SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

2962032 - Several Excel instances are opening when launching AO from browser or SAP GUI

Symptom

Several Excel instances are opening when launching AO from browser or SAP GUI (e.g. via transactions RSRT or RAAOE).

Analysis Office can be started just fine from Windows start menu.

The launcher trace of AO (see note 2129389) contains the following entry:
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Cannot get ISapCofComObject; did you call 'regasm /tlb CofInterfaces.dll' ?
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Environment

Analysis for MS Office

Reproducing the Issue

  1. Try to launch Analysis Office via browser or SAP GUI (e.g. via transactions RSRT or RAAOE), by opening a workbook for example;
  2. The launcher file ".sapaox" is downloaded and Excel opens several sessions/instances, but the report is not opened.

Cause

This is how the launcher executable works:

I) The launcher starts Excel;
II) It ensures that the AO add-in is activated;
III) In case a specific workbook was launched from browser or SAP GUI (via transaction RAAOE or RSRT), the launcher also has to tell the add-in to load the desired workbook and where the add-in should connect.

A prerequisite for step III is that the launcher can commmunicate with the add-in. This is done via an interface called ISapCofComObject. Therefore, the launcher tries to retrieve this interface from the add-in.

When this step fails, it leads to the error "Cannot get ISapCofComObject".

The interface ISapCofComObject is part of the assembly CofInterfaces.dll and can be retrieved by the launcher only after having registered it successfully. This registration is done automatically when installing AO.

As soon as the launcher detects that it cannot communicate with the add-in, it starts the next Excel process and tries again. This explains the several Excel windows.

In these cases, either the registration of the assembly was not successful or the registry was modified later on, causing the issue.

Resolution

Uninstall Analysis Office from the Control Panel and install it again.

Keywords

.sapaox, sapaox, launcher, workbook, browser, downloaded, sessions, process , KBA , BI-RA-AO-XLA , Excel Addin , Problem

Product

SAP Analysis for Microsoft Office all versions