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Excel Tools: Export CDT to Excel smart service can't be found under Integration Services > Excel Tools

edmund.loh

I have downloaded and deployed the latest version of the plugin (2.0.2) and found that I am unable to select the Export CDT to Excel smart service. The icon seems to be missing from the palette. Switching back to version 2.0.0 brings it back again.

Has anyone else encountered this issue with 2.0.2 and was able to resolve it?

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  • 0
    Certified Lead Developer
     in reply to Mike Schmitt

    Hi Mike,

    I know its a pain point that many of the applications in Appian are using Export CDT to Excel and this has to be changed now. But we have no other option as this smart service is depricated by Appian.
    I think we can use database views in your case. Please tell us what is the use case that you have. We will try to suggest you the alternative solution other than export cdt to excel.

  • 0
    Certified Lead Developer
     in reply to harishkumart

    I considered database-backed solutions originally which is why I ended up going with CDT to Excel, and this is why I know I will continue needing it.

    Some examples:

    • Database views are not able to grab and display an Appian user's full name based on username. 
    • It's difficult or impossible to specially format datestamps in the database per certain customer requirements (one example being YYYY-MM-DD format, etc)
    • In other cases, I've had to export multiple rows where one particular cell in that row contains a list of data, separated by linebreaks, which is generated live.
    • Other column-by-column data transforms which are trivially easy in an Appian process but difficult, costly and/or impossible in a database view

    For all these reasons (and more I probably haven't thought of), I believe it is a large mistake to remove the CDT to Excel smart service instead of doing what would be needed to fix the internal issue it was apparently having. 

    I've talked to team leads on a few other projects and their sentiments reflect mine - not having this smart service going forward will be a significant problem for us, and will prevent us from ever upgrading the plugin past version 2.0.0.

  • 0
    Certified Lead Developer
    Our team also requires the Export CDT to Excel. The problem for us is not so much that we cannot do it using database views. I am sure we can find a way to make it work. The main issue is that it would be a massive overhaul for us to do it that way and it's too late for us to be doing it through views. Deprecating that smart service will cause huge problems for us.
  • 0
    Certified Lead Developer
    I'm still waiting to hear some sort of official word from Appian as to why this deprecation was done in spite of the massive need that still exists out there to have it available. To reiterate, at least 2 of my projects will be massively inconvenienced by this since the alternative solutions do not cover all use cases.
  • 0 in reply to Mike Schmitt
    Hi,
    I have installed Excel Tools looking to use Export CDT to Excel smart service. I have the requirement to form dynamic links to some of the columns while exporting to excel. I could not find the smart service for 18.3 version. Is it not available? Or is there any substitute function to achieve this?
  • 0
    Certified Lead Developer
     in reply to saic929
    Hi - please read over the prior comments in this thread, which all go into detail about how this feature was removed after version 2.0.0
  • 0 in reply to Mike Schmitt
    Hi Mike, have you heard back from Appian on what they are planning on doing with the CDT To Excel plugin?
  • 0
    Certified Lead Developer
     in reply to erickp

    I as well as some other users have left comments on the Excel Tools AppMarket page, but have gotten no meaningful response other than "use this other functionality [even though it doesn't really work that way]".  Appian's only official response is, "it's a plug-in and therefore not officially supported".

  • 0 in reply to Mike Schmitt
    Interesting. I have a use case where I need to generate group membership data in an Excel report for the audit department. What I am doing in production is creating a list of CDTs that contains users and their group application roles and using the CDT To Excel to convert the data into Excel. I had the need for another business case to store the group membership information in a database table twice a day so because of the deprecation of the CDT To Excel plugin, I will have to pull the data from the database with the risk the data will not be up-to-date (only twice a day).
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