Guide Section: Excel Desktop Client
Overview | Get started with EASA Eval | Get started with EDC | Simple EDC Example | EDC reference

An Excel Desktop Client offers a novel way to use Microsoft Excel to create and modify database case records.

• A User will,
  • login to the EASA Server and open an EDC EASAP
  • search for and select a case record in the CASE VIEWER table
  • the EASAP creates a temporary copy of the master spreadsheet with default or database derived case data
    • → we call this spreadsheet an Excel Client
  • this Excel spreadsheet needs to be downloaded into a local folder,
    • → then opened with Microsoft Excel
  • the first time an Excel Client is launched locally for a User or Author the EASA Ribbon is installed.

In the steps below we walk through this process in detail. Browsers tend to behave differently with downloading and opening files from the network and system security settings vary as well. If you get stuck please contact EASA Technical Services (support@easasoftware.com).

• Open a published EASAP that uses an Excel Client
  • In this example we use:
    • MortgageCalculatorEDC.easap
• Click on an existing case in the CASE VIEWER table and click Modify or click New
• The browser will either automatically download an Excel spreadsheet or else prompt us to download one.
  • The filename is _automaticOpen.xlsm → if its missing check for any blocked popups.
• Download the file to a known location
• Go to that location
• Double-click the file
• Microsoft Excel should launch
• Chrome simplifies the steps above:
  • There is an Excel file icon and file name in the lower left corner of the browser
  • Click this rectangle to launch the Excel Client, below.

• If Excel asks if you want to Enable Editing click Yes.
• The first time an Excel Client EASAP is run by a User the EASA Ribbon will need to be installed

• Click 'Yes' to install the EASA Ribbon
  • A window confirms the installation has completed
  • Click 'OK'

• Click 'Open Spreadsheet'

• A temporary Excel spreadsheet will open allowing a User to interact with it in familiar ways.
  • → A change in an input cell causes output cells and charts to be updated
• Once the User has completed an analysis the case record (all named ranges) may be written to the database
• Click the EASA→Save button on the ribbon.

• Close the spreadsheet window
• The updated case record may be viewed in the CASE VIEWER table.

These steps may be repeated to create new cases or update existing case records.

An Author may now wish to read further details and implement an Excel Client EASAP for his or her own spreadsheet. See,

• Author a simple Excel Client EASAP