Reading Excel file from azure Blob Storage in Worker role

Question

I am trying to read the excel file in Worker role. File is stored in the Azure Blob storage and one antry we have put into the message queue.

Percularly I want to run OLEDB connection string as code for preccesing the excel data we have already implemented. Just we need to get the excel data from the Azure blob to sql dataset in the worker role page.

Kindly assist If anyone has used such scenario.

Thanks in Advance

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Raj

Answer 1

Hello,

I am not sure what kind of OLEDB connection string are you using to process Excel Data, that you have already implemented, but if it relies on Microsoft Office Interop Assemblies, I will disappoint you - that will not work in Windows Azure! There is no Office in Windows Azure.

About getting files from BLOB to Worker role, you may check out this project:

http://azurevideoconv.codeplex.com/

It uses Blobs and Queues. First client uploads file to a Blob, then puts a message with the file name into Queue. The worker checks out the queue periodically and if message is found, the file from blob is being downloaded to the Worker role temporary storage.

But, again, it will not work with any kind of Office Interop. The only way to manipulate Excel files in Windows Azure is: (1) the files must be Office 2007 or 2010 format AND (2) you have to use OpenXML SDK or any of its wrappers like OpenExcel

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Thanks Anton... I already implemented the logic with OpenXML.

Manually I put the a excel file in the blob and have marked an entry in the message queue. working fine on VM as well.

Now the big challenge left is to provide facility to the user to browse excel file from Silverlight application and put it to blob and make an entry in the message queue.

Regards

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Raj

Answer 3

Please provide any one sample with windows azure blob storage.