WebI: Working with Excel-Files as datasource

[Former Member]

Sometimes the users have the problem, that they want to create a report with data, which are not in a database. Often this data are individual data, that are stored in excel.

With BO 4.1 you can use an excel file as datasource in the webi report. For this, the following steps are necessary:

• upload the excel file
  • go to the BI Lauchpad - register Documents and go to the folder, where you want to store the file
  • then New and  "local Document"
  • now search the file on your local client an upload the file
• create a new data provider
  • Data Access - "new data provider"
  • From Excel and select the excel file from the BI-Portal
  • Configure the data provider
  • Run Query

now you can work with the data in the report.

After the report is created, often the problem is, that the excel file is not up to date and the content must be refreshed. If the user tries to upload the new excel file the same way as described, than the old file can not be overwritten. If you make an upload under a different name, you must create a new data provider and all variables in the report has errors.

The question is, how to update the uploaded excel file. You can do this the following way:

• go to the file in the BI-Portal
• right click on the file and click on "organize"
• than you have the option "Replace File"

Now the file is refreshed.

Note: Yoiu can move the report and excel file, but if you copy both files, the excel data provider doesn't work because the CUID changes and the copied report has the connection to the old excel file

Hope this helps

Andreas