Excel Buffer "unknown automation server"

afarr

I have a report that exports to Excel, using the standard Excel Buffer table (no. 370).
This worked fine yesterday, then it suddenly stopped working. The Excel variables (xlApp, XlWrkBk, xlWrkSht, etc.) are showing “Unknown automation server”.

This should point to 'Microsoft Excel 14.0 Object Library', but I don’t see “Microsoft Excel” or “Microsoft Office” when I do a look up on the Automation Server, or in the Custom Controls.

I have re-installed NAV (2009 R2 classic database server, i.e. not SQL, although the database objects are version 4.00) and Excel 2010. I also checked various databases on other machines, they all have “Unknown automation server” in table 370.

There is one particular database where Export to Excel is working fine, even though it shows “Unknown automation server” in table 370 (strangely, in this database even the debugger showed “Unknown automation server” when I ran the code, although there was no error). I exported that object as .fob, and imported into the target database (both objects are version 4.00.01), but this didn’t help.

Searching in this forum and with Google did not lead to a solution.
Do you know how I can resolve this, e.g. by registering a particular dll?

Many thanks in advance.

Alastair

Savatage

Did you recently upgrade to 2010?

We had a similar issue.

We were running Office2003 - we created all these export reports and when we upgraded to 2010 all the alutomations said Unknown.

When I installed 2010 I selected "remove previous versions" and the problem arose.
So I started over. I reinstalled Office 2003 & then reinstalled Office 2010 but not selecting to remove older versions.

Everything worked and all I did we delete the icons to the older versions.
Also didn't hurt to install the compatability pack:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=3

afarr

The machine I'm using has always had Excel 2010. It worked at least once yesterday, then an hour later the same objects on the same machine did not work.

Several machines were renamed yesterday as part of a domain upgrade, so that might have something to do with this change in behaviour.

I might try installing Office 2003 to see if it has any effect.

afarr

After installing Excel 2003, I could select the 'Microsoft Excel 10.0 Object Library' and the report worked.

I then uninstalled all Excel versions (both 2003 and 2010), and re-installed just Excel 2010 64-bit. I could then select 'Microsoft Excel 14.0 Object Library' and work without problem.

Thanks for your hint.

Savatage

Glad it worked. Perhaps their is a simpler solution but once I got it to work I wasn't in the mood to play around with other options 8)

colingbradley

I just moved to MS Office 2013 and was getting errors relating to the unknown Automation Server but it turned out to be the IT guys had not registered my install.
After registration, all was OK.
It does not seem to be a problem for NAV moving from Office 2010 to 2013

nav_student

colingbradley what do you mean by registered my install?

IT guys had not registered my install.
After registration, all was OK.