When using ExtendInsights with scheduled downloads, you may find that large Excel workbooks can no longer be refreshed or opened in Excel Online.
This is a Microsoft Excel Online limitation, not an ExtendInsights limitation.
Why This Happens
Microsoft Excel Online supports opening workbooks up to 100 MB.
If a workbook exceeds this limit:
Excel Online cannot open the workbook.
ExtendInsights cannot open the workbook through the Microsoft API to perform scheduled refreshes.
Scheduled downloads or refreshes to that workbook will fail.
This occurs because ExtendInsights relies on the Microsoft Excel Online APIs to open and update scheduled workbooks stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint.
How to Resolve the Issue
If your workbook exceeds 100 MB, consider one or more of the following options:
Option 1: Use the Excel Desktop Application
Open the workbook using the Microsoft Excel desktop application and run your downloads or refreshes manually.
Option 2: Reduce the Workbook Size
Reduce the workbook size by:
Removing unnecessary worksheets.
Deleting unused data.
Removing unnecessary formatting or images.
Saving only the data required for reporting.
Option 3: Split Large Reports
Instead of storing all data in a single workbook:
Create multiple templates or scheduled downloads.
Save each dataset to its own workbook.
Use Power Query to combine the data into a single reporting workbook.
➡️ How to use Power Query and ExtendInsights
This approach helps keep individual workbooks below Microsoft's size limit while still enabling comprehensive reporting.
Option 4: Review Workbook Version History
If your workbook is stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint, review the version history and remove unnecessary older versions if appropriate for your organization's retention policies.
Verification
Your scheduled refreshes should work normally once the workbook size is reduced below the Microsoft Excel Online limit.
Note
This limitation applies only to Excel Online. Workbooks larger than 100 MB can typically still be opened using the Excel desktop application, depending on your computer's available memory and resources.