Excel initialization error

Question

I have problems with excel sheet powerpivot data initialization issue. The error message:
  "Initialization of the data source failed. Check the database server or contact your database
administrator. Make sure the external database is available, and then try the operation again. If you see this message again, create a new data source to connect to the database". 
   When the excel sheet is opened with Microsoft Excel manually, there is no issue; but, when
the VB script coding with opening the excel sheet, some of excel sheets will have the error message. One of Excel sheets has issue, change Excel powerpivot menu manually configuration with OLAP Drill through: 1000000, changed to 1000, the error message goes
away. 
   I edit global environment variable: VSTO_SUPPRESSDISPLAYALERTS  to 0, and
then, some of excel sheets have error message next is "The embedded powerpivot data is corrupt. You have the following options", I chose "Attempt to recover the structure of the powerpivot data"; but the reports in pdf shows empty data.Try
different things to pinpoint the error, which page, which database, too many data, columns in select statement.
  Need help to figure out this initialization issue.
jianmin chen

Answer 1

Hi, Fei,
  I can reproduce the issue every time for some excel sheet. Those excel sheet are using same database source: Navision database, configuration database from the website, etc. And then, I did some work:
  I edit global environment variable: VSTO_SUPPRESSDISPLAYALERTS  to 0, and then,
some of excel sheets have error message next is "The embedded powerpivot data is corrupt. You have the following options", I chose "Attempt to recover the structure of the powerpivot data"; but the reports in pdf shows empty data.
   Code sample is the following, please notice that I set up waiting for 60 seconds to do refreshing, sometimes 90 seconds; the error message comes out in less than 10 seonds, so I do not think that the code of executing the VB script is the issue. 
  Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        'http://www.vbaexpress.com/kb/getarticle.php?kb_id=279
        Julia_RunMacro_NoArgs()
    End Sub
    Sub Julia_RunMacro_NoArgs()
        'Macro purpose:  Use the application.run method to execute
        'a macro without arguments from another workbook
        Dim oExcel As New Excel.Application()
        Dim PathToFile As String, _
        NameOfFile As String, _
        AgentFolder As String, _
        wbTarget As Excel.Workbook, _
        CloseIt As Boolean
        'Set file name and location. You will need to update this info!
        AgentFolder = "xxx\"
        NameOfFile = "C:" & AgentFolder & ".xlsm"
        PathToFile = "C:" & AgentFolder
        'Attempt to set the target workbook to a variable.  If an error is
        'generated, then the workbook is not open, so open it
        On Error Resume Next
        wbTarget = oExcel.Workbooks.Open(NameOfFile)
        If Err.Number <> 0 Then
            'Open the workbook
            Err.Clear()
            wbTarget = oExcel.Workbooks.Open(PathToFile & "\" & NameOfFile)
            CloseIt = True
        End If
        'Check and make sure workbook was opened
        If Err.Number = 1004 Then
            MsgBox("Sorry, but the file you specified does not exist!" _
            & vbNewLine & PathToFile & "\" & NameOfFile)
            Exit Sub
        End If
        On Error GoTo 0
        'Run the macro!  (You will need to update "MacroName" to the
        'name of the macro you wish to run)
        wbTarget.RefreshAll()
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(60000)
        oExcel.Run("TestPdf")
        'wbTarget.Close(SaveChanges:=False)
        'oExcel.Quit()
        'wbTarget.Close(SaveChanges:=False)
        If Not wbTarget Is Nothing Then
            wbTarget.Close(SaveChanges:=False)
            wbTarget = Nothing
        End If
        'http://stackoverflow.com/questions/22512868/remove-excel-task-from-task-manager-after-running-from-access-using-vba
        If Not oExcel Is Nothing Then
            oExcel.Quit()
            oExcel = Nothing
        End If
    End Sub
End Module
jianmin chen