> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.coherent.global/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.coherent.global/whats-new/release-history/2026-01.md).
# 2026-01
| UAT release | Production release |
| ---------------- | ------------------ |
| January 19, 2026 | February 2, 2026 |
Happy New Year from Coherent!
We're kicking off 2026 with a new beta: Excel Workbook Analyst, an AI-powered assistant designed to help you explore and analyze Excel workbooks with ease.
Whether you're auditing complex models or trying to understand legacy logic, Workbook Analyst provides instant visibility into workbook structure, formulas, and potential issues - saving hours of manual inspection.
## In Beta: Excel Workbook Analyst
Excel makes it easy to model complex calculations and business logic. But over time, those workbooks can become difficult to maintain, review, and evolve.
Excel Workbook Analyst helps by enabling you to:
* Inspect workbook logic and receive clear summaries and explanations of the key components, including VBA
* Identify potential risks and problem areas within a workbook
* Ask natural-language questions about how a workbook works and receive suggested improvements
Unlike traditional Excel tools that focus on surface-level formulas or static scans, Workbook Analyst goes deeper by leveraging Coherent’s core technology for understanding Excel logic at scale. The result is a fast, intuitive experience—available directly on Excel files already uploaded to Spark.
#### How to use Workbook Analyst
Select the relevant Spark service containing your Excel file and choose Analyze service with AI. Workbook Analyst opens in a new window with a structured, navigable view of the Excel workbook alongside an interactive chat experience making it easy to explore what the file does and how it could be improved.
#### Interested in joining the beta?
Contact your Coherent rep to learn more.
## Notable enhancements
#### 🖱️ User experience
* When creating or updating a Spark service, custom semantic versions can be selected by using the *Custom* version option.
* When creating or updating a Spark service, Release notes and Description can be defined during the upload in the *Notes* tab.
* Homepage and Folder Overview screen have a refreshed list view.
* For API calls that use [Xsolve](https://docs.coherent.global/build-spark-services/other-mapping-options/solve-functions), when using the API Call History, Download as Excel feature, the calculated solve result is embedded into the file, making it easier to interpret the result.
* Fixed an issue where clicking links to Spark when logged out would direct to an error page.
#### 👥 Coherent Assistant
* [Coherent Assistant](https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/wa200006757?tab=overview) will promptly inform users when they have been logged out.
* Spark Shell functionality to import inputs from another Shell file.
* Spark Shell has better messaging for operators if the user access the wrong environment.
#### 🚀 Service execution
* The latest version of Neuron, our Excel-to-code engine, enables much faster processing of [Excel Data Tables](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/calculate-multiple-results-by-using-a-data-table-e95e2487-6ca6-4413-ad12-77542a5ea50b).
* Improvements to service execution times.
* Execute API will echo additional parameters into the response when provided.
* Better handling of user permissions in Xcall for batch and testing center.
* [Nodejs22](https://docs.coherent.global/spark-apis/transforms-api/transform-types/nodejs22) transform includes more options to customize the HTTP status code in the response.
#### 🔑 Security
* The Spark User menu includes a menu item to access the Keycloak console for managing Identity and Access Management.
* Updates to the Allowlist functionality to improve handling of IP addresses. If your organization uses this feature, we suggest revisiting the Allowlist settings on your tenant.
#### 🧮 Testing Center
* Testing Center null handling is more aligned with API Tester behavior.
* Improvements to Testing Center handling of data types.
* Initial beta preview of Testbed result aggregation.
#### 📶 Artificial Intelligence
* Initial release of our [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](/integrations/model-context-protocol-mcp.md) server to support agentic interfaces with Spark.
#### 🖥️ System improvements
* Security patch updates to addresses vulnerabilities, ensuring enhanced protection and stability of our systems.
## Version number
`v8.45.0`
---
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