read excel cell with formula not getting the evaluated value , any advice?

Question

Hi Alteryx engineer,

when we read data from excel cell with formula, we can't get the evaluated value, we need to perform excel file save action using vb script before that, but that vb script is costing several seconds to perform, any better alternative ?

DawnDuong · Answer

@aeolus187  To be honest this is new to me too!

I asked some more "learned" friend and found that the workaround is to open and close the excel to make the Excel formula "live" again. It is like the Excel formula link is not updated until the instance is refreshed by opening and closing. I can understand why it behaves that way but i do not know of any other workaround.
Dawn.

aeolus187 · Answer

@DawnDuong

i have one excel contains some formula, i write some data to the excel and then try to read the cell with formula, suppose like C2 and it contains fomular like =B2+A2 but I cant read the evaluated value . i have to use vb script to open the excel, save it and close it, then i can read the evaluated value then

DawnDuong · Answer

Hi @aeolus187

trying to understand the issue correctly. Are you writing to an excel file and concurrently trying to read the evaluated values live?

Or is it the case that you write to an excel file and THEN (not concurrently) want to read values that depend on those written data?

dawn