Common Spreadsheet Linking Problems

Running an analysis with a linked spreadsheet requires that three software packages (your OS, DPL, Excel) work together. The process works best if all three can "concentrate" on just the analysis. Try to minimize the number of other applications running and avoid CPU intensive activities while a run is in progress.

It's best to minimize Excel so that time isn't spent updating the screen. You can Disable Excel screen updating during run via the Links tab of the Model Settings dialog. Also, don't have any unnecessary files open in Excel. When DPL sends a calculate command to Excel, all workbooks in memory are recalculated (there is no Excel command to calculate one workbook -- it's either one worksheet or all workbooks, and most modern Excel models have multiple worksheets).

Run errors

Most errors that occur during a spreadsheet-linked run have the following form:

• Error type and context
• Name of the remote application
• Topic
• Item

For example, if the NPV cell in your spreadsheet contains a #VALUE!, you might see the following:

• Error requesting value from Excel (unexpected return type)
• Application: EXCEL
• Topic: [MySpreadsheet.xls]DCF
• Item: NPV

Most of the time, when you switch to Excel and find the "Item" cell the error will be obvious.

Time out

There is a maximum amount of time DPL will wait for a response from Excel. This parameter defaults to 20 seconds and can be changed within the Links tab of the Model Settings dialog. If DPL needs to start Excel and load the spreadsheet file over a slow network connection, the operation can easily time out. You can increase the timeout parameter, or you can simply load the Excel file before starting the run.

Versions: DPL Professional, DPL Enterprise, DPL Portfolio

See Also

Spreadsheet Options

Building a Model from a Spreadsheet

Linking Nodes to a Spreadsheet