SAS 4.3 + Windows 7 + MS Office 2016 => PC File Error

 If you're still using SAS client to export excel from SAS server/client with SAS format, you may use "proc export dbms = excelcs". Differently from other dbms, EXCELCS uniquely has relied on PC Files Server(Excel workbook connecting remotely through the SAS PC Files Server (uses the PCFILES LIBNAME engine underneath).

documentation.sas.com/?docsetId=acpcref&docsetTarget=p1d0tocg3njhmfn1d4ld2covlwm0.htm&docsetVersion=9.4&locale=en

https://documentation.sas.com/?docsetId=acpcref&docsetTarget=p1d0tocg3njhmfn1d4ld2covlwm0.htm&docsetVersion=9.4&locale=en

 Somes it's very critical to use "dbms=excels" options, when you're relying on the data export on desktop with connection to SAS Server. My team has been using desktop base scheduler program, called as "WinCron" and 85% of daily/weekly MIS/data generation automation has been using this program. The scheduler program triggers SAS program and SAS program runs and exports excel file to Shared folder where our MIS audience can read/copy the report. As I mentioned at the first paragraph, EXCELCS is very important as it doesn't overwrite the full excel file. It just paste the data into the sheet but doesn't remove other pre-existing sheet. Thus daily/weekly updates file should use this function only.

 

 But DBMS=EXCELCS has used PC Files Server, although other DBMS options has relied on the office program itself. PC Files Server has consumed lots of PC RAM and it's the bottleneck of MIS reporting. But it's the only way to update the file without damaging the other sheet in the file. 

 

 Recently my team automation PC environment has changed to "SAS 4.3 + Windows 7 + MS Office 2016" architecture and my nightmare has begun. When I came to office, everyone was busy and shouted due to the error of excel updates using automation desktop. We tried multiple ways but "DBMS=EXCELCS" procedure doesn't work and almost every single program using this has failed to generate report/data. Anyway it's very difficult and we considered to change the program to use other DBMS options. Most of analyst was against the idea and we need to figure out how to sove this issue.

 

 Other team leader raised this issue to Desktop Engineering Team to clone the same environment into the other desktop. But they urged that OS should be "Win10" and it's not negotiable. I've been involved with this issue and searched google but it doesn't give a satisfactory answer. 1 hour later, I just testest at the new desktop - SAS 4.3 + Windows 10 + MS Office 2016" architecture and succed to run proc export "DBMS=EXCELCS" mode. The way to solve the issue is the OS changes. I didn't know that but SAS 4.3 PC Files Server is only available on Windows 10. It took a few days to solve the issue but it's very helpful. All department crews were very happy, because automation system would run properly and they don't need to run the code manually. It's a long day but I was happy so much.