Issue: Large Excel Files

We have a client that provides large Excel files (.xls) that contain 60,000 to 100,000 rows of information.  That equated to a 38MB file.  We wanted to reduce the size of the file for our binder so we saved it as an Excel binary workbook (.xlsb) and then inserted it into the binder.  To our surprise, when we tried to open the file from within Engagement it didn't open.  Tried opening it on different computers and still no luck.

I called Engagement Support and was told that Excel binary workbooks were not listed as compatible file types but that "if it can be opened outside Engagement you should be able to open it from Engagement."  I was also told that no one on the product team had tested compatibility with Excel binary workbooks.

So, in short, no luck with binary workbooks for now.  If it's any consolation, a request for enhancement was filed.

Another Portable Display

I came across a tweet from Roman Kepczyk when he was at the CCH User Conference back in November.

...Just tested new mobile (2nd) monitor with 195 page PDF and performance was great. Check out at mmt2.com ($279)...

I looked at the website and it looks pretty cool.  We're going to get one with the key pad to test it out for our needs.  Have any of you out there used this model before?  What have your experiences been?

And thanks to Roman for putting the word out.

Review: Samsung 21.5" Notebook LCD Display

As promised, here's my feedback on this display.  We took two of them to a client's office by train.  The carry case we used was a GearGrip LCD Harness which worked really well (it was like adding a laptop bag).  The display itself was very easy to setup; I would not worry about the least knowledgeable user taking this to a client's office.  As soon as we hooked up the VGA cord, it worked.  On one of them we had to use the auto setup feature as the viewable area was slightly askew.  All in all, I think this model is well worth the $170 we paid for it.  Based on user feedback and projected demand, we'll probably be purchasing more of these (we have more than 40 in our audit group).

Happy travels to all the auditors out there, especially over busy season.

Multiple Displays in the Field

It's been a while since I posted so I thought I'd mention a thing or two before busy season hits. We've always had some pain points when it comes to working in the field. All of our uses have at least two monitors in the office (some have three). One of the consistent comments from the users is that they would like a very portable second monitor for them to take to a client's office. We've tried the Porter Case route for the full size desktop monitors but no one really used it (too bulky and hard to transport for our standard one week or less trips). We've also tried having our clients provide additional monitors but the small clients don't always have extras to share.

Our next option is the Samsung 21.5" Notebook LCD Display. I'm going to a client with a team on Monday and we'll be taking two with us for testing. It will especially interesting to see how the monitors hold up on the train (3-4 hrs). I'll post about our experience.

One thing to note about this monitor is that we tried to use the USB connection but the drivers didn't work on Windows 7  Professional x64 so we're using an analog monitor cable.

How do you deal with multiple displays in the field? Please post responses in the comments.

NEWS: Office 2010 has been released to manufacturing

Microsoft has released Office 2010 to manufacturing and has been available through volumn licensing from Microsoft Partners since May 1.  The gereral release to all consumers (on retail shelves) is scheduled for June.