Dynamic input not reading large xlsb file

I am creating a workflow to read a large xlsb file and get data from there. First, I set up a directory to read the most recent file. Then on the part where I have the dynamic input to get the file itself, I keep getting a pipeline error. I am assuming this was due to the large xlsb file that I am trying to get. I tried to set up a specific table query 'A9:CE348800' but it it still not reading it. So I'm stuck at the dynamic input part. Is there another way to filter it?

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blitz45

@cfvito are you just getting one file? If so, in the past I had to create a blank template in a location where the dynamic input is able to pick up. Once it's called out in the 'Edit' in your screenshot, you should be able to run it and the workflow should pick up and populate it into alteryx. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

cfvito

Does the blank template have to be in the same directory? If yes, I'm afraid we are not allow to add any files in there as it is a global access.

cfvito

Error I keep getting

danilang

hi @cfvito

Some things to try

Make sure the template file isn't open when you try to import it.
Delete all the Rows after the first data row in all the sheets in the workbook. Don't just highlight the data and press delete. Highlight the row headers, right click on one of the Highlighted ones and select Delete from the dropdown. This will delete the data, all formatting and reset the active sheet area. After this you should have a much smaller file.
In the past, I've had issues with xlsb files not being read though the input tool. The only thing I could do was make a copy of the file as .xlsx and work with that. You can created a vbs script that you can call with a run command tool that either saves a copy as .xlsx or exports the required data to CSV. This will only run through Designer though. Excel Automation isn't supported by Microsoft when run in a non-attended environment like through a window service. See here for "Considerations"(Microsoft's term for when the Automation just doesn't run on a server). To get around this you can use a PowerShell script that leverages the OpenXML libraries to extract the data. These libraries read the XML in the file directly and so are safe to use in a server environment.

Good luck

Dan

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