Setting Excel and Word Options

Make all of the configurations described below to reduce the risk of jobs failing when executing Excel or Word (Report Generation) jobs on Windows stations.

This task shows you how to:

Set Station Properties for Excel and Word

You can add several property settings to the SMAExeStation.properties file to reduce the risk of Excel or Word execution jobs failing.

  1. Add the following properties to the SMAExeStation.properties file. You can vary the values according to the load.

    • fiper.station.substation.starttime=300000
    • fiper.substation.launchtimeout=300000
    • fiper.substation.keepalive.interval.ms=120000
    • fiper.security.substation.cache.size=<twice the number of expected users> + 5

  2. Save and close the SMAExeStation.properties file.

Replace a Process Level Token

Modify the Windows local security policy of the station user to reduce the risk of Excel or Word execution jobs failing.

  1. Locate the system user rights as described below:

    • Windows Server 2008: Navigate to Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy; and from the Local Security Policy dialog box, access the User Rights Assignment settings under the Local Policies option.

    • indows 7: Navigate to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy; and from the Local Security Policy dialog box, access the User Rights Assignment settings under the Local Policies option.

  2. For each user who will start the station program, add the user to the local Administrators group and grant the user the privilege Replace a process level token in the Local Security Policy dialog box.

Verify that the Desktop Folder Exists

You must ensure that the Windows desktop folder exists.

  1. Verify that the following directory exists:
    • For Microsoft Office 2010 (64-bit): C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop\
    • For Microsoft Office 2013 (64-bit): C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Desktop\
  2. Verify that the directory is writeable for all run-as users.

Set Excel or Word Macro Security

Adjust the security setting for Excel or Word macros.

  1. Open a file:
    • In Excel, open a worksheet.
    • In Word, open a document.
  2. From the File menu, select Options, and select Customize Ribbon.
  3. From the Main Tabs list, select Developer.
  4. Click OK.
  5. From the Developer tab, select Macro Security, and select Macro Setting.
  6. From the Developer Macro Setting list, select Trust access to the VBA project object model.
  7. Close Excel or Word.

Disable Excel Add-ins

  1. From the Windows Start menu, select Control Panel.
  2. From the Control Panel, select Uninstall a program.
  3. Navigate to Microsoft Office, and click Change.
    1. Select Add or Remove Features, and click Continue.
    2. Expand Microsoft Excel.
    3. Expand Add-ins.
    4. Disable all add-ins.
    5. Click Continue to apply the changes.
    6. Click Close.

Edit the Windows Registry

  1. Open a Windows Command Prompt window.
  2. Enter regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
  3. Navigate to the following directory:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

  4. Select SessionViewSize.
    1. In the Value data text box, enter 80.
    2. Click OK.
  5. Navigate to the following directory:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\SubSystems

    1. Select Windows.
    2. In the Value data text box, locate the Windows SharedSection parameter.

      The parameter has the following formats:

      • SharedSection=aaaa,bbbb
      • SharedSection=aaaa,bbbb,cccc
      • SharedSection=aaaa,bbbb,cccc,dddd

    3. Add or edit the third value as follows:

      Windows SharedSection=aaaa,bbbb,10240

    4. Click OK.
  6. Close the Registry Editor.

Edit User Account Control (UAC)

  1. From the Windows Start menu, select Control Panel.
  2. From the Control Panel, select User Accounts, and select Change User Account Control settings.
    1. Move the slider bar to Never notify.
    2. Click OK.
  3. Close the Control Panel.

Create SMAEXE_TEMP Environment Variable

You must create a special environment variable named SMAEXE_TEMP.

  1. Create a Windows environment variable named SMAEXE_TEMP. Set the value of the variable equal to the location of the station temporary directory (see Station Properties File and Startup Command-Line Options).
  2. Give all 3DOrchestrate users read and write permission in the temporary directory.
  3. Restart the station computer when you have finished all the configurations above.