Answers to common questions about working in Alwin at app.datasnipper.com: setup, documents, outputs, templates, agents, licenses, UpLink access, users and roles, and data security. New to Alwin? Start with Getting Started with Alwin.
Setup and requirements
Is Alwin an Excel add-in? Is there a desktop or mobile app?
No. Alwin is not an Excel add-in. It runs in your browser at app.datasnipper.com. There is no desktop or mobile app.
Do I need a specific version of DataSnipper in Excel to use Alwin?
No. Alwin runs in your browser and does not depend on which version of DataSnipper you have in Excel.
What does my organization need before Alwin appears?
Alwin must be included in your organization's DataSnipper license and switched on for your organization. If you sign in at app.datasnipper.com and do not see Alwin, ask your Customer Success Manager to check your license.
After that, an Admin or Owner in your organization needs to create the first space and add people to it. Until then, users see "Join a Space to start". See How roles, spaces and permissions work in Alwin. For sign-in problems, see How to sign in to Alwin.
Tasks and documents
What file types and sizes can I add to a task?
You can add any file type. Alwin reads PDFs and Excel files best. The size limit is per file:
PDF: up to 200 MB per file.
All other files: up to 1 GB per file.
There is no limit on the number of files you add to a task.
Good to know:
Each file in a task needs a unique name. If you add several files with the same name at the same time, only the first one is uploaded and the others are skipped.
If a file has the same name as one already in the task, it is not uploaded. Alwin marks it Name already exists and suggests a new name. Click Rename to upload it under the new name, or remove it.
Filenames can be up to 255 characters long.
Does Alwin search the internet?
No. Alwin has no internet access. It works only from the files you add to the task.
Why is my task not showing in my project?
A task belongs to a project only if you create it from inside that project. A task you create somewhere else still shows on your Home page and in the task list, but not on the project's task board.
To add a task to a project, open the project first, then click Add New task.
Can I move a task to another project or space?
No. A task cannot be moved to another project or space after you create it. Create the task in the right project instead: open the project first, then click Add New task.
Tasks
What does each column on the task board hold?
Draft: tasks that have not started yet.
Running: tasks that are queued or that the agent is working on.
Needs input: tasks where the agent is waiting for an answer from you. This column also holds tasks that are paused and tasks that failed.
Needs review: tasks the agent has finished that are waiting for your review. On the task itself, this status shows as Review.
Done: tasks that are marked as done.
How do I cancel a task?
Alwin has no option to cancel a task. To stop the agent while it is running, click Pause. A paused task moves to Needs input on the board. To continue, open the task and click Resume.
What happens if I give feedback on a task that is Done?
The task starts again. When you send the agent a message on a task in Done, the agent works on your message and the task moves out of Done.
Can I add documents to a task after it has started?
Yes. You can add documents to a task after it has started. If the task is in a space or project, you need Editor or Full access there. The agent picks up new documents the next time it runs, for example when you send it a message.
Can I remove a document from a task?
Only if the agent has not used it yet. Once the agent has used a document, you cannot remove it from the task. A document you added after the agent last started working can still be removed.
Outputs and templates
Why is a very large output workbook not opening in the browser?
The workbook viewer in Alwin has a size limit. A very large output, for example one with hundreds of thousands of rows, can show as empty or show an error in the viewer. The file itself is complete and nothing is lost.
Download the output and open it in Excel instead.
Can I edit an output workbook in Alwin?
No. The workbook in Alwin is read-only. If you try to edit it, Alwin tells you to ask the agent to make the change, or to download the workbook and edit it yourself.
To have the agent change it: send the agent review notes. See How to review a task's output in Alwin.
To change it yourself: download the workbook and edit it in Excel. Your edits stay in the downloaded copy and do not go back to Alwin.
The workpaper dropdown lists Excel workbooks only. PDF and Word outputs download from Task details.
Does my downloaded workpaper update when the agent makes changes?
No. A downloaded workpaper is a copy. It does not update when the agent changes the output in Alwin, and edits you make to the copy do not go back to Alwin.
The agent overwrites the output in place, and Alwin keeps no version history. Download the workpaper again after the agent makes changes. Snips in the downloaded workbook keep working in Excel with DataSnipper.
Can I get completed workpapers into CCH or my audit binder?
Yes. Download the workpaper and add it to your binder. Alwin has no direct integration with CCH or other audit binder software. Formal sign-off is not available in Alwin.
Can I use my own workpaper template?
Yes. Attach your Excel workbook or Word document template to the task.
Agents and licenses
Why am I unable to save an agent from a task?
Alwin and DataSnipper in Excel are connected through your organization's license. If you have access to more than one license, you must be signed in to the same license in Excel and at app.datasnipper.com.
Sign out of Excel and of app.datasnipper.com.
Sign back in to both, choosing the same license.
Try saving the agent again.
You also need the User or Content Manager role in Agent Builder. See How to turn an Alwin task into a custom agent. If it still does not work, contact DataSnipper support.
Can I move my agents to another license?
No. Agents belong to the license they were created in. An agent created under one license is not visible under another, and agents cannot be transferred between licenses.
If your team moves to a different license, keep working in the license where the agents were built, or build the agents again in the new license.
UpLink
Why am I unable to see UpLink in app.datasnipper.com?
UpLink only shows when all of these are true:
Your organization's license includes UpLink and has a free UpLink seat for you.
Your admin has turned on UpLink for you in Users.
Your platform role is Member, Admin or Owner. Users with the Viewer role do not see UpLink. An Admin or Owner can change your role on the Users page.
If your admin sees the UpLink toggle grayed out with a message that all licenses are in use, your organization has no free UpLink seats. Contact your Customer Success Manager to add seats.
Why is there no separate UpLink role to choose for a user?
UpLink access levels now follow the user's Alwin role, so there is no separate UpLink role to pick. Admins turn UpLink on or off for each user with the UpLink toggle in Users.
Users and roles
Do users added in ManageDS appear in Alwin automatically?
Yes. When your admin adds someone under Members in ManageDS, they appear in the Alwin Users list with the Viewer role. A Viewer cannot open or work in spaces. An Admin or Owner must give them the Member role or higher on the Alwin Users page before they can work in spaces.
People added on the Alwin Users page, or through the Alwin user import with no role filled in, start with the Member role.
No invitation email is sent when someone is added, whether on the Alwin Users page, through the user import or in ManageDS. Let new users know they can sign in at app.datasnipper.com.
Who can create spaces, and why does an Owner see "Join a Space to start"?
Only users with the Alwin Admin or Owner platform role can create spaces.
The Owner role in ManageDS is a different role from the Owner role in Alwin, even though both are labeled Owner. A ManageDS Owner who does not also have the Alwin Admin or Owner role sees "Join a Space to start" and has no option to create a space.
To fix this, an Alwin Admin or Owner, or a ManageDS Owner, gives them the Admin or Owner platform role on the Alwin Users page. Only an Alwin Owner or a ManageDS Owner can give the Owner role. The user then signs out and signs back in. See How roles, spaces and permissions work in Alwin.
Can we create custom roles?
No. Alwin uses a fixed set of roles, and you cannot create new ones or change what a role allows:
Platform roles: Viewer, Member, Admin and Owner. A Viewer cannot open or work in spaces. To work in Alwin, a user needs the Member role or higher.
Space and project permissions: View-only, Editor and Full access.
You can combine them to fit how your team works. For example, someone can have View-only on a space and Editor on one project in it. See How roles, spaces and permissions work in Alwin.
Data and security
Where is my data stored, and how is it protected?
For information on data storage, security and retention in Alwin, see the Alwin FAQ on the DataSnipper website and the DataSnipper Trust Center.
For a summary of where Alwin stores your data, how it is protected and how to delete it, see Data, privacy and security in Alwin.