Hi: Adding more information to this post for other students who search about using Excel files in the Programming 1 class.
If you are using SAS Enterprise Guide, or SAS University Edition or SAS OnDemand for Academics, we know, ahead of time, that the student will probably NOT be able to run the programs in the Excel lesson in Programming 1 and so we do not even put the Excel files into the setup instructions. In order to install the PC File Server software component, we would have to know ahead of time whether the student had 32 bit or 64 bit Microsoft Office, which is impossible to know with so many students on so many different operating systems and/or server configurations using the University Edition. Only 1 PC File Server can be installed in a configuration - that is why in the Practice for Lesson 7, we tell you to study the syntax, but we also advise you NOT to run the code as shown in the screen shot below as highlighted in yellow:
There are actually several different ways to read Excel files and in the Programming 1 class, we chose the way that was most likely to work when the student had access to SAS in a configuration where the bitness of the SAS installation matched the bitness of the Microsoft Office installation or they were working with SAS on a Unix server, where the appropriate PC File Server was installed.
For purposes of certification, the student only has to study the LIBNAME engine syntax, as we show in the course. However, we do not expect students to submit the code or read any files (which is why the Excel files are not provided as part of the setup). It is entirely likely for the SAS University Edition or SAS OnDemand for Academics that the code will NOT work.
cynthia
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