Every business has its own documents, processes, terminology, and ways of managing work. Sprint 168 expands what Vsimple vAI can interpret and do while giving teams a clearer view of work across connected projects.

The update includes changes to:

• SIF file parsing for commercial furniture workflows

• Exact Match searches in Excel resources

• Custom email parsing instructions

• vAI activity records and file context

• Prompts that work across linked records

• Date-difference formulas

• Gantt View for complex project timelines

Sprint 168 at a Glance

vAI Goes Deeper Into Commercial Furniture

Sprint 168 adds SIF file parsing. SIF is a file format used in commercial furniture workflows.

The workflow now works as follows:

1. A team provides a SIF file to a Vsimple process.

2. vAI parses the information contained in the file.

3. The workflow uses that information in the relevant Vsimple records or steps.

A commercial furniture dealer could use SIF data when managing:

• Product specifications

• Quotes

• Project records

• Document-heavy sales processes

For example, a dealer could bring specifications from a SIF file into a quote or project workflow instead of asking a team member to re-enter each detail manually. The resulting information becomes part of the process that the business has already configured.

SIF parsing gives vAI another way to work with industry-specific information. Teams can connect that information to their existing workflows.

More Precise Excel Matching

Many operational processes depend on Excel resources that contain product information, pricing, specifications, customer data, or other reference values. Similar values can appear in several rows, so selecting the correct row matters.

Sprint 168 improves vAI’s Exact Match logic for searches within Excel resources. When a prompt requires a specific value, vAI can use Exact Match to identify the row that corresponds to that value instead of treating a similar value as the intended result.

The workflow includes:

1. A user or AI Agent searches an Excel resource.

2. The search applies Exact Match logic to the requested value.

3. vAI returns the matching row for use in the next workflow step.

For example, a spreadsheet could contain several product codes with similar names. An Exact Match search helps the process select the row for the requested code, then use its specifications or pricing in a quote or order.

The observable output is the specific spreadsheet information used by the workflow. The feature applies to the Excel resources already used in a business process.

Smarter Email Parsing

Emails often contain useful process information alongside text that does not belong in the workflow. Sprint 168 adds custom parsing instructions for email files, so teams can tell vAI how to handle different parts of an email.

A user can provide instructions such as:

• Extract relevant information from the message body.

• Ignore the signature.

• Exclude text that does not relate to the process.

The workflow then follows these instructions when vAI analyzes the email. For example, an operations team extracting an order from an inbound message can instruct vAI to ignore the sender’s signature while focusing on the order information.

This separates the information that drives the process from surrounding email text. The output is the information vAI identifies according to the custom parsing instructions.

Clearer vAI Activity and File Context

Sprint 168 changes how vAI activity appears in the Activity Stream. Previously separate vAI Start and vAI Results posts now appear as a combined vAI record.

The combined record shows:

• That the vAI process started

• The result of the process

• Details about the files involved

The file details give users more context when they review an AI-driven process. A team member can see what vAI worked with alongside the activity and result, which makes it easier to review the process history and understand where the output came from.

This update answers two practical review needs in one place:

• What did vAI do?

• What information or files did it use?

Teams can use the Activity Stream to review the process record rather than looking through separate start and result posts.

Better Work Across Linked Records

Business processes often connect several records. A project may relate to quotes, tasks, customers, documents, and orders, with each record holding part of the information needed to complete the work.

Sprint 168 improves vAI prompts that search, interpret, and make updates across these linked records. A linked record is a related record that connects to the current record and adds context to the process.

A prompt can work with information across:

• Projects

• Quotes

• Tasks

• Customers

• Documents

• Orders

For example, a project workflow could use the customer connected to the project, the quote associated with that customer, the tasks assigned to the project, and the documents attached to the work. vAI can use that connected context when the prompt requires it.

The workflow produces an action or result based on information from the relevant linked records. This helps AI Agents work with a connected process instead of treating each record as an isolated item.

Measure Time Between Important Dates

Sprint 168 adds formulas that calculate the time between two date fields. Teams can measure the difference in:

• Days

• Hours

• Minutes

The calculation uses a starting date and an ending date. For example, a team can compare the date an order arrived with the date it was completed.

These formulas help teams measure:

• Turnaround time

• Time between project milestones

• Delays between process stages

• Service-level timing

• The time work spends between handoffs

A project team could calculate the hours between task assignment and completion. An operations team could calculate the days between a customer request and the final response. The output is a time measurement.

The formulas show how long a stage took, rather than only showing when each event occurred.

See Complex Projects in Gantt View

Complex projects can include dates, tasks, milestones, dependencies, and related records. Gantt View brings these items into a combined timeline.

The view can show:

• Important dates and milestones

• Tasks across the project

• Linked records

• Task dependencies

• Overlapping work

• The broader project timeline

Dependencies show which tasks rely on other tasks being completed first. This helps a project team identify the activities that affect later work. The timeline also makes overlapping tasks easier to review because teams can see where work occurs at the same time.

For example, a project team could use date-difference formulas to measure how long a task took, then use Gantt View to see whether that task delayed a dependent activity. The team can review the project timeline, connected records, and dependencies in one view instead of opening each record separately.

Gantt View is designed for projects where dates and relationships matter across more than one record.

Where Vsimple Fits

Sprint 168 brings together work across files, emails, spreadsheets, linked records, formulas, and project timelines.

• Workflow context: vAI can work with information across connected records and process steps.

• Project timelines: Gantt View helps teams review dates, tasks, dependencies, and linked project records.

• AI-assisted processes: vAI interprets files, spreadsheets, emails, and linked-record information as part of configured workflows.

Sprint 168 brings these functions closer together. vAI can work with more types of business information, while formulas and Gantt View help teams measure and understand the work that follows.

How Sprint 168 Helps Teams Verify vAI Work

Sprint 168 adds visibility at several points in an AI-driven process:

1. Input: vAI can work with SIF files, Excel resources, email files, and linked records.

2. Instructions: Teams can define how email content should be parsed, while Exact Match improves how specific spreadsheet values are matched.

3. Process context: Prompts can use information from connected projects, quotes, tasks, customers, documents, and orders.

4. Activity history: The combined vAI record shows the activity and result together.

5. File context: File details appear in the vAI record summary.

6. Operational measurement: Date formulas and Gantt View show how the resulting work progresses.

This gives teams a clearer way to review what vAI did, which information it used, and where the process stands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which file format does vAI support in Sprint 168?

Sprint 168 adds support for parsing SIF files, a format used in commercial furniture workflows. vAI can read information contained in those files and use it in connected Vsimple processes.

What happens when Exact Match finds similar values in an Excel resource?

Exact Match helps vAI identify the row that corresponds to the requested value when an Excel resource contains similar values. The matching row becomes the source for the next workflow step.

Can users control how vAI parses an email?

Yes. Sprint 168 adds custom parsing instructions for email files. Users can tell vAI which information to process and which text to ignore, such as an email signature.

Which records can linked-record prompts use?

Linked-record prompts can work across connected projects, quotes, tasks, customers, documents, and orders. The prompt uses the relevant connected records when the workflow requires that context.

Which time units do the new date formulas support?

The formulas calculate the time between date fields in days, hours, or minutes.

What does Gantt View include?

Gantt View brings project dates, milestones, tasks, linked records, overlapping work, and task dependencies into one timeline. Dependencies show which activities rely on earlier work.

How can teams review what vAI did?

The Activity Stream now combines the vAI Start and vAI Results posts. The vAI record also includes file details, so users can review the activity, result, and related files together.

More Context, Better Execution, Greater Visibility

Sprint 168 expands the information vAI can interpret and the context it can use. Commercial furniture teams can work with SIF files. Operations teams can apply more precise spreadsheet matching and custom email instructions. Project teams can connect records, measure elapsed time, and review dependencies in Gantt View.

The combined activity record and file details also make AI-driven work easier to review. Teams can see what happened, which information vAI used, and how the work continues through the process.

To understand how these updates fit a business’s workflows, contact Vsimple or explore its solutions for dealers and distributors.