Excel Connection Problems
What this covers
Diagnosing and resolving connection failures when connecting Microsoft Excel to Tessallite via the XMLA endpoint. For the connection setup procedure, see Excel XMLA Connection Guide.
Pre-connection checklist
Before troubleshooting, verify:
- Port 8080 is reachable from this machine. Test with:
curl -v http://HOST:8080/api/v1/xmla/ - You have the workspace slug (obtain from your Tenant Admin — it is case-sensitive).
- You have valid Tessallite credentials (email address and password).
- You know the project name and model name you intend to query.
Symptom reference
| Symptom | Likely cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| "We couldn't connect to the Analysis Services server" | Wrong URL format | URL must be exactly http://HOST:8080/api/v1/xmla/. Do not omit /api/v1/xmla/ or the trailing slash. Do not use HTTPS unless SSL is configured. |
| Same error with correct URL | Port 8080 blocked or Gateway not running | Test with curl -v http://HOST:8080/api/v1/xmla/. If refused, escalate to System Admin to check Gateway service and firewall. |
| "The catalog name is invalid" | Wrong workspace slug or wrong case | Verify slug with Tenant Admin. Slug is case-sensitive. |
| "The user name or password is incorrect" | Wrong Tessallite credentials | Confirm you are using Tessallite email and password, not database credentials. Reset via Admin panel if needed. |
| "No cubes were found" | No published model in the project | Ask Modeller to publish the model in Model Builder. |
| Data looks stale | Aggregate not refreshed | Ask Modeller to check aggregate status and run a refresh if status is Stale. |
| Excel shows error after previously working | Stale cached connection | Data → Queries & Connections → Delete connection → reconnect from scratch. |
| Refresh spins (hourglass) after reopening a saved PivotTable workbook | Excel's native MSOLAP credential dialog opened minimised or behind the workbook | This is Microsoft Excel / OLE DB UI, not Tessallite. Alt+Tab or minimise Excel to find the password/catalog dialog, complete it, then retry Refresh. Save password on first connect if offered. |
Testing the XMLA endpoint directly
From a terminal on the same machine as Excel:
curl -v http://HOST:8080/api/v1/xmla/Any HTTP response (even a server-side error) confirms the port is reachable. A timeout or "connection refused" is a network or service issue, not an Excel configuration issue.