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Importing Excel files in GemStone

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Thierry Thelliez

Importing Excel files in GemStone

Hello All,

We are considering an application in which data will come from many Excel (2000) spreadsheets. There will be 20 to 50 different types of these files representing probably thousands files to load. But only few ones a day will be created (coming out for an upstream approval workflow system).

As an additional issue, there are formulas in these files. We need to store the resulting data in GemStone.

Before I reinvent the wheel? Has someone already faced a similar problem? How did you solve it? What components did you use?

Thanks,
Thierry Thelliez

Stephan Eggermont-3

Re: Importing Excel files in GemStone

Hello Thierry

Supporting Excel spreadsheets well is a lot of work. I only did the
quick-and-dirty copy-and-paste of csv import, but would be interested in
something better.

http://lists.squeakfoundation.org/pipermail/seaside/2009-July/021241.html

Niko Schwartz used OpenOffice automation with squeak :

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2125585/working-with-excel-files-in-web-app-frameworks-like-seaside

Stephan

On 27 mei 2010, at 22:35, Thierry Thelliez wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> We are considering an application in which data will come from many
> Excel (2000) spreadsheets. There will be 20 to 50 different types of
> these files representing probably thousands files to load. But only
> few ones a day will be created (coming out for an upstream approval
> workflow system).
>
> As an additional issue, there are formulas in these files. We need
> to store the resulting data in GemStone.
>
> Before I reinvent the wheel? Has someone already faced a similar
> problem? How did you solve it? What components did you use?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Thierry Thelliez

Paul Baumann

RE: Importing Excel files in GemStone

In reply to this post by Thierry Thelliez

You are more likely to find support through the other GS interfaces than directly in GS. You can use a framework available to any of the languages and dialects that connect with GS (like VW, VA, Squeak, Java, C, etc.).

Another option is to export/convert the excel files into something more manageable. A .csv file is too primitive, but there is probably some other format that keeps the formulas and is easier read. You might find a program on the web to translate excel files. If your only option is to parse some form of binary encoding then you might at least find one that is easy to work with and well documented. OpenOffice may have a conversion tool or open source code that you could remake in Smalltalk.

Another option is to use a Windows component model that allows applications to exchange data. OS/2 had something like that, and Windows is still changing their mind about how to do it. The OS becomes the interface to the data by way of common protocols (DDE, OLE, COM, DCOM, .NET, ActiveX, NetDDE, whatever the latest flavor). Probably a tiny bit easier than parsing binary yourself.

Paul Baumann

From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Thierry Thelliez
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 4:36 PM
To: GemStone Smalltalk Customer Forum
Subject: [gemstone-smalltalk] Importing Excel files in GemStone

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