FAQs

Excel add-in Related

You are prompted to grant permission for ActiveX Controls when you open an Office XP or Office 2003 document

The SPF Plus addins current use ActiveX controls that require a registry update to prevent the message:
" This application is about to initialize ActiveX Controls that might be unsafe. If you trust the source of this document, select Yes and the control will be initialized using your document settings."

For more information follow the link below.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;827742

Download the file ActiveXFix.zip . Unzip the files and double click on the .reg files you extract. These will update your registry so ensure you have permissions to run them. One run, the message above will not be displayed again.

Another common error when SPF Plus first loads into Microsoft Excel. When Excel is started and SPF Plus is first loaded, it attempts to create a "connection" to TM1 and it's API (Application Programming Interface). SPF Plus uses a Windows Registry key setting to "know" where to look for the API connection. This setting is initially made during the installation process. Prior to version 9.0.3, the only way to change this was to open the Registry and manually change the key.

From version 9.0.3, this setting can be changed by selecting SPF Plus, SPF Wrapper/Options, Reset API Wrapper Path.

FYI, the key is stored in the following location:-
    - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SPF Pty Ltd\TM1DLLPath, in the key called "Path"

It is IMPORTANT to note that this setting must be location of TM1's program files referenced by the client PC. This file location can be confirmed correct if it meets the following criteria:-
    - The location is the same as the location of the TM1.xla that is being loaded into Excel
    - The location is the same as the location of the TM1API.DLL and TM1SIP.DLL files

Additionally, the TM1.xla (For version 7.1....) or TM1P.xla (for version 8.0.....) MUST be loaded in Excel BEFORE the SPF Plus add-in loads. On certain confirgurations, failure to follow this criteria can result in Excel crashing.

From version 9.0.3, the ONLY SPF Plus add-in that should load automatically into Excel is the SPF_WR.xla (SPF Plus wrapper). This add-in will then load the others as required.

To manually change the order of add-ins in Excel:-
Unfortunately, when multiple add-ins are loaded in Excel in the same session, Excel loads them alphabetically. So, if you select both the tm1.xla and the SPF_WR.xla at the same time, the next time you exit and re-enter Excel, they will load in the wrong order. To ensure that the order is correct, you need to first add the TM1 addin and exit Excel. Then re-enter Excel and add the SPF_WR.xla add-in. Exit and re-enter Excel to make sure the order is correct.

For more information, download this document:

SPF 9.0.3 Excel Addin Walk Through    79Kb

If SPF is causing unusual errors and it is difficult to determine what is causing them, you can download the file at the link below.

This file allows you to enable or disable debugging on any or all of the SPF Plus modules. The debugger will create a log file in the same folder as the module for each module where debugging is enabled.

After the log files have been generated, they can be forwarded to our support for assistance in rectifying the problem.
To run the debugger, simply open the downloaded worksheet and click the buttons on the worksheet.

SPF Excel Debugger    14Kb

You can quickly re-publish reports by using the "Maintain Web Menu Details" toolbar option from within Excel.

To re-publish a report, click this button and then select any report already contained in the Menu list. Then click the Re-Publish button on this form.

Reports re-published in this way do so without any user interaction.

SPF Plus uses the WebEx 

(Copyright © 2003 WebEx Communications, Inc.) player to create screen motion captures as a method of visually describing how to carry out certain tasks in SPF Plus. All these webEx files are also compressed into Winzip archives.

Playback

The WebEx Player is free and is downloaded automatically when you first access a WebEx playback file.

If the download does not start automatically, you can get the Webex player by clicking here

The following Webex documents are currently available for the SPF Plus Publisher wizard: 

This is the most common error when using SPF Plus functions within Microsoft Excel. When a user clicks a toolbar button Excel attempts to run the macro that is attached to that button. The cause of the error is because the macro reference "points" to a different SPF Plus add-in than the one that is actually loaded in Excel. This can happen when SPF Plus has been upgraded and is NOT an error in SPF Plus. It is caused by Excel, because custom toolbars are copied to a central user based settings file that Excel uses to save user preferences.

SPF Plus does not attempt to reset this file as it would cause all user customisations of the Excel environment to be lost.

SPF Plus version 9.0.3 now includes a method to reset the toolbars while staying in the Excel session. To do this:-

• Select SPF Plus, SPF Wrapper/Options, Toolbars from the Excel main menu.
• Click the Reset button for the relevant toolbar.
• Click the OK button to finish.

SPF Plus uses the WebEx 

(Copyright © 2003 WebEx Communications, Inc.) player to create screen motion captures as a method of visually describing how to carry out certain tasks in SPF Plus. All these webEx files are also compressed into Winzip archives.

Playback

The WebEx Player is free and is downloaded automatically when you first access a WebEx playback file.

If the download does not start automatically, you can get the WebEx player by clicking here

The following Webex documents are currently available for the SPF Plus Publisher wizard:

This error can occur when a client has an older version of SPF Plus Excel add-ins installed on their machine. From version 8.07 onwards the "Nuke" function was renamed to "XLIT". From version 9.1.2 onwards, the name "Nuke" is no longer included.

It is recommended that all client machines upgrade to the latest version of SPF Plus.

As a workaround, an administrator can do the following:-

• Open Excel and log in to TM1 as a member of the Admin group;
• Add the following formula to a worksheet and recalculate it;
        =BEACHElementInsert("tm1s","}BeachwareClients","Nuke",TRUE,"N","",FALSE)
        (where "tm1s" is the name of your server)

There are 3 different ways to access the wrapper:

1. As a Referenced dll. Called "early binding" in VB.
2. By using CreateObject. Called "late binding" in VB.
3. Using the Application.Run method in Excel.

1. Early binding is a nice way to get the VB help to pop up while you are writing the functions.

Dim SPF As SPF_WR.BEACH
Set SPF = New SPF_WR.BEACH

MsgBox SPF.BEACHWhoAmI(hUser, sServerName, False)

It's down side is that the excel workbook contains a direct reference to the physical location of the dll. Nearly always, when you open a workbook with this setting on a different machine, the reference will come up as missing.

2. Late binding is a safer way to reference a dll. Using this method forces Excel/Windows to go and find the registered copy of the dll. The down side is that the friendly pop-ups are no longer there.

Dim SPF As Object
Set SPF = CreateObject("SPF_WR.BEACH")

MsgBox SPF.BEACHWhoAmI(hUser, sServerName, False)

3. Application.Run is the safest way to write macros that use the wrapper. By using this method, The SPF_WR.XLA acts as a "wrapper for the wrapper" and handles all the code for getting the user handle and creating the reference to the wrapper dll. The down side is that it is not quite as easy to write as the other two ways.

MsgBox Application.Run("BEACHWhoAmI", sServerName, False)

For an example, download this zip.

ConnectToWrapper.zip    24Kb

If users are experiencing errors when accessing a feature of SPF Plus from within Microsoft Excel, it may be that their rights to the local machine are insufficient.

Every user that has access to the SPF Plus for Excel components must have write access permission in the windows registry to the following keys:-

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SPF Pty Ltd
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\SPF Pty Ltd

This permission must include the ability to read, create, delete and amend sub keys within these keys.

The SPF Plus Internet Publisher wizard creates Active Server Pages (asp) from your Microsoft® Excel reports. Once published, you can modify the asp to include additional functionality that the wizard does not automatically create.

It is important that you note that the publisher will overwrite these asp documents each time you re-publish a report. To avoid losing any customisations, you should read the top few lines of the asp document.
By moving the line "<!--CUSTOM-->" to the FIRST LINE in the asp, the wizard will be able to warn you that the report has been customised.

SPF Plus Internet Server

After browsing to \spfplus\login.asp, entering the user details and hitting connect, the above error is returned even if valid license (SPF_net.lic) is in \SPFPlus\ or "root" folder.

Resolution:

Sometime Microsoft's IIS prevents write access the ~SPF_Global.asa file even if write access is enabled in the IIS settings.
To resolve this, ensure OS latest Service Packs/Patches from  windowsupdate.microsoft.com  are installed and then uninstall and re-install IIS.

SPF Plus ActiveX component can't create object

Your Internet Server may not have the correct version of MSXML (4).
Download and install this file:- msxml.msi  (4.87MB)

SPF Plus will correctly display Chinese characters in published reports, provided you check that the "StripFormattedCharacters" function has translated correctly during installation. This function is used by SPF to allow numeric calculations on formatted data points.

The function has been included so that SPF Plus Administrators can change it to include any special characters that may be included in your data.
To Check or Edit this function:-

 - Open the "inc_reports.asp" file in a suitable text editor (like Windows notepad).
   This file is located in the C:\SPFPlus\Reports\Include folder

 - Search for the following line
   Function StripFormattedCharacters(strValue)

 - Make sure that the syntax for the "Replace" statements is correct

 - For example:
   For removing the Japanese Yen currency sign from a formatted data value, edit the following line

   RetValue = Replace(RetValue,"¥", "")

   NOTE: the line MAY appear as

   RetValue = Replace(RetValue,"?, "")

When browsing to a Slice (from a cube view) or clicking Copy (on a published report),you may find that the same slice/report opens each time you select the option. Internet Explorer caches visited web pages in your Temporary Internet Files folder so that documents will load quicker. As you are visiting the same internet page, IE assumes it can load the previously loaded one. To overcome this you will need to change your IE browser settings

The following link explains how to change your browser settings.

Browser caching (46Kb)

The SPF Plus Internet Server uses Microsoft® Excel to generate the output files when you click the Slice button (in a browse) or the Copy button (in a report). On receiving a request, the Internet Server will start Excel and, in the case of Reports, open the Excel version of the Report so it can create a copy to send to the requesting user.

If the Report being opened contains Macros, Excel may not be able to continue because of security settings. Excel on the Internet Server also requires that SPF for Excel is installed so that the reports can be delviered to the requesting client correctly.
To overcome this problem:-

• The SPF Plus add-ins SPF_WR.xla AND SPF_RA.xla must be loaded as add-ins by selecting Tools, Add-Ins and ticking or browsing to these two files.
• Excel on the Internet Server should then have it's Macro security settings set at High.

This will allow Excel to open the workbook without interruption and it will also disable any contained macro's from running.

If the Report being opened has a protection password, Excel will not be able to continue because the server will be waiting for the password to be entered. The SPF Internet publisher does not normally let you save a Report that has password protection, but if you later replace the report with a password protected version, You will not be able to make automatic copies of it. To allow the Internet Server to deliver these requested copies, you must remove any password protection.

SPF Plus Installation

Depending on internal security, you may have to change the SPF Plus COM+ Identity to an admin user on the machine you install SPF Plus Internet Server to.
To do this:-

   Select Start, Settings & Control Panel
   Select Administrative Tools and then Component Services
   Locate the following Component Item

   Right-click and select Properties and then the Identity tab as follows

   

   Change to "This User" and click browse as follows

   

   Select Administrator (or an appropriate admin account) and click OK
   enter the password and click OK

You cannot run the SPF Plus install executable on Terminal Services.

When selecting components to install during the installation, make sure you exapand the feature "SPF Plus for Excel" and select "Reporting + Analysis Administrator".