Configuring Excel Services in SharePoint 2013

In my previous post, I have explained how to create excel service. In this post we can see how to Manage the excel service application. By navigating to manage excel service application page, we can see six links, allows us to manage the service application.

By clicking on the Global Settings link, we will be redirected in to Excel Service Application settings page. This includes settings for Security, Load Balancing, External Data, Memory utilization and Workbook cache.

Security settings will gives the options for excel service application authentication, communication and service settings. File Access method for excel services will have two options Impersonation and Process account. Impersonation enables a thread to run in a security context that owns the thread. We need to select the Impersonation, when workbooks are stored in http locations. Process account option need to be used when excel services opens the work books from HTTP sites. In the Connection Encryption section, we need to use Internet Protocol Security or Secured Sockets Layers (SSL) to encrypt the data transmission. There no need of connection encryption by default. But if we choose the require connection encryption option, excel service application server enable data transmission between the client computer and front-end web servers.

Load Balancing settings allows us to maintain the sessions across the excel calculation 

services process.

Session Management settings allow us to set maximum number of sessions allowed per user.

Memory Utilization settings will gives the options to allocate the memory on the excel services.

By using Workbook cache settings, we can set the caching workbook files on the disk and in memory.

Through external data settings, we can handle the external data connections in excel calculation services.

“Trusted File Locations” in Excel services, trusts the entire SharePoint farm. In SharePoint, by default we have a trusted file location (http://) enables any file to be loaded from SharePoint server farm or stand-alone deployment. By trusting the whole SharePoint farm enables the easier setup for the administrators. For security purpose we can create new trusted file locations. Trusted file locations may be SharePoint sites or http sites that running the excel services that allows accessing workbooks.To add the new trusted location, Click on the “Trusted Locations” link, we can see Excel Services Application Trusted File Location page. Click on “Add Trusted File Location” link on the top of the page.

In the Address text box, we need to specify the location of the excel documents that excel services trust. We have to specify the type of the address in the location type like SharePoint or network file share or HTTP. If we want to trust the all children for that location, check Children Trusted in the Trust Children section.

In the Session Management settings section Session Timeout field specifies the maximum time that excel calculation service open/active. We can measure the session timeout that request time to reach start to end. The default session tome out is 300 sec. Short session timeout specifies the maximum time that excel web access service open/active. This is similar to session time-out setting. Default value is 75 sec. Maximum request duration filed specifies the maximum duration of a single request in a session.

Workbook property settings specify the behavior of the workbooks from specified trusted location in excel calculation services. Here Maximum Workbook size specifies the maximum size of the workbook that can be opened from Excel calculation service. Default value is 10 MB. Maximum chart size specifies the maximum size of the chart that can be opened by excel calculation service. Default value is 1 MB.

Calculation behavior specifies the modes of calculation in excel calculation service. Volatile Function Cache Lifetime field specifies the value for maximum time that computed value for automatic recalculation cache. Default value is 300 seconds. Workbook Calculation mode specifies calculation mode of workbooks in excel calculation service.  Manual, Automatic and Automatic except data table’s settings will override the settings. Default value is File.

External data services specifies how excel calculation services should handle external data connections in workbooks from trusted locations. Allow external data field specifies the external data processing. To disable the external data connection, we have to select radio button None. Trusted data connection libraries or trusted data connections libraries and embedded will allow the connections embedded with trusted location workbooks. Refresh warning enabled will display the warning message before refreshing the external data in workbooks from trusted locations. Default is enabled. Stopping open enabled to stop the open operation on a file from trusted location when the file contains the refresh. Default value is enabled. Automatic refresh (periodic/on-open) specifies automatic refresh duration period. Default value is 300. Manual Refresh field specifies the manual refresh duration. Default value is 300. Maximum Concurrent Queries per Session specifies the value for the number of eastern queries can execute in a session concurrently. Default value is 5.

User-defined functions allowed in the User-defined functions section, allows permitting user-defined functions to call from workbooks from trusted location. Default value is disallowed.

Excel Service in SharePoint 2013

Excel services in SharePoint allows use simply, Share and manage the excel workbooks at enterprise level. In excel service we have three sub components for interaction in excel services. Excel calculation service, excel web access, Excel web service, User defined functions, ECMA Script, and REST service as shown in the image below. Excel web access, web services, Calculation service, User defined functions, ECMA script are divided into two groups as Web Front end (front-end server) and application server (back-end application server)

Excel Web Services, REST API, ECMA Script can be divided in to components of front-end server and  User Defined Functions and Excel Calculation services are divided in to components of Application Server.

Excel web access renders the workbooks on a webpage and allows users to interact with the workbooks and explore them. Web Access is the excel service component that visible to the user without installing anything in the client machine.

Excel web services is the component that provides programmatic access to the web service. We can develop the applications to calculate, set and get the values form excel workbooks by using the excel web services.

Excel calculation services helps to load the workbooks, calculate, to call custom user defined functions and refreshes the external data. It will maintain the sessions in the interactions with workbook. Excel services also maintain the caching for opened excel workbooks, calculation states and data query results for improved performance.

User defined functions allows us to call the custom managed code functions and deployed to SharePoint server.

REST API enables to access workbook elements using URL. The URL contains a path for entry point to an aspx page. Excel services REST API enables the developers to explore the content workbook.

We can publish the excel workbooks through excel service in SharePoint. We can manage and secure the published work books according to the enterprise needs. Excel services was introduced in SharePoint 2007 and available in SharePoint 2013 enterprise version. The primary usage of the excel services is business intelligence. Excel workbooks can be connected in to external web sources and workbooks can be published in SharePoint doc library. As mentioned earlier, Excel services will helps to render the excel work book in the browser.

Create Excel Service application

To create the excel service application; “Excel Calculation Service” must be started in the server. To start the excel calculation service, click on “Manage Services on server” link in Application Management.

Select the server where we want to start the service above the services list and in the services list, start the excel calculation service.

Navigate to “Application Manage management” page and Click on “Manage Service Applications” link to create new Excel service application.

Click “New” button and select “Excel Services Application”

Enter the Name of the excel service application in create new excel service application page.

Select “Create new application pool” radio button and enter application pool name and specify the service account to run the application pool. Check “Add this service application's proxy to the farm's default proxy list. ” Check box to add the service to the default proxy list.