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Excel file too large?

  • 12-11-2009 3:12pm
    #1
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭


    Hello, I have an *.xls file that is too large for Excel to open. I really need to access the data in this, so does anyone know what I can do in this situation?


Comments

  • #2
    GavinZac
    Registered Users Posts: 140 ✭✭GavinZac


    Is excel really saying 'file too large', or is it simply consuming so much RAM that Excel freezes/crashes?

    You could try opening it in Google Documents or OpenOffice.org


  • #3
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    It opens a certain portion of it, and then prompts me to say that it cannot open any more columns/rows.


  • #4
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    Just tried Google Docs, and it said it was too large. Googles limit is 25mb and this file is 18mb, so its not that. It's just a large dataset.


  • #5
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    Ok, I got MS Access to open it. At least I can pull stuff out now.


  • #6
    Itsdacraic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,361 ✭✭✭Itsdacraic


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    Just tried Google Docs, and it said it was too large. Googles limit is 25mb and this file is 18mb, so its not that. It's just a large dataset.

    Your problem could be a conflict between Excel 2003 and Excel 2007. Excel 2007 can contain far more rows/columns per spreadsheet than previous versions so maybe your document was created in that, but problems then arise if you try to open the large 2007 file in Excel 2003 as it won't be able to handle the size.


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  • #7
    ShatterProof
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,750 ✭✭✭ShatterProof


    are you sure its an excel file or just something with an xls extension. excel can only handle about 65000 lines. (office 2003)

    If something else produced the file for you maybe you need it exported as text file so that a text editor like TEXTPAD or something else can open it for you.

    did you try opening the file with anything else ?

    later versions can handle more but feature can be switched off to provide compatibility.


  • #8
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    Itsdacraic wrote: »
    Your problem could be a conflict between Excel 2003 and Excel 2007. Excel 2007 can contain far more rows/columns per spreadsheet than previous versions so maybe your document was created in that, but problems then arise if you try to open the large 2007 file in Excel 2003 as it won't be able to handle the size.

    I'm not sure what version the data was complied in, but it is in *.csv format.


  • #9
    DOC09UNAM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,305 ✭✭✭DOC09UNAM


    isn't excel like 65536 lines down, and 256 across???

    that'd be one pretty big file, lol.


  • #10
    ShatterProof
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,750 ✭✭✭ShatterProof


    CSV is just plain text , any text editor will open it for you


  • #11
    DOC09UNAM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,305 ✭✭✭DOC09UNAM


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    I'm not sure what version the data was complied in, but it is in *.csv format.

    I think that's like comma delimited or something, can't remember exactly.

    You should be able to open it in MS word so...


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  • #12
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    DOC09UNAM wrote: »
    isn't excel like 65536 lines down, and 256 across???

    that'd be one pretty big file, lol.

    This file is bigger than 256 across.

    http://www.qog.pol.gu.se/data/qog_t_s_v17june09.csv


  • #13
    edanto
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,809 ✭✭✭edanto


    ShatterProof wrote: »
    CSV is just plain text , any text editor will open it for you

    Exactly, it's just text with each value separated by commas. If you just need to dip into it and take out one value you might be able to even use notepad.

    18mb of a csv file is off the charts. That must be like 10 million datapoints...

    Anyways if you really want to open it in excel - have a look at this link

    http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57219

    (first result after googling for 'opening a large csv')


  • #14
    DOC09UNAM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,305 ✭✭✭DOC09UNAM


    Have you Tried opening it up in 2007 excel?? or MS Word?


  • #15
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    ShatterProof wrote: »
    CSV is just plain text , any text editor will open it for you
    DOC09UNAM wrote: »
    I think that's like comma delimited or something, can't remember exactly.

    You should be able to open it in MS word so...

    Its a dataset containing 100k+ pieces of information. A text editor isn't going to help.


  • #16
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    DOC09UNAM wrote: »
    Have you Tried opening it up in 2007 excel?? or MS Word?

    I don't have 2007 Excel available to me right now, and its a massive dataset. Its just looks like gibberish in Word.


  • #17
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    edanto wrote: »
    Exactly, it's just text with each value separated by commas. If you just need to dip into it and take out one value you might be able to even use notepad.

    18mb of a csv file is off the charts. That must be like 10 million datapoints...

    Anyways if you really want to open it in excel - have a look at this link

    http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57219

    (first result after googling for 'opening a large csv')

    Ok, just had a look and it may as well be in French. :)

    Could someone explain what they are saying here?


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