Unable to process the request . Wait a few minutes and try performing this operation again

Issue Description

Recently I came across this issue where some of the end users were getting an error message when they tried to open an Excel file in SharePoint in the browser.

Unable to process the request.

Wait a few minutes and try performing this operation again.

Cause

The Excel Services Application server computer is in a non-valid state and may need to be restarted.

Resolution

Most of the online articles were asking me to restart the Central Administration server.I did not want to do that and found a different fix.

Identify the application pool running the Excel Services service application (from IIS) and Recycle it.

1) Start –>Run –> inetmgr

2) Under the Sites click on SharePoint Web Services. This will list down the Services in SharePoint.

3) Click on each GUID –> Change the view from Features View to Content View

4) On finding ExcelService.asmx -> Right click that web service -> Manage Application -> Advanced Settings.

5) Identify the Application Pool (make a note of this).

6) Now in IIS –> Application Pools –> choose the Application Pool you noted down in previous step   -> Recycle (recycle the application pool).

ULS log Event ID 5240 “There was an error in communicating with Excel Calculation Services”

Issue Description

Recently I came across this issue where some of the end users were getting an error message when they tried to open an Excel file in SharePoint in the browser.

Unable to process the request.

Wait a few minutes and try performing this operation again.

- On checking the ULS logs I got the below error message.

ULS log Event ID 5240 “There was an error in communicating with Excel Calculation Services”

- On checking the Event Viewer on the server , there was the below error.

Event 2159, SharePoint Server

Event 5240 (Excel Services Application) of severity Error occurred 20 more time(s) and was suppressed in the event log

Cause

The Excel Services Application server computer is in a non-valid state and may need to be restarted.

Resolution

Most of the online articles were asking me to restart the Central Administration server.I did not want to do that and found a different fix.

Identify the application pool running the Excel Services service application (from IIS) and Recycle it.

1) Start –>Run –> inetmgr

2) Under the Sites click on SharePoint Web Services. This will list down the Services in SharePoint.

3) Click on each GUID –> Change the view from Features View to Content View

4) On finding ExcelService.asmx -> Right click that web service -> Manage Application -> Advanced Settings.

5) Identify the Application Pool (make a note of this).

6) Now in IIS –> Application Pools –> choose the Application Pool you noted down in previous step   -> Recycle (recycle the application pool).

You do not have permissions to open this file on Excel Services.

Error:

You do not have permissions to open this file on Excel Services.

Make sure that the file is in an Excel Services trusted location and that you have access to the file. 

Resolution:

Excel Services requires that document libraries be set up as a trustworthy place to publish files to. Without taking this step, files saved to a library will not open in Excel Services.

Note down the URL of the library where you are storing your excel file.

Add this URL to the Trusted File Location for Excel Services in Central Administration

Pivot Table Operation Failed: An error occurred while working on the Data Model in the workbook.

Recently I got this error while I was trying to a refresh on an Excel document which had PowerPivot on it.

Pivot Table Operation Failed: An error occurred while working on the Data Model in the workbook. Please try again.

How did this happen

1) Sharepoint Farm is set up.

2) Excel Services is configured as service application

3) PowerPivot Installed and Configured to work

4) Installed Office Web Application later

What happens in this scenario?

The Excel can be opened either with Excel Services or Office Web Apps. But since Office Web Apps was installed last, it over rides the Excel Service Application features for Excel documents.

I have posted an article on the difference between Excel Services for Sharepoint and Excel Web App here.

How did I fix this?

I ran the New-SPWOPISuppressionSetting command and fixed it. The details are here.

New-SPWOPISuppressionSetting

This command is used when we need to enable Excel Services for excel workbooks and disable Excel Web App.

New-SPWOPISuppressionSetting

Below is the command to run in SharePoint 2013 Management Shell as Administrator :

New-SPWOPISuppressionSetting –Extension “XLSX” -Action “view”

New-SPWOPISuppressionSetting –Extension “XLS” -Action “view”

Excel Services in SharePoint and Excel Web App (in Office Web Apps) in SharePoint 2013

Excel Services in SharePoint

Excel Services is technology that enables you to view and interact with a workbook in a browser window similar to how you would use Excel on your computer.

Excel uses a built-in calculation engine to connect to external data and render the results of formulas and queries.

Excel Services uses server technology to provide similar functionality in a browser window.

Excel Services was introduced in Office SharePoint Server 2007.

In SharePoint Server 2013, Excel Services is available only in the Enterprise edition.

Excel Web App in Office Web Apps

Excel Services technology is available in Office Web Apps Server as Excel Web App, and in SharePoint as Excel Services.

Excel Web App and Excel Services in SharePoint have a lot in common, but they are not the same.

Both applications enable you to view workbooks in a browser window, and both enable you to interact with and explore data.

However, there are certain differences between Excel Web App and Excel Services in SharePoint.

Excel Services supports external data connections, data models, and the ability to interact with items that use data models (such as PivotChart reports, PivotTable reports and timeline controls).

Excel Web App enables users to view and interact with workbooks, but Excel Web App does not support external data connections or the ability to interact with reports and timeline controls that use data models.

Excel Services provides more business intelligence functionality than Excel Web App, but Excel Services does not enable users to create or edit workbooks in a browser window.

Excel Services is available only in the Enterprise edition of SharePoint Server 2013. Excel Web App is available in SharePoint Server 2013 and SharePoint Foundation 2013.

If your organization decides to use Excel Services instead of Excel Web App to view workbooks in the browser, you can use the Windows PowerShell New-SPWOPISuppressionSettings cmdlet to turn off Excel Web App for Excel workbooks. I have posted on that here.

Excel Services (part of SharePoint Server 2013) and Excel Web App (part of Office Web Apps Server) enable you and others to view and interact with a workbook in a browser window similar to how you would use Excel 2013 on your computer. In your environment, you might be using either Excel Services or Excel Web App, but not both at the same time. A SharePoint administrator determines which application is used to display workbooks in a browser window.

How to determine whether you are using Excel Web App or Excel Services.

One good way to determine whether Excel Services or Excel Web App is used to render a workbook is to examine the website address (URL) for the workbook.

1. Look for xlviewer in the URL

If the URL resembles               

“http://[servername]_layouts/15/xlviewer.aspx?id=/Documents/...” then Excel Services is used to render the workbook.

2. Look for WopiFrame in the URL

If the URL resembles 

“http://[servername]/_layouts/15/WopiFrame2.aspx?sourcedoc=/Documents/...”          

then Excel Web App is used to render the workbook.

 Reference: 1 , 2