What’s New in Office Connector 2.01.0041

Posted May 30, 2008

New Features

Click on a query and then click the Edit Query toolbar button to edit using the wizard. If the query has been customized in a way that is not compatible with the wizard then you will be given the option to edit the SQL instead.
When a workbook from a prior version is opened, you will be prompted to let Office Connector optimize it. For compatible workbooks, this will automatically “fast forward” you to an optimized state. For older workbooks, please contact our Services department for assistance.
There is now an SQL Monitor window that shows in real-time what data you have loaded and how long it took to load. It also shows a history of table changes so you can see the self-optimization behavior in action. This feature is enabled via the Advanced tab of the Preferences window. Once enabled, the window will automatically pop up the next time a workbook function is evaluated.

Filters in TSCount and TSSum functions are automatically converted to use “Where technology” whenever possible, resulting in HUGE performance gains for large data sets.
The method for reading data for workbook functions has been enhanced to be self-optimizing according to which columns are actually being used.
Templates now employ a faster technique to fix the #NAME? issue when opening a new workbook.
Load time for non-Office Connector workbooks has been decreased (actual speed up depends on your Timberline setup).

The Add-in and the templates have been digitally signed to help take some of the pain out of dealing with the heightened security features in Excel. If you opt to “Trust Event 1 Software”, then you will not receive macro warnings when opening our templates.
When using the wizard to insert a new query, existing data is always moved to make room regardless of the Move existing columns setting, which now only affects the subsequent behavior.
The Optimize Workbook Functions button has been added to the tech support toolbar so you can optimize a workbook without refreshing it.
The TSWrite wizard now checks to see if rows can be added to the selected table and uses that information to enable or disable the Create and Create or Modify actions.

The duplicate refresh of queries that would happen when the FirstRefresh property is set to “Manual” and the Refresh Timberline Data button is clicked has been fixed.
Eliminated the duplicate prompt for a data folder that would sometimes occur when the TimberlineDataFolder custom workbook property was set to “Prompt” and the user canceled the first prompt.
Zero and blank values are no longer being skipped by the TSWrite function.

Timberline 7.5 has case-sensitive operator IDs, so the last used operator ID is no longer being stored as upper-case.
ADO behavior has changed to use NULL for blank dates, so the wizard now inserts NULL (it used to insert two single quotes).
Excel behavior has changed to automatically remove the named range associated with a query, so the Import feature has been modified so if a runtime error occurs when deleting the named range, it is ignored.

In preparing for Timberline’s upcoming move to Vista, many files have changed locations. Files that used to be stored under the Program Files or Windows directories are now located under Documents and Settings under Windows XP. View the System Information report to see the new locations.
There is no longer any need to set the TimberlineDataFolder custom workbook property to “Prompt” in order to force a workbook containing only queries (and no functions) to prompt for a data folder.
Adding a custom workbook property LoadAllColumns and setting it to “1” will turn the self-optimizing behavior off.
Adding a custom workbook property UseFilters and setting it to “1” will turn the “Where technology” enhancement off for TSCount and TSSum functions.

Posted July 1^st, 2007

The TSFind function now supports negative values for the Offset argument. A value of -1 indicates that the last record should be returned, a -2 indicates the next to last record, and so on. This change is also reflected in the Find Wizard. Two radio buttons now provide the option to return either the first record or the last record. If a different row number is desired, then the offset argument of the function can be edited after completing the wizard.
When using the Save As Values feature within a macro, the path of the new file can now be supplied within the macro. This suppresses the prompt for the file name.

Resolved issue with Office Connector Write where an error message would be returned if writing to a primary key field while creating a new record.
The hidden cache worksheet that stores cached function results is no longer deleted when there is no cached information. This was done to resolve an error that would be encountered if a workbook that used persistent caching is saved via a macro.
The Office Connector menu that was previously under Excel’s Help menu has been relocated to Data / Office Connector in Excel 2007. This was done to consolidate all Office Connector menu items in one location and to provide better support for Excel 2007.
If an error is encountered while attempting to insert a new query, a message box is now displayed in addition to writing information about the error to the error log.
The current selection is now validated to make sure that it is a worksheet cell (not a Chart or other object) when using a wizard to insert a function or query. Previously, this was not validated and an error message would be displayed if the current selection was not a worksheet cell.

· The System Information report now recognizes and identifies Excel 2007.

Have an earlier version? Click here to see the revision history for older releases.