• May 5, 2009

Announcing Full Online Support for Microsoft® Excel®

eXpresso is pleased to announce that during the spring of 2009, we will be releasing a new version of eXpresso that more fully enables Asymmetric Document Collaboration™ by introducing complete support for Excel in the browser. Here, we answer a few questions about the new release.

What are the differences between the current version of eXpresso and the Spring ’09 release?

eXpresso currently utilizes Microsoft’s Office Web Components for online viewing and editing of spreadsheets online. Not all of the features of Excel are supported by the Office Web Components and are, therefore, not available when using eXpresso’s online interface. To address this, we have provided an add-in for Excel, allows users to view and edit spreadsheets that are stored in eXpresso directly from the desktop Excel application. When using the add-in, all of the features of Excel, with the exception of linked spreadsheets, are supported. When the spreadsheet is shared, contacts need to open the spreadsheet using the add-in to have access to these special features. The most commonly used features that currently require use of the add-in are:

• Text wrap and other special text formatting
• Protected Areas
• Pivot Tables
• Split and Freeze Panes
• Printing
• Charts & Graphs
• Images
• Data Validation
• Conditional Formatting
• Embedded Objects
• Hyperlinks
• Comments

With the next release, eXpresso will replace the Office Web Components with the eXpresso Office Controller. This new solution will enable users to take advantages of all of the features of Excel online. eXpresso subscribers will be able to work with all spreadsheet elements, including; charts, graphs, images, macros and text formatting and each of the other features in the list above. The toolbar for file editing in eXpresso will look exactly like the user’s Excel 2003 or Excel 2007 toolbar. All of eXpresso’s Asymmetric Collaboration™ features such as regional sharing; timed alerts and complete audit trail and history will remain accessible, making eXpresso, by far, the most powerful spreadsheet collaboration service available.

Will I need to install any new software?

Yes. You will be prompted to complete a onetime download of the eXpresso Office Controller. The download is very quick and you will be walked through with each step. It should not take more than a few minutes. You do not need to uninstall the Microsoft Office Web Components.

Are there any other software requirements?

There are no new software requirements. As always, eXpresso requires a valid Microsoft Excel license and the Internet Explorer browser or the Internet Explorer tab installed in a Firefox browser.

Is there a charge for the new release?

No. People who subscribe to eXpresso now will get the new features at no additional charge. We should note that starting with this release, everyone who needs to upload or edit a spreadsheet will need to be an eXpresso subscriber.

Will I still need the eXpresso Add-in for Excel?

Some people will find that they can complete their work easily in the browser and will find the Add-in no longer necessary; however for some it will still be of great use. The Add-in is ideal if you want to work on your files while you are not connected to the Internet. Sophisticated users may also use the Add-in as a way to connect an Excel file to another data source. In fact, as we continue to improve our online service, we are improving the Add-in as well. With the next release, you will notice that it is easier than ever to upload and save files to the eXpresso server.

• By Amber