Working with Excel files in OneDrive

Microsoft OneDrive has a built in “Office sync” or “collaboration” feature that is meant for multiple users who edit the same files simultaneously. This works by continuously updating the file on the OneDrive servers while it is being edited. However, this can have adverse effects on Report Writer, such as causing the Prep Fields and Tables process to fail to properly prep the files (resulting in Word behaving as though the file had not been prepped when trying to merge or link to it). If you are storing your Report Writer Excel files in a folder that is synced to OneDrive, disabling this is recommended. This option can no longer be disabled in the OneDrive user interface, but it can be easily modified in the registry directly.

The Process

There are two ways to make this change: Either with a pre-made registry file provided by LightBox, or making the change directly. The first method is recommended.

1. Download OneDrive Fix.reg from this link (https://app.box.com/file/1764089673209?s=l6nlcpijza5uye0fjc4dcxvd8entnaa4).

2. Open the file. If it is initially blocked by Windows, you may need to click More Info and then Run Anyway.

3. Click Yes at the prompt to confirm you want to make the changes to the registry. It should afterwards display a message confirming the changes have been made.

Or to set it directly, set the following registry value:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\OneDrive]

"EnableAllOcsiClients"=dword:00000000

Afterwards, this should take effect if you fully quit and reopen OneDrive, or restart your computer. The latter is recommended as somewhat more reliable.

If that alone does not fix the issue you were having, you can generally get the Excel file you were last trying to prep un-stuck by moving it to a folder that is not synced to OneDrive and prepping it there. For example, you might create a folder at the root of your C:\ drive temporarily and place it in that and test if it preps successfully. If that works, you can then save the file and put it back and should be fine going forward.