When a spreadsheet contains amounts in different currencies or measurements in different units, test whether your Agent asks you to separate them before calculating a total. Use a small dataset with answers you can check, ask one question that combines units, then ask a filtered or grouped version. The outcome you want is clear: no single combined total for unlike units, and a checkable total for each unit you specify.
Choose one unit boundary to test
Start with the kind of value your business actually needs to total. For example, a shop may have prices in more than one currency, while a service business may record quantities in different units. Keep the test focused on one type of value and one boundary. Do not mix a currency test with a separate test of dates, missing rows, or product codes.
For supported indexed spreadsheet and database datasets, filtering, sorting, counting, and aggregation use the complete saved rows. If row coverage is incomplete, the system rejects an exact total rather than calculating one from partial data. A numeric aggregate with mixed currencies or units is rejected and asks the owner to filter or group by that unit before calculating a total.
These behaviors give you two useful checks: whether the requested values share a unit, and whether the total uses the rows that belong to the requested group. For broader spreadsheet checks, see four checks before your AI Agent answers from a spreadsheet. This guide focuses on the narrower question of what to do when the values cannot be added together as one meaningful total.
Prepare an illustrative dataset
Create a small test sheet with an item name, an amount, and a currency. Write down the expected figures before asking anything. Keep the rows simple so you can verify the arithmetic yourself.
Illustrative input, not an observed result:
| Item | Amount | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Notebook | 18 | USD |
| Pen set | 22 | USD |
| Desk lamp | 15 | EUR |
For this sample, the USD rows total 40 USD, and the EUR row is 15 EUR. The combined number 55 is not a single-currency total. Do not treat it as one unless you have separately defined and approved a conversion method and its source. This example does not imply that the Agent can obtain exchange rates.
Before testing, decide what each question should produce. An unfiltered request should prompt a request to separate the currencies. A USD-only request should have an expected total of 40 USD. A request for totals grouped by currency should have separate expected figures of 40 USD and 15 EUR. These are criteria for this illustrative input, not reports of tested or observed Agent answers.
Check that the source is ready
An attached file is not necessarily ready to use. A file must finish processing before its contents can be used in answers. Check that processing is complete before judging the response, so a source-readiness issue does not get mistaken for a problem with the unit boundary.
For guidance on preparing sources, see the knowledge base guide and the custom-data tutorial. Keep your test sheet unchanged while you ask the questions. If you alter the rows between questions, you will have to account for both the data change and the question wording when you interpret a different answer.
Ask the mixed and separated questions
Ask the broad question first:
What is the total amount in this spreadsheet?
For the illustrative data, the expected behavior is to ask for a currency filter or separate totals by currency rather than give 55 as one total. That response would make the unit boundary explicit instead of presenting a precise-looking number that combines unlike amounts.
Next, ask:
What is the total amount for USD only?
The expected figure is 40 USD. Then ask:
Give me the totals grouped by currency.
The expected figures are 40 USD and 15 EUR, shown separately. These expected behaviors are for the example input only. They are not evidence that any particular test has been run or that every spreadsheet question will produce a correct answer.
If an answer differs from your expectation, record the exact question and response, the source’s processing status, and the figures you calculated from the rows. Check that the currency labels are present and that the question names the intended currency or grouping. This gives you a practical way to identify whether the issue is an unclear request, unexpected input, or a response that needs further review.
Make a targeted change and retest
If a mixed-currency request produces one combined figure, do not accept that figure as a useful total for this test. First try a clearer request that asks for separate totals or specifies a currency. If you want the Agent to handle such requests with a particular explanation, consider a focused change to its instructions rather than changing unrelated workflow steps.
Agent instructions changed in Architect Studio remain drafts until the owner publishes them. After making an instruction change, repeat the same questions against the same dataset and compare the answers with your written expectations. If you changed the file itself, confirm it has finished processing before you retest.
Keep the decision tied to the business question. A successful check for currency separation does not establish that the Agent can convert currencies, use live rates, or handle every measurement convention. If your question requires conversion, first define the approved rate source, timing, and calculation method. If it requires mixed physical units, define how those units should be separated or converted. Then design a separate test for that rule.
Set a usable acceptance rule
Finish by writing one short rule your team can apply when reviewing this kind of answer: a request to total unlike units should ask for a filter or grouping; a request limited to one unit should be checked against the relevant rows; and separate groups should remain visibly separate. Apply that rule to the examples you plan to support, then keep the sample questions and expected outcomes together for future retests.
That gives you a practical outcome without treating one small test as proof of overall performance. You have a defined boundary, a known input, and a clear way to decide whether the response matches the question. Expand the test only when your business has a new unit, conversion rule, or calculation need to verify.