Formula Tracer for Excel

See what every formula actually depends on.

Click a cell. The Deckary tracer tokenizes the formula, color-codes every input, shows the live value of each one, and lets you drill into nested chains — without arrows cluttering your sheet.

7-day free trial • No credit card required

Our users work at companies like

Deckary helps consulting & industry firms to build better presentations

AirbusWarner Bros. DiscoveryUFCApolloS&P GlobalEYGELongchamp
AirbusWarner Bros. DiscoveryUFCApolloS&P GlobalEYGELongchamp
AirbusWarner Bros. DiscoveryUFCApolloS&P GlobalEYGELongchamp
AirbusWarner Bros. DiscoveryUFCApolloS&P GlobalEYGELongchamp
Bidirectional binding

A debugger for spreadsheets, not a set of arrows

Excel's native tracer draws lines on top of the grid. Deckary turns the formula itself into the inspection surface — every input is a colored chip wired to a numbered row, with its live value next to it.

Numbered chips

Every input is a colored chip in the formula

Live aggregates

See each input's contribution in tabular numbers

Drill 3 levels

Walk nested chains, breadcrumb keeps you oriented

Inline diagnostics

Volatiles, errors, external refs flagged in place

Sheet1!D14
$10,634,400
=SUM(1B2:B6) + 2Sheet2!C10 * 1.2
Depends on 2
Used by 1
1
Sheet1!B2:B65×1
Feeds Sheet1!D14
Total8,860,000
Type5-cell range
Sum of 5 numeric
2
Sheet2!C10formula
Feeds Sheet1!D14
Value1,478,667
Formula= COUNTIF(Leads, "won") * AvgDeal
TypeFormula cell
Click a chip to jump · trace dependencies 3 levels deep
Sheet1!E26
#REF!
= IFERROR(INDIRECT("A1") * 1.085, [Q3.xlsx]Sales!B2)
#REF! error — referenced cell was deleted
Volatile · INDIRECT — recalculates on every change
Hardcoded constant · 1.085 — buried in the formula
External link · Q3.xlsx — breaks if file moves
Risk surfacing

What you reach for it for

The tracer earns its keep on the workbooks you didn't build, the formulas that don't add up, and the audits you have to ship — surfacing every risky pattern in the formula card itself.

Inherit a model

Learn an unfamiliar workbook in minutes

Debug a wrong number

Spot the input that's off at a glance

Pre-ship audit

Catch hardcodes and volatiles before you send

Read a long expression

Tokenized formulas beat the formula bar

Tracer vs. arrows vs. dedicated audit suites

Excel ships with arrows. Inquire and Macabacus ship with audit panels. Deckary ships with the binding between formula and data.

FeatureDeckary Formula TracerExcel Trace ArrowsExcel Inquire Add-inMacabacus Pro Audit
Inspection
Tokenized formula with chips per input
Live aggregate value next to each input
Click an input to drill into its precedentsLimitedLimited
Drill up to 3 levels deep without losing contextLimited
Highlights volatile functions inlineLimited
Flags external workbook refs in the formulaLimited
Surfaces formula errors as red chipsLimited
Keeps the grid clean — no arrows on the sheet

Try it on the model nobody wants to inherit

Install the Deckary add-in, click any cell, and the tracer is open. Read-only — safe on production workbooks.

What our users are saying

Consultants, finance teams, and operators use Deckary to finish slide work faster.

Deckary feels like AI built for PowerPoint, not another presentation app I have to export from.

James

James

Senior Consultant

I can go from Excel analysis to a client-ready chart slide without rebuilding everything by hand.

Edwin

Edwin

FP&A Manager

Deckary gives me the AI speed I want, with the native PowerPoint output my clients expect.

Carla

Carla

Management Consultant

Deckary replaced three separate tools for me: AI slides, charts, and PowerPoint productivity.

Alvin

Alvin

Corporate Strategy Lead

For recurring board updates, I can clean the model, create the chart, and polish the slide in one workflow.

Ruben

Ruben

Finance Director

It is the first slide AI tool that also helps with the last mile of deck production.

Jen

Jen

Independent Consultant

Deckary feels like AI built for PowerPoint, not another presentation app I have to export from.

James

James

Senior Consultant

I can go from Excel analysis to a client-ready chart slide without rebuilding everything by hand.

Edwin

Edwin

FP&A Manager

Deckary gives me the AI speed I want, with the native PowerPoint output my clients expect.

Carla

Carla

Management Consultant

Deckary replaced three separate tools for me: AI slides, charts, and PowerPoint productivity.

Alvin

Alvin

Corporate Strategy Lead

For recurring board updates, I can clean the model, create the chart, and polish the slide in one workflow.

Ruben

Ruben

Finance Director

It is the first slide AI tool that also helps with the last mile of deck production.

Jen

Jen

Independent Consultant

Deckary feels like AI built for PowerPoint, not another presentation app I have to export from.

James

James

Senior Consultant

I can go from Excel analysis to a client-ready chart slide without rebuilding everything by hand.

Edwin

Edwin

FP&A Manager

Deckary gives me the AI speed I want, with the native PowerPoint output my clients expect.

Carla

Carla

Management Consultant

Deckary replaced three separate tools for me: AI slides, charts, and PowerPoint productivity.

Alvin

Alvin

Corporate Strategy Lead

For recurring board updates, I can clean the model, create the chart, and polish the slide in one workflow.

Ruben

Ruben

Finance Director

It is the first slide AI tool that also helps with the last mile of deck production.

Jen

Jen

Independent Consultant

Deckary feels like AI built for PowerPoint, not another presentation app I have to export from.

James

James

Senior Consultant

I can go from Excel analysis to a client-ready chart slide without rebuilding everything by hand.

Edwin

Edwin

FP&A Manager

Deckary gives me the AI speed I want, with the native PowerPoint output my clients expect.

Carla

Carla

Management Consultant

Deckary replaced three separate tools for me: AI slides, charts, and PowerPoint productivity.

Alvin

Alvin

Corporate Strategy Lead

For recurring board updates, I can clean the model, create the chart, and polish the slide in one workflow.

Ruben

Ruben

Finance Director

It is the first slide AI tool that also helps with the last mile of deck production.

Jen

Jen

Independent Consultant

One add-in for the whole workbook

The same Deckary subscription that runs the formula tracer ships the agentic AI Excel agent, AI slide editing for PowerPoint, brand control, and consulting-grade charts.

Deckary for PowerPoint

Deckary for PowerPoint

Create and edit slides with AI. Describe your topic, attach data, and get polished slides — automatically using your brand fonts, colors, and layout.

Brand Control

Brand Control

Every slide AI creates follows your brand guidelines. Run consistency checks across your deck and save approved slides to a shared library.

Charts & Timelines

Charts & Timelines

Create customizable Waterfall, Bar and Gantt charts, enhance with AI. Add growth arrow's, delta indicators, units and more.

Icons & Images

Icons & Images

2,000+ icons auto-suggested by AI based on your slide content. Country flags and AI-generated images included.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts

Align, distribute, swap, and resize — keyboard shortcuts used by top consulting firms.

Frequently Asked Questions

How the Excel formula tracer works