User-Defined Reports - Update Excel Spreadsheet from Accumulators

Existing Excel output procedures, both in general applications and within ProFiler itself, create a new spreadsheet each time. This new feature allows the facility to update an existing spreadsheet with values from the accumulator and constant databases when you print a ProFiler User-Defined Report. On completion of the report the current values in the accumulator and constant databases are read and used to update the Excel spreadsheet.

To configure a report for output you need to update the report layout and select the ‘Link to MS Office’ option from the Tools pull-down menu.

If Sub-Total Level then Specify Which Level

These two existing prompts allow you to configure the report so that if printed to Excel it creates a new report each time – these should be left unset for a report that will update an Excel spreadsheet.

Link to Existing Excel Spreadsheet – setting this option for the first time creates a template ‘INI’ file to allow you to enter the Excel definition. This is a blank text file and uses the standard text editor (Notepad or Wordpad) to maintain the INI file. To update an Excel Spreadsheet you have to enter the details of the spreadsheet and cells to update as below.

To specify the Excel spreadsheet to update you need to enter the PATH= line followed by the path / filename of the Excel spreadsheet to update (XLS or XLSX file) – for example:

PATH=C:\DFWIN\DATA\TXTOTALS.XLS

To specify the Accumulators you wish to use and the Excel sheet/cell you wish to update you enter the command ACCUM= followed by the accumulator item, the worksheet number within the spreadsheet, the row number and the column number (or letter) – for example:

ACCUM=001,1,4,1 or ACCUM=001,1,4,A

You specify the update from the Constants file in a similar manner

CONST=002,1,4,2 or CONST=002,1,4,B