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Using FME Desktop 2017.1.0.0 (20170731 - Build 17539 - WIN64) reading an Excel xlsx file on Windows fails and returns the following error:

...|ERROR |Excel Reader: Could not open file '...\input.xlsx', file is too large. Try 
switching to 64-bit FME, or exporting the Excel file to CSV. If the file is exported to 
CSV, formulas and formatting will be lost...
The file is 47KB, has 2 sheets with a couple of rows and columns. The data is imported with a Query from 2 csv files, what might cause the problem.Converting to CSV is not an option as this is part of an repetitive automatized process.Copy pasting the data to a new excel document / saving the file as xls solved the problem. But I would like to keep the source data original as I want to integrate this in FME server / external application.I did discuss this issue earlier with @Mark2AtSafe on StackExchange when the forum was down, but wanted to register the topic at the right place.

 

Hi @nielsgerrits, tried to load the file to Desktop 2017.1 and I am having the same problem, the same error message. I am using FME 64 Bit.

I tried to convert it to XLS and load in in the Workbench; it opens just fine .

I converted back the file to its original format using Excel and loaded it back to WB and it is fine.

10901-input2.xlsx

Cheers.

Lyes

 

10901-input2.xls

Hi @nielsgerrits

thank you for sharing the sample Excel file. FME indeed has difficulties with it. Based on your request, I have filed PR #79402 and we are investigating the problem.

Meanwhile, could you please tell me more about how this file was created? Did you use some kind of tool/script? Did you have a template?

Thank you in advance.

Lena

Hi @nielsgerrits,

 

 

Thanks for sharing your question. We now have a number of internal reports documenting this issue (PR79405, PR79402, PR79320), and are working to resolve it. So far it seems as though .xlsx files created outside of Excel are not being recognized within FME, and a not-so-helpful error message is provided stating that the file is too large (though it's not!).

 

 

Known workarounds are simply opening and re-saving the file in Excel (as either .xls or .xlsx), or saving as CSV before reading into FME.

 

 

As @LenaAtSafe mentioned, any additional information you can provide regarding the creation of the file would help us to find a solution.

 

 

Thanks.

 

 

Nathan

Hi @nielsgerrits

thank you for sharing the sample Excel file. FME indeed has difficulties with it. Based on your request, I have filed PR #79402 and we are investigating the problem.

Meanwhile, could you please tell me more about how this file was created? Did you use some kind of tool/script? Did you have a template?

Thank you in advance.

Lena

The guys creating the files are using PowerQuery to import 2 csv files to the two different sheets. I will try and get the template they are using.

Hi, We had somewhat similar problem with similar error at writing where the error was shown when the excel template was updated using 32 bit MS Excel 2016. I updated the template with 32 bit MS Excel 2010, it wrote the file successfully without any error.

@NathanAtSafe @LenaAtSafe

I had the same issue, but after converting my Microsoft Office Excel tables back to just ranges, it became readable by fme. I have noticed this before. Are Microsoft Office Excel tables supported by the reader?

@NathanAtSafe @LenaAtSafe

I had the same issue, but after converting my Microsoft Office Excel tables back to just ranges, it became readable by fme. I have noticed this before. Are Microsoft Office Excel tables supported by the reader?

Hey @ian_s, thanks for your input!

 

 

Support for Microsoft Office Excel tables is going to be a new feature in FME 2018. You can try it out now by downloading one of our 2018 betas here!

 

 

Thanks,

 

Nathan

 

Hi @nielsgerrits,

 

 

Thanks for sharing your question. We now have a number of internal reports documenting this issue (PR79405, PR79402, PR79320), and are working to resolve it. So far it seems as though .xlsx files created outside of Excel are not being recognized within FME, and a not-so-helpful error message is provided stating that the file is too large (though it's not!).

 

 

Known workarounds are simply opening and re-saving the file in Excel (as either .xls or .xlsx), or saving as CSV before reading into FME.

 

 

As @LenaAtSafe mentioned, any additional information you can provide regarding the creation of the file would help us to find a solution.

 

 

Thanks.

 

 

Nathan
@nielsgerrits @ian_s @VIJAYS @gisinnovationsb

 

Thanks for your patience and cooperation in this issue. Following some updates to our Excel reader, these bugs regarding Excel files can now be handled in the latest FME 2018.0 betas available here, currently only in a Windows environment.

 

The issue has been resolved for MacOS and Linux as well, but those betas are not currently available for download (coming soon).
@nielsgerrits @ian_s @VIJAYS @gisinnovationsb

 

Thanks for your patience and cooperation in this issue. Following some updates to our Excel reader, these bugs regarding Excel files can now be handled in the latest FME 2018.0 betas available here, currently only in a Windows environment.

 

The issue has been resolved for MacOS and Linux as well, but those betas are not currently available for download (coming soon).
Thanks for the follow up @NathanAtSafe. Happy the software got even better 🙂 For now we ask the users to save a copy to xls instead of xlsx and upload / process to server.

We have just encountered an Excel sheet that gave this same error and the process of opening and resaving didn't help....... except when we downgraded the Excel version. We went from Excel build 1711 to 1710 and found that resaving the file allows FME to read it. If you are having trouble this might help and may help illuminate the source of the bug for the FME dev team.

Hi @nielsgerrits,

 

 

Thanks for sharing your question. We now have a number of internal reports documenting this issue (PR79405, PR79402, PR79320), and are working to resolve it. So far it seems as though .xlsx files created outside of Excel are not being recognized within FME, and a not-so-helpful error message is provided stating that the file is too large (though it's not!).

 

 

Known workarounds are simply opening and re-saving the file in Excel (as either .xls or .xlsx), or saving as CSV before reading into FME.

 

 

As @LenaAtSafe mentioned, any additional information you can provide regarding the creation of the file would help us to find a solution.

 

 

Thanks.

 

 

Nathan
Has anyone else had trouble with datetime columns in FME 2018? I ran into this error while working in FME 2017.1.1.1, and found that 2018 will open the Rain Gauge files I am trying to process, but the time information is not coming through in the DateTime column. Here is an example file I am working with. I don't really care about the first 2 rows, header row is 3 with data starting in row 4. 17639-20002744.xlsx I am trying to automate the download of these files via zip file from a website on a regular basis. The zip file has 63 files in it from different sites all have the same format/fields as this example. FWIW, when I open and save one of the XLSX files in Excel then read that saved file with FME 2017 or 2018 the data including the date and time information come in just fine.

 

 

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