17 Troubleshoot Excel Workbooks

Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel can generate a detailed log file and diagnostic report to help you identify and resolve issues in the Excel workbooks that you integrate using the add-in.

Before you dig deeper to isolate issues, follow these steps to fix general issues with your installation:

• Make sure you're on a supported platform.
• Upgrade to the latest version of the add-in.
• Apply available Microsoft updates.
• Close all workbooks, exit Excel, and try again with simple steps.

Network Monitor

Use the Network Monitor window to inspect the content of REST service calls between your Excel workbook and the REST service that it connects to if you encounter unexpected behavior.

The Network Monitor window provides information such as the start time, the elapsed time, and response for each REST call that originates from the workbook. In addition, it provides the JSON payloads that the Excel workbook and the service exchange.

The Network Monitor window generally goes to the background while you perform the steps of your use case. Bring the window forward to see the details of each request and response. You can select and copy information from the window. You may need this detail when troubleshooting problems with the service owner. The window shows up to 100 request-response events. Older events are discarded as new ones are added.

1. In Excel, click the Oracle Visual Builder tab.
2. Select Network Monitor.

   The Network Monitor window displays.

3. Repeat the steps that lead to the issue.
4. Review the details of each request and response.
5. Optionally, right-click an entry for a REST service call in the upper table, and choose the Save request-response details as ... option to save the information to a file.

   Caution:

   Request and response payloads may include sensitive information, including actual data and personally identifiable information. Be sure to handle these payloads with due care.

Logging

When reporting an issue about the Excel add-in, generate a detailed log file that captures the steps that lead to the problem you want to report.

1. In Excel, click the Oracle Visual Builder tab.
2. Select Log Activity from the Advanced drop-down list to specify a directory location and file name for the log file. This starts the logging session.
3. Repeat the steps that lead to the issue.
4. Exit Excel completely to stop the logging session and before you access the log file.

   Note:

   The next time you run Excel logging will no longer be enabled.

The log file that you generate captures information about steps during an Excel session.

Logging Console

The Logging console displays log messages based on the actions performed. If you encounter any issues, view the logging messages to troubleshoot and diagnose issues.

1. In Excel, click the Oracle Visual Builder tab.
2. Select Log Console.

   The Logging Console window displays.

3. Repeat the steps that led to the issue.
4. Review the logged messages.
5. Do one or more of the following as required:
   • Type a word or phrase in the Filter box to display matching log entries.
   • To display more details such as Time, Thread, and Level, click Show Event Details.
   • For verbose logging, click Enable Verbose Output and repeat the steps that led to the issue.
   • Click Clear to discard all log entries.

Diagnostic Report

The diagnostic report contains information that can help resolve issues. Please provide a diagnostic report when reporting a problem with the Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel.

1. In Excel, click the Oracle Visual Builder tab.
2. Select Diagnostic Report from the Advanced drop-down.
3. Save the diagnostic report to a directory location with a file name of your choice.
4. Review the content of the diagnostic report to remove any sensitive information that you do not want to share before you use it to report an issue.