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Downloads and Installation Tips

The download and installation of the MDS add-in is not included on the DVD/ISO for SQL Server 2012.

It is part of the additional Feature-Pack downloads from the Microsoft download website.

• The SP1 release of MDS SQL Server 2012 - Jun 11, 2012 11.0.3000.0 - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35581
• The RTM release of MDS SQL Server 2012 - Mar 6, 2012  - 11.0.2100.60 - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=237667
• Older prerelease beta builds have been removed
  • 11.0.1750.32 (November 2011) is SQL Server 2012 "Denali" Release Candidate 0 prerelease trial edition 
  • 11.0.1440.19 for SQL Server Denali CTP3

Prereqs: Be sure to note the Prerequisites are installed prior to installing the add-in as explained in detail on the download landing page linked above. A few tips:

1. Your Windows version should be at least the minimum version describe in the prerequisites. Windows Service Pack 2 is a minimum version requirement for Windows 2008 Server and Windows Vista for example.

2. Your Microsoft Office install should include the Excel features, and can be Office 2007 or Office 2010, 32-bit or 64-bit.

3.. Check which bitness (32-bit or 64-bit) of Office and Excel you have installed. This does not have to match the bitness of Windows itself. 64-bit Windows operating systems can typically run 32-bit or 64-bit Office application.

The bitness of the MDS Add-in for Excel that you download and install needs to match your Excel bitness exactly. 
To determine which one you have -
A. Open Excel. Click the File tab on the ribbon. Select the Help page. If you do not see the Help button (Excel 2013 for example) click Account > ? About Excel button.
B.On the right pane note About Microsoft Excel
For example the text Version: 14.0.1760.1000 (32-bit) indicates that the Excel installation is 32-bit. 
C. If you install the 32-bit version of Excel, you must download use the 32-bit version of the MDS Add-in. If you install the 64-bit version of Excel, you must use the 64-bit version of the Add-in. The two are not interchangeable.

• ENU\x64\MasterDataServicesExcelAddin.msi == 64-bit MDS Add-in for Excel
• ENU\x86\MasterDataServicesExcelAddin.msi == 32-bit MDS Add-in for Excel

4. Most computers will require the additional download and installation of Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office Runtime http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35594

Choose the correct bitness to match your Windows operations system - vstor40_x64.exe for 64-bit Windows computers, and vstor40_x64.exe for 32-bit Windows computers.

5. You need SQL Server 2012  Master Data Services installed either on a remote SQL server that is accessible from the client computer, or you can install both MDS and the Excel on the same computer. Without MDS there is little reason to download to have the Add-in for Excel.

Note: The older Master Data Services from SQL Server 2008 R2 release is not supported with the MDS Add-in for Excel, so you cannot connect from Excel to MDS 2008 R2 (versions 10.5.*)

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Confirm Installation and Enable the Add-in
One way to confirm the add-in is present is to open Excel and see if the Master Data ribbon tab is displayed.

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Sometimes the add-in can become disabled. To troubleshoot a missing Master Data ribbon or menu follow the steps below:

To determine whether or not the Add-in is installed and enabled, complete the following steps:
1. In Excel 2012, click the File tab. In Excel 2007, click the round Office button in the upper left.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Add-Ins.

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To check the version of the MDS Add-in for Excel

During the SQL Server 2012 prerelease time frame, the version of the Master Data Services Addin for Excel should closely match the version of the MDS server installation. For example, you should not use the CTP3 build of the MDS Add-in for Excel to connect to a RC0 MDS Server.

2. Locate the two dll files named Microsoft.MasterDataServices.ExcelAddIn.dll and file Microsoft.MasterDataServices.ExcelAddInCore.dll
The file version may vary between the two in normal circumstances, so notice the higher version of the two files to indicate the build number.

3. Right click on this file, and view the Properties.
4. On the properties dialogue, click the Details tab.

 

5. Note the File version and the Product version fields.
For example 11.0.2100.60 is the version number for SQL Server 2012 RTM with no patches installed.
And 11.0.3368.0 indicates SQL Server 2012 with Service Pack 1, etc.

Note:  Installing a SQL Server Cumulative Update Hotfix or Service Pack does not patch the Master Data Services Excel Add-in, so updates will have to be installed separately as needed on client computers.

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Getting Connected by providing the URL to your MDS website

To get connected from your Master Data Services Add-in for Excel to your MDS Server,
1. First as a prerequisite make sure your MDS website is operational and working via the Internet Explorer browser. Visit the URL and ensure the site displays correctly. If the website does not display, please troubleshoot the website before continuing to use the MDS Add-in for Excel

Note: The MDS Add-in for Excel is only compatible with connections to SQL Server 2012 (Denali) server installations of Master Data Services, and cannot connect to SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services server.

2. Open Excel and open a new or existing Excel file. Click the File tab, Click New, and create a Blank workbook for example.
3. Click the Master Data tab in the Excel ribbon.
4. Click the Connect button on the far left of the ribbon. Make a New Connection. Click the New... button.

5. On the Add New Connection dialogue,
A. Provide a Description as a user friendly label for this connection that you will recognize.
B. Provide the MDS server address website URL. The formatting of the URL is important.

 

• The connection failed because the Master Data Manager web application version is older than the Add-in version.

As of September, 2011, this is because the MDS Add-in for Excel works with data in a Denali installation of MDS only. In the future, this error message may also apply to versions of the Add-in. For example, after Denali is released, if the web application is still running CTP3, it must be upgraded before you can work in the Excel Add-in.

This error may also occur if the MDS Server Address provided in the connection string is not accurate. The address should be something similar to http://computer/site. If you enter http://computer/site/default.aspx or a similar string, this error may be displayed.

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Common Error: A Formula or Sheet Contains the Name 'Leaf<GUID>'
You may get the error message:

This issue occurs when you copy and paste MDS-managed data between workbooks. It does not occur when you copy and paste between worksheets in the same workbook. The workaround for this issue is to paste values only.

Tip: When you want to share data with other users, you should publish it to the MDS repository and then share a shortcut query file with the other user. You should not copy and paste MDS-managed data between worksheets.

 

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Enabling Diagnostic Logging for advanced troubleshooting

You can log the client side activities from the MDS Add-in for Excel and also log the server side activity from the MDS web application itself.

Typically both sides of the conversation are necessary to troubleshoot issues with the MDS Add-in for Excel.

A> Follow this KB article to edit the web application .config file to enable the server side logging for your MDS web application.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2423478

B> Also enable the logging in the Master Data tab in Excel.

To Enable Logging In SQL Server 2012 Release Candidate 0 (Nov 2011) and later prereleases of the MDS Add-in for Excel, to enable logging complete the following steps:
1. Open Excel, and click on the Master Data ribbon tab.
2. Click the Settings button
3. On the Settings tab check the box "Turn on detailed logging"
4. Reproduce the failure or error condition you are troubleshooting.
5. Visit the output folder to find the log output using Windows Explorer or My Computer to browse the C drive.

To Enable Logging for SQL Server 2012 "Denali" Community Technology Preview (CTP3) and prior releases, to get more detailed logging, complete the following steps:

1. Click Start.
2. Right-click Computer and choose Properties.
3. Click Advanced system settings.
4. Click Environment Variables.
5. In the User variables section, click New.
6. In the Variable name box, type VSTO_SUPPRESSDISPLAYALERTS.
7. In the Variable value box, type 0.
8. Click OK.