A whole-column range such as C:C returns null for values, and writes to it are refused