Java and Excel : POI vs JExcel API?

Hello,
I am hesitating between using the JExcel API and the Jakarta POI API to manipulate (rather simply) excel files with java.
Has anyone experimented both? What are the drawbacks and the advantages of both?
Thanks a lot,
Laetitia

Laetitia,
Hello! I've written a significant app (J2EE, EJB using WebLogic) utilizing first the POI api and then the jexcel API to produce MS excel output financial reports (for online content provider) . The application processed 80K plus lines of subscriber information, calculated monthly subscription delivery charges for 100+ publications, each with custom contracts and wrote the calculated data to 'reporting tables'. Basically a specialized datamart of sorts (I know little about 'true' data marting). App would then generate the ms excel spreadsheet reports, one per publisher, utilizing the excel API. The largest publisher report would be over 10Mb in size, containing some 40K rows of data, 30 columns wide.
I utilized the POI api first because it looked to be a more substantial product with firmer support, more developers, etc. However I soon became confused on how different modules worked, received slow feedback from the development team, and found the documentation to be horribly out of date and misleading. Additionally, the larger the generated excel file became the less stable the server would be until it would crash with memory problems. I'm not saying that the memory errors were within the POI code, but after I switched to jexcel the server crashing went away (perhaps the jexcel code is more forgiving).
I then switched to use the jexcel API and was immediately pleased. The documentation was accurate and clearer. The functionality I needed was easy to find and worked first time. When I had problems I posted my questions to the yahoo message board and was immediately helped. As an aside on the message board I'm an old internet hack with message boards and am used to stupid posts (and posters) being immediately 'flamed' and derided by those on the list 'in the know'. I was amazed by all the posts from people asking 'I just downloaded jexcel and need help' who actually got thoughtful and helpful posts, not just rude 'RTFM you @#%$$@%' replies.
Jexcel API was written by one guy but seems to be supported by several. I'd recommend it strongly - new releases come out continually and it's easy to get answers to questions on how to use it. Plus, and this is a biggy with me, the documentation is accurate and useful.
Email me for more.
-wcrighton
[email protected]

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Dear Friends ..................
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import java.sql.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.text.*;
* Name: Excel.java
* Purpose: To demonstrate how to use ODBC and Excel to create
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TechnicalDoubts wrote:
Apache POI vs JExcel
5.POI do not provide password capability for the spreadsheet.
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http://jexcelapi.sourceforge.net/resources/faq/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/JExcelApi/
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For implementing <option name="x" value="0"> smiliar in html in Excel sheet
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Java and Excel : POI vs JExcel API?

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