Skip to main content
DataFlow Template
Search
Search DataFlow Support Help and Support.

This article applies to:

  • Product: ONESOURCE DataFlow

Design a new DataFlow template

Do the following to design a new DataFlow template:
  1. Select
    New Template
     to generate a new Excel workbook and open the
    Input color selection
     window.
  2. On the window, you can select up to 3 different input colors. Select the colors you want, then select
    OK
    .
  3. If the workbook is being adopted into a template, any existing color may be set as an input color.
  4. Set input color in the DataFlow template
  5. Select the cell with the color you want.
  6. Select
    Set Input Color
    .
  7. The
    Color
     window will appear with the selected color set.
  8. Select
    OK
     to save the color selections.
  9. The Excel workbook is now ready for designing the template.
Excel features to avoid in ONESOURCE DataFlow templates
ONESOURCE DataFlow allows for many Excel features to be incorporated into the data collection template, but there are some features that you should avoid.
  • DataFlow
     performs best when the
    XLSX
     or
    XLSM
     file formats are used. Avoid the use of
    XLS
    ,
    XLSB
     and other formats as these will impede performance during all template operations; including:
    Protection
    ,
    Diagnostics
    ,
    Create/Open/Save Request
    ,
    Recalculation
    , and
    Roll Forward
    .
  • Avoid the use of the
    CELL()
     formula in Excel. This method doesn't provide consistent results during server-side operations such as
    Recalculation
    .
  • Avoid the use of Excel’s table formula.
  • VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) and Macros –
     while macros can be incorporated in a template these won't operate server-side in
    Recalculation
    . Because of this, it's important that these macros don't impact or make data changes.
  • VBA shouldn't be used to manipulate data or structure within the workbook. If VBA is required to perform these actions, systems like
    Batch Recalc
    ,
    Send To OIT
     (ONESOURCE ONESOURCE Income Tax Express RS), and
    Roll Forward
     may not function as needed.
  • VB (Visual Basic) Form controls, while not recommended, should interact and use a named cell for its state.
    DataFlow
     can't store or maintain a form control's state directly.
  • Defined names need to be Workbook scoped for
    DataFlow
     to recognize and store values. Names in any other scope won’t be stored.
  • Avoid unnecessary use of fills, styles, or formatting. This increases the size of the workbook and may cause other performance and protection issues. A common mistake is the use of a white fill to hide grid lines; grid lines are hidden during the protection process.
  • Avoid using entire column or row references, for example: A:A.
note
Server-side operations such as
Recalculation
 and
Roll Forward
 won't operate as expected when using these features. If
Recalculation
 and
Roll Forward
 aren't part of the template's expected usage, these may be used without reservation.