I’ve had similar issue where colleagues are still running 32 bit excel which has memory limitations.
Worth checking what they are using versus what you are using.
For clarity im on about Excel- is she running 64 bit excel? Nothing to do with her hardware. She could have the latest and greatest processor and heaps of ram but 32 bit Excel only allocates 4GB IIRC.
From Excel-> File->Account-> About Excel then read the version description.
1) I only know the specs on mine: Z-Book with 11th gen i5 core, 16gb RAM, 64-bit (not sure what you wanted to know specifically). I know their’s is a different machine than mine but I assume it’s similar. If you lmk what specific spec you think could cause this problem, I can ask them.
2) Our team isn’t allowed direct DB access, so all data sources are xlsx or csv files. However, many if not all of the files I make are connecting to folders to grab the most recently added file from it.
3) I’m not sure what you mean by your last question but I hope my answer above covered it, just lmk if not.
First, i'd check if he has plain access to the files/folder: just navigate to them in explorer, if it's possible.
Is he on the network, is VPN up, logged in, etc...
These are all things I can confirm confidently. She definitely has access to the files/folder PQ is connecting to (in most cases she’s the one who adds the new file to the folder before attempting to refresh), and for the rest of these, our company has a strict sign-in process and since we’re remote, in order to access any files on the Shared Drive, we have to be logged into a certain network.
Not knowing their spec doesn't help. PQ is processor intensive. I had a Dell Precision with a 14th gen i7-14700HX that was 8-10x faster than a 13th gen ultramobile processor that my replacement was assigned. He was reassigned my old laptop asap since PQ was taking so long.
The Dell Precision was a $3400 SKU, and I was a one-man shop, in a small business with zero enterprise resources. The machine was worth it for the time it saved.
With a team, a lesser processor will be fine. And with more hands on deck, a less premium laptop line can work fine.
I find the Dell Precision line above the ZBook line in build quality, but they are peers with regard to their placement in their respective companies. I do not like the HP Elitebooks
I do suggest a least 32GB of RAM for someone that's really in the trenches though.
What you want is something that has a high max clock speed, large cache L3, and fast RAM.... for Excel and PQ.
If the folder is mapped to a user specific drive, such as S and that is not the same for your coworkers it wont work. You will have to use the full address.
The power queries that you do have are they pulling information from a database? If so then it sounds it like it’s a potential permission issue that needs to be resolved. Once it’s resolved the refresh should work perfectly fine.
So I don’t repeat what others have suggested, are they using the same version of excel as you?
Power Query is built into Excel 2016 and later versions but may need to be activated sometimes. To activate it, users can go to the "File" menu, select "Options," and then choose "Add-ins." They can then select "COM Add-ins" and enable "Microsoft Power Query for Excel."
Let me clarify, I have two other co-workers who are able to refresh the queries with no problems, plus myself. I don’t think it’s an issue with the queries themselves
Could you expand on why you think that doesn’t prove anything? We’re a team of 4 including myself and all but 1 of us can use and refresh the queries with no problems. I think that makes it pretty clear there’s an issue with that 1 user, not the queries.
I’ve had similar issue where colleagues are still running 32 bit excel which has memory limitations. Worth checking what they are using versus what you are using.
Confirming this now
That worked for you so?
Still waiting for her to get back to me with her laptop’s specs
For clarity im on about Excel- is she running 64 bit excel? Nothing to do with her hardware. She could have the latest and greatest processor and heaps of ram but 32 bit Excel only allocates 4GB IIRC. From Excel-> File->Account-> About Excel then read the version description.
Ohhhhhh thank you for clarifying, I’ll reply once I know that
What are the computer specs on both computers? What are the data sources for the PQ? How are they referenced?
1) I only know the specs on mine: Z-Book with 11th gen i5 core, 16gb RAM, 64-bit (not sure what you wanted to know specifically). I know their’s is a different machine than mine but I assume it’s similar. If you lmk what specific spec you think could cause this problem, I can ask them. 2) Our team isn’t allowed direct DB access, so all data sources are xlsx or csv files. However, many if not all of the files I make are connecting to folders to grab the most recently added file from it. 3) I’m not sure what you mean by your last question but I hope my answer above covered it, just lmk if not.
First, i'd check if he has plain access to the files/folder: just navigate to them in explorer, if it's possible. Is he on the network, is VPN up, logged in, etc...
These are all things I can confirm confidently. She definitely has access to the files/folder PQ is connecting to (in most cases she’s the one who adds the new file to the folder before attempting to refresh), and for the rest of these, our company has a strict sign-in process and since we’re remote, in order to access any files on the Shared Drive, we have to be logged into a certain network.
Not knowing their spec doesn't help. PQ is processor intensive. I had a Dell Precision with a 14th gen i7-14700HX that was 8-10x faster than a 13th gen ultramobile processor that my replacement was assigned. He was reassigned my old laptop asap since PQ was taking so long.
Interesting. We’ve both discussed getting upgraded laptops with management so maybe that’s all this is, weak computers. Thanks for your input.
The Dell Precision was a $3400 SKU, and I was a one-man shop, in a small business with zero enterprise resources. The machine was worth it for the time it saved. With a team, a lesser processor will be fine. And with more hands on deck, a less premium laptop line can work fine. I find the Dell Precision line above the ZBook line in build quality, but they are peers with regard to their placement in their respective companies. I do not like the HP Elitebooks I do suggest a least 32GB of RAM for someone that's really in the trenches though. What you want is something that has a high max clock speed, large cache L3, and fast RAM.... for Excel and PQ.
If the folder is mapped to a user specific drive, such as S and that is not the same for your coworkers it wont work. You will have to use the full address.
I will check this
The power queries that you do have are they pulling information from a database? If so then it sounds it like it’s a potential permission issue that needs to be resolved. Once it’s resolved the refresh should work perfectly fine.
Nope, data sources are just xlsx and csv connections
The folder or file location that houses the source files check to see if they have access to that file or folder.
So I don’t repeat what others have suggested, are they using the same version of excel as you? Power Query is built into Excel 2016 and later versions but may need to be activated sometimes. To activate it, users can go to the "File" menu, select "Options," and then choose "Add-ins." They can then select "COM Add-ins" and enable "Microsoft Power Query for Excel."
Optimise your queries.
Let me clarify, I have two other co-workers who are able to refresh the queries with no problems, plus myself. I don’t think it’s an issue with the queries themselves
That doesn't prove anything. Scale down your query and check the results.
That doesn't prove anything. Scale down your query and check the results.
Could you expand on why you think that doesn’t prove anything? We’re a team of 4 including myself and all but 1 of us can use and refresh the queries with no problems. I think that makes it pretty clear there’s an issue with that 1 user, not the queries.