Why this page matters
Most AI tools ask you to trust what happens to your data somewhere you can't see. NymForm takes the opposite approach: before you send anything, it shows you the request, so the privacy boundary is something you can read rather than something you have to assume. On this site we call that request the AI Model View. In the add-in, it is the What gets sent screen.
The examples below use entirely synthetic data.
Your worksheet
A small sheet named Orders, range A1:D6, with Customer and Email marked private:
| Customer | Region | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maya Chen | maya@example.com | West | 1240 |
| Luca Reed | luca@example.com | East | 860 |
| Alex Rivera | alex@example.com | West | 2180 |
| Jordan Park | jordan@example.com | North | 940 |
| Sienna Cole | sienna@example.com | East | 1620 |
The question: Total Amount per Region, one row per region.
With Structure only
This is the default. The model receives a description of the range and no data cells at all:
| Column | Header sent | Type | Private | What the model learns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Customer | text | yes | 0 blanks, 5 distinct values, about 2 words each, longest 11 characters |
| B | text | yes | 0 blanks, 5 distinct values, 1 word each, longest 18 characters | |
| C | Region | text | no | 0 blanks, 3 distinct values, 1 word each, longest 5 characters |
| D | Amount | number | no | 0 blanks, 5 distinct values |
Plus the sheet name, the range address, the rows that hold data, the ranges a formula may use, and your question. That is often enough for a model to write a formula such as =HSTACK(UNIQUE(C2:C6), SUMIFS(D2:D6, C2:C6, UNIQUE(C2:C6))).
With Include sample rows
When you include sample rows, the model also receives rows. Values in the private columns are replaced; the others are sent as they are:
| Customer | Region | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
PERSON_001 | EMAIL_001 | West | 1240 |
PERSON_002 | EMAIL_002 | East | 860 |
PERSON_003 | EMAIL_003 | West | 2180 |
PERSON_004 | EMAIL_004 | North | 940 |
PERSON_005 | EMAIL_005 | East | 1620 |
This is the AI Model View of the sheet: the same shape and the same unmarked values, with stand-ins in place of names and emails. This small range is sent in full, because it has fewer data rows than the sample-row limit. The same value gets the same stand-in until you refresh the selection. If the model's formula mentions a stand-in, NymForm puts the real value back, in the pane, before you insert it.
Your question is part of the request
Your question is always sent, with private values replaced when they match: values of 4 or more characters in any case, shorter ones only when typed exactly as in the sheet. Total for Maya Chen is sent as Total for PERSON_001. Headers, sheet and table names, and notes you add to columns are sent too, so keep private details out of them. You can rename a header on the Columns screen; the original header is then left out of the request and replaced in your question, and if it has 4 or more characters, it blocks the request wherever else it appears, such as in a note.
What gets sent in the add-in
Choose Preview on the Ask screen and the What gets sent screen opens. It shows:
- the request formatted for reading, in sections (model, the fixed instructions, earlier messages and your request), with stand-ins marked, and its exact size in bytes,
- Show exact request, which displays the literal text that NymForm checked and will send (the request body; the HTTP headers, such as your key, are not shown),
- the result of the check:
Checked: no private values found, or a message saying the request is blocked and where the problem is (for example, in your question or in a sample row of a named column), - Send and Back. Send is available only when the check passed and your API key is set.
If a request is blocked, the screen still shows it, in the pane only, so you can find the problem; a blocked request is never sent. Nothing leaves Excel until you choose Send. The request that is sent is the one you saw, byte for byte. The one exception: if the model's reply can't be read, NymForm automatically sends one correction request (your request plus the model's reply and a fixed note), checked the same way and recorded on the Log screen. The Log keeps the last 200 requests from this pane until you close it, and can export them as a file if you ask.
What the model can still work out
A careful request still says something. From the example above, a model learns that the sheet is about orders by region, that there are five customers, and the amounts in unmarked columns. Counts, ranges and months can identify someone in a small group, for example the only order in a region. The Alpha limitations page lists what NymForm does not cover.