EG and DDE

[Oleg_L]

Hello EG-users.

Is it possible to make a DDE connection in EG with Excel started and running at the SAS-server (not the client machine)? I know that it's not possible to use DDE with SAS-server and Excel running at client machine.

Thanks in advance.

Oleg.

[SASKiwi]

Most EG / SAS Server installations block the ability to execute an operating system command from SAS. This is the way you usually start your Excel session from SAS on your server to use DDE.

Run PROC OPTIONS and check the setting of the XCMD option. If it is set off you could try setting it on but you will probably find that you can't do it.

[Oleg_L]

Thanks for your reply.

I have read somewhere that it is not possible to use DDE while code is submitted by the SAS Server. SAS Server always submit EG-client program code.

Does the -ALLOWXCMD option let us to use DDE in EG?

Oleg.

[SASKiwi]

Thinking about this more clearly, even if ALLOWXCMD is enabled this is not going to work. Excel must be open for DDE to work. Excel is a desktop application that requires a display to function. If you try to start it on a server where is the display going to go? There is no connection to a physical display for Excel to use so it would most likely fail with an error.

If you have SAS installed on your desktop as well as EG that would be an alternative. If you had a remote login to the SAS server and bypassed EG that would work also. If not, then I think you will have to explore other techniques like PROC EXPORT, the EXCEL LIBNAME option, ODS and the EXCELXP tagset and so on.