ComplyXL Version History

This page provides information about the enhancements available in version 2.3 and later.

Version 2.5.8
(2013-03-21)

Version 2.5.8

  • Added a new web reporting capability so permitted 3rd parties are able to review compliance activity without the need to install software
  • Added the ability to create reports delivered into Excel
  • Fixed a problem manually adding a version when using Excel 2010
  • Fixed a problem adding a version when using MySQL 5.1

    • Version 2.5.7
    (2012-12-19)

    Version 2.5.7

  • Add the ability for a company to publish company specific user procedures documentation
  • Added web interface to allow a user to generate a view that can be consumed by an Excel web query
  • Fixed issues in the support for documents that are protected using AD RMS and added it to the Administrator's Workbench

    • Version 2.5.6
    (2012-09-17)

    Version 2.5.6

  • Added the option to export to Excel from any view
  • Added the ability to add a manual comment
  • Improve the functionality of apply retention policies which is now able to apply policies even when there are more than 10K versions per workbook
  • Included a new utility to apply retention policies. Because the workbooks to be processed can be selected by a range of filters it lends itself to being used in a scheduled task. Very important in v.large applications.
  • Added the ability for a user to receive notifications during a specified period of the day.
  • Added the the reviewer comment to the snapshot report.
  • Added support for the 'approver' right to the Manage Versions feature.
  • Added message to Discovery service configuration file save confirmation message box to let the user know the service must me restarted.
  • Fixed a problem saving common views after three or for workbook list refreshes.
  • Added utility to merge utilities with a range options to select the groups of versions to merge.
  • Added macro to include an option to use the advance comparison selection option from the standalone if required by a user.
  • Fixed a problem which prevented all worksheets being listed when they are different between versions.
  • Updated the Import Workbooks utility to give the user the opportunity to include read-only files which will be set read-write until a first version is captured.
  • Updated the discovery service to accommodate read-only files.

    • Version 2.5.5
    (2012-02-08)

    Version 2.5.5

  • Fixed problem occuring when a window containing a ribbon is opened in Excel. An error occurs because the ComplyXL ribbon markup is only valid for the main ribbon.
  • Fixed a problem occurring when the workbook had been known to ComplyXL. In this scenario different roles were not applied (because the service mistakenly thought the workbook was known and therefore the roles already applied).
  • Fixed problem when working with spreadsheets embedded in, for example, PowerPoint.
  • Added graphical view to Excel custom view.
  • Formula viewer now also standalone.

    • Version 2.5
    (2011-03-01)

    Version 2.5

    Platform support

  • Added support for IRM (rights) protected and encrypted files

    • Enhancements

  • Added new graphical view capable of zooming and scrolling in both directions and which presents a map overlay
  • Added the ability to create a configuration file for the notification service
  • Added a new option to manage the discovery process from the Administrator's Workbench including the ability to define folders to monitor
  • Updated the print audit function to respect the workbook list filter if there is one
  • Added the ability to pick up the creation date if the creation date is not a document property
  • Comparison window will prompt the user to unhide a sheet which is being compared
  • User email address is automatically validated if entered by an administrator or manager
  • Looks for exchange server if ActiveDirectory is available and uses the home service if available
  • User record populated with user's email address from Active Directory if it's available

    • Fixes

  • Work around the limitation of the System.Net.Mail classes when authenticating with Exchange 2007
  • Handle cells formatted as date but which contain values which are too large (date > 9999-12-31 23:59:59.9999)
  • Fixed the display of hard-coded boolean values in the formula viewer
  • Fixed saving of optional reply address for notification emails
  • Fixed a problem using named pipes when both the notification and discovery status utilities are used from the same machine at the same time.
  • Fixed a problem preventing a user setting a notification schedule when using windows authentication
  • Fixed a problem with the notification service which would send daily notifications each hour after the specified time because the routine only checked for the time of day not time of date *and* day
  • Fixed a condition that if there was just one external reference which defined names used the could be an error.
  • Fixed a problem introduced in 2.4.9 which meant the sheet name might not be displayed in the detail or graphical comparison view
  • Fixed a problem parsing a formula which uses an external custom function in Excel 2007
  • Updated to reduce the instances of Excel crashing when closed while the debug window is open

    • Version 2.4.9
    (2010-09-21)

    Version 2.4.9

    Platform support

  • Support for .NET 4.0 addressing the breaking changes affecting COM add-ins
  • Support for 64-bit and Excel 2010 64-bit
  • Updated configuration files to support operation in a FIPS environment

    • Enhancements

  • Extended the Workbook Statistics to be able to report formula by type (numeric, text, boolean and error).
  • Added prompt for the user to select comparison options and sheets to compare when running a workbook comparison
  • Added performance statistics to the progress display
  • Added a comparison performance report
  • Allow the user to show/hide the workbooks excluded from the comparison
  • Extended support for SharePoint to include major/minor as well as major versions including support for version zero

    • Fixes

  • Fixed a problem when saving 2007 format workbooks the Excel add-in when there are parts which exceed 8MB
  • Increased the resolution of the raw value display
  • Streamlined memory use
  • Fixed a formula parse error which treated any sheet name containing a space as an external reference.
  • Fixed a formula parse error which incorrectly treated any external reference to a number on sheet where the tab name began with E as an exponential
  • Fixed a problem occurring because internal storage re-allocations could overlay old but unused memory causing the software to believe data exists where it doesn't
  • Fixed a problem reporting string values for array formulas correctly

    • Version 2.4.8
    (2010-02-03)

    Version 2.4.8

    Added the ability for a user to enable capturing and emailing of session logs. This feature is for use when trouble-shooting a configuration issue where it is not possible for Lyquidity support to see ComplyXL running and resolve the issue remotely.

    Version 2.4.7
    (2009-12-28)

    Version 2.4.7

    Added a new "Approver" right

    Previously only managers were able to approve however this meant granting a user rights that may not be appropriate. Now it is possible to assign a user the Approver right which means they are able to approve but not be (and not be sidetracked by being) a ComplyXL manager.

    Notification filters can now be set in the task tray utility

    Previously a notification would be generated based on the fact of a change to a spreadsheet. In this release potential notifications can be filtered based on manager defined criteria. It may be a change notification need not be generated when cell values are changed (for example a dump from a ledger) but only when a formula is changed or when cell values in a key range are changed.

    Added the ability to approve a version to the 'Access a stored Workbook' utility

    Because approvers are not managers, they cannot use the ComplyXL Manager tool so approve options have been added to this tool which can be used by all ComplyXL users.

    Updated the configuration file generator to include the new GraphicalDisplayOptions key

    Administrators can now define a company specific default filter for ComplyXL to use when comparing workbooks in place of the default provided by the software.

    Added support for the styles in Excel 2010

    Excel 2010 will include a few new features which ComplyXL can now accommodate.

    Changes for very large repository databases

    Although not really visible, this set of changes is probably the biggest change in this release. When the discovery service is used to track changes and a large number of operational spreadsheets are changed many times in a day, the number of versions captured can grow very large. This set of changes allows an administrator to influence how much information is returned to clients which reduces the resources used by ComplyXL. It also provides for automation of processes like applying retention policies so they can be run as scheduled tasks.

    Updated the discovery service to add versions only when it's possible to gain exclusive read/write access. Also delete an added workbook if the work book cannot be added.

    There can times when the security on a document on a folder is not appropriate and which prevents the discovery service adding a version. These events are now identified as reported in the event log.

    Other

  • Fixed problem updating categories with single quotation marks
  • Fixed refresh bug
  • Fixed bug that removes a workbook specific retention policy after policies have been applied
  • Reduced the amount of data requested when presenting the recycle bin
  • Recycle bin no longer presented in the add-in manager

    • Version 2.4.6
    (2009-06-11)

    Version 2.4.6

  • Added views to the comparison windows so filter collections can be named
  • Added an option to Access a Stored workbook to display the ComplyXL users with rights to access a workbook
  • Updated the workbook users window to call out the managers of a workbook by presenting their names in bold
  • Added the ability to compare a workbook from within the Access a stored workbook window providing the user has Compare Workbooks right for a workbook
  • Added the ability to highlight formulas with links to other sheets in the same workbook
  • Document path is now displayed with each version history item
  • The current file date of a workbook is displayed when a workbook is selected in the ComplyXL manager or Administrator's Workbench
  • Updated the discovery process to ignore Excel 2007 temporary files
  • The notifications test email option will warn users if option changes have not been saved
  • More information is provided about the cause if the test email cannot be sent
  • Changed control enabling it to look at the Manager field
  • Extended the API to expose Snapshots, Users in addition to workbooks and versions and also to make it possible to send email
  • ComparisonProperties is exposed to COM so the Xml comparison options can be used from COM
  • Improved the message reported by the discovery service when a folder specified to monitor does not exist
  • Added the ability to make comparison forms transparent so its possible to see the workbook through the form
  • Updated the graphical view to hide popup menu when not working with the current document
  • Exporting a workbook version from the ComplyXL Manager now shows a better filter desciption
  • Access stored workbook printing now behaves like the print option in ComplyXL Manager
  • Printing when Access stored workbook is displaying the version history list will only print the current workbook and will print detail
  • Added Ctrl-A to Access Stored workbook and ComplyXL Manager to select all rows. Expanded leaf nodes rows will be selected if grouped.
  • Updated apply view to handle the condition the operand of a custom filter contains a '-'
  • Updated the workbook users window to add options to generate an email to all workbook users or just managers
  • Added a minimize button to the status utility windows
  • Register utility updated to make it possible to create a TaskPanelControl instance

  • Eliminated the ability for an administrator to edit workbook roles by double-clicking on a workbook
  • Fixed workbook exports to make sure it works in all scenarios
  • Fixed workbook display that did not correctly enable controls after initial display
  • Fixed a problem caused by using functions to return the workbook sheet names because a password prompt would be destroyed prematurely
  • When comparing two workbooks, the display would show the same name for both workbooks after a refresh
  • When more than 5 rows differences exist the detail display will filter to show the first different row by default. However the combo box shows 'All'
  • Fixed that the Refresh button would not be enabled after resetting filter properties
  • Fixed problem showing the updated date in access stored workbook for non-manager users
  • Fixed issues relating to the issue http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320369 and fixed up the presentation of formulas and arrays in this condition
  • Fixed an error when the millisecond time format specifier is used
  • Fixed the Manage Notifications menu option which stopped working in 2.4.5
  • If a manager added a role that is dependent of another manager role to a workbook the role's manager would become a manager of that workbook even if that is not desired

    • Version 2.4.5
    (2009-05-14)

    Version 2.4.5

  • Added progress indicators when starting the Administrator's Workbench and ComplyXL Manager to make it clear forms are active when loading '000's of workbooks
  • Update to the workbook delete function to make it faster for administrators to delete workbooks
  • Update to ensure a custom view is not reset to the default view when the workbook list is refreshed
  • Added to the discovery service the ability to define monitoring for individual files and the ability to define
  • Added a configuration service to the web service able to deliver ComplyXL client configuration information via Http
  • Added a Test Email button to the Discovery status utility
  • Added a console window to all status utilities to display the respective service's log
  • Double-click action now displays the detail tab in version history and snapshot views
  • The Notification service setup and the status utilities now retrieve the user's domain's MX record as the default mail server to use
  • Fixed bug preventing the display of some summary snapshots when using an Oracle based repository
  • Fixed an error when using the Notifictions options in Administrator's Workbook to install the Notification's sevices

    • Version 2.4.4
    (2009-04-20)

    Version 2.4.4

  • Added a further comparison filter option 'IncludeFormulaValues' to the bounds check to allow for a wider range of options
  • Changed the licence checking options to suppport a rental model
  • Fixed a problem introduced in 2.4.3 that prevented some macro comparisons
  • Fixed a problem occurring when reading shared formulas that are not originated in the top/left cell of the shared range
  • Fixed the discovery service to ignore missing or inaccessible sub-folders or to ignore a sub-folder specification if a parent is already monitored

    • Version 2.3.14/2.4.3
    (2009-03-20)

    Version 2.3.14/2.4.3

  • Added the ability to filter across a workbook in addition to a sheet
  • Added the ability to filter on: externally linked cells, text as numbers, numeric values falling inside or ourside a range and individual error types
  • Updated the comparison options to allow for a range of cells to be selected and for an inclusion/exclusion value interval to be defined when finding changes to report
  • Changed the way detail comparison options are selected which are not accessible via a property editor
  • Updated the API to be able to run a comparison programatically and receive a generated Xml document
  • Updated the discovery service to allow an administrator to enable a 'usage monitoring' mode, to enable or disable monitoring for a folder and to exclude sub-folders of a monitored folder
  • Updated workbook decryption to handle the scenario that a file encrypted in Excel 2003 but without a password (so the internal 'VelvetSweatshop' password would be used) can be opened without the need to enter this password explicitly
  • Updated the discovery module to support a 'usage only' mode able to find spreadsheets and record instances of them changing in a CSV
  • Fix to ComplyXL manager to prevent error pop-up when ComplyXL Manager is used by a Manager (vs Administrator)
  • Fix to the schema DDL to remove size qualifier to ntext
  • Fix to comparison preview prints to ensure that all rows are printed when only one is selected and all are collapsed
  • Fix to the discovery service to better report inaccessible folder such as system volume information

    • Version 2.3.13/2.4.2

    Version 2.3.13/2.4.2

  • Added the ability for an administrator to define an application-wide retention policy and allow managers to alternative policies on a workbook-by-workbook basis
  • Update to the API to facilitate the retention policy enhancement and to demonstrate how custom retention policy rules can be created
  • Fix to Notification Server which prevented the application running when using non-rental licences
  • Fix to Tray utility to prevent too many change reports when a workbook is recorded by a user in a different time zone.

    • Version 2.3.12/2.4.1

    Version 2.3.12/2.4.1

  • First release of 2.4.1 created for .NET 3.5 support and offers full versioning and comparison of Excel 2007 (xlsx/xlsm) and ODF files.
  • The API has been extended to be able to access the list of managed workbooks.
  • New System tray utility to allow users to be notified of changes, to review changes and to send emails containing links to workbook. Links can be file references or web links.
  • New web server allows controlled access to managed workbooks via a web page.
  • Revised discovery engine allows the discovery task to be splits across two servers so the file server does not risk being overloaded.
  • All servers updated to support the output console which can be used to diagnose configuration and operational errors when used as services.
  • Version history list updated to report file size as bytes, kilobytes and megabytes Default view updated to sort workbook list by updated date.
  • Added field to capture user's email address and to set whether the user will receive notification emails.
  • Fix to SharePoint support allows files with '+' in their name to be used correctly.

    • Version 2.3.11

    Version 2.3.11

  • Improved notifications and added a server to provide clients a view of the server event log and errors list (if any)
  • Added a component to view server status and error logs of a running notifications server
  • Added the manager column to the snapshot and version history views to complement the column added to the workbook views window
  • Added a version count to the workbooks view
  • Fixed a problem occurring when deleting workbook roles and using a SQL Server repository
  • Changed Loader so that it opens ComplyXL.res in read only mode preventing an error when running as a user on Vista
  • Fixed a problem in the add-in shim dll (ComplyXLAdding.dll) that could pick an invalid class reference resulting in a type mismatch error.

    • Version 2.3.10

    Version 2.3.10

  • Added the ability to bulk import workbooks/run manual discovery
  • Added new column to allow a user to easily identify the workbooks they manage (vs ones security allows them to see)

    • Version 2.3.9

    Version 2.3.9

  • Addressed a problem that can occur when using an Oracle database repository
  • If user tried to generate workbook statistics on a read-only workbook an error would occur

    • Version 2.3.8

    Version 2.3.8

    Change the grid to allow the category to be edited in the grid and to allow a user to presss the delete key to delete a workbook. Fixed a bug that prevented versions being added to documents in folders containing an apostrophe Fixed bug in Notifications that prevented notifications after a bulk update using a Discovery process

    Version 2.3.7

    Version 2.3.7

    Updated the install package so it will work when only .NET 2.0 is installed. Previously it expected that .NET 1.1 would have been installed first.

    Users can subscribe or elect not to be notified about changes to specific workbooks. They can also choose to receive email notifications instantly, hourly or daily.

    Version 2.3.6

    Version 2.3.6

  • MSI install package for the client software so it can be install automatically on user PCs by defining an Active Directory group policy object (GPO)
  • Added the ability to print views in the workbook review windows.
  • Added the ability to save and recall view definitions in the Workbook review windows (Access stored workbook, administrator's workbench and recycle bin).
  • Added view definitions to comparison cell details
  • Added new version and snapshot views for more complete SOX reporting
  • Made it more obvious to manager users the actions they can perform when adding roles and users
  • Added a message to inform a user if, when they try to add a version to a workbook to which they do not have any rights, that they have no rights
  • A bug introduced in 2.3.5 prevented the Compare Workbooks option in the standalone version working when comparing workbook and one of the two workbook selected is directly from the repository.

    • Version 2.3.5

    Version 2.3.5

  • Added support for the administrator to define multiple repositories and for the user to be able to select one of them.
  • Moved macro (VBA) comparisons to the main menu so people work extensively with macros can compare comparisons more easily.
  • New columns added to the repository so that a user can display approved and approval pending workbooks.
  • Added time checking to the discovery process so thar it will look for only those changes occurring after the last run.
  • Changed the name of workbook approval from Set Production (!) to Approval.
  • Changed the message displayed when a user requests a macro comparison on workbooks that do not contain macros. The previous message reported the missing macros as an error.
  • Accommodated a change occurring between .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0 that meant when the notification service was installed the execution string was invalid.
  • Additional checks added when comparing workbooks repository to repository to make it clear to the user when selection combinations were invalid and to reduce the number of times invalid parameter combinations can be selected.

    • Version 2.3.4

    Version 2.3.4

    Added support for spreadsheets using real-time functions

  • Added the ability for auditors and compliance staff to access the version history and perform comparisons without the need to access the current workbook.
  • Added the ability for an administrator to control whether a workbook will be updated by the discovery process
  • Fixed a reported problem that causes a JavaScript error when comparing workbooks that contain apostrophes in their name

    • Version 2.4.8

    Version 2.3.3

    • Improved parsing of the connection string in configuration files so that arbitrary connection string directives can be used
    • Corrected handling of embedded documents when versions are added using the Desktop version
    • Improved handling of formulas with very long text results (> 8192 characters)
    • Improved handling of titles and messages in data validation formulas
    • License files can now be distributed during installation
    • Corrected a problem with the graphical display occurring when the user PC has .NET 2.0 installed
    Version 2.3.2

    Version 2.3.2

    Improvements to the script used to create Oracle based repositories.

    When a file/open in Excel 2007 would always present the ComplyXL folder as the first folder instead of the default location defined in Excel options.

    Version 2.3.1

    Snapshots

    The snapshots functionality introduced in version 2.3 is improved to support saving snapshots to the repository alongside the respective workbook. Saving snapshots allows an organization to document not just a review but the history of reviews completed. The history of snapshots recorded forms a log that documents adherence to compliance policies.

    Saved snapshots can be recalled to see a live view of the differences being shown at the time the snapshot was saved.

    Snapshots can be saved to disk as PDF or TIFF documents as well as be printed.

    Fixed the cause of a message reporting an error if the focus filter is changed while the differences for a large worksheet are being computed in the background.

    Version 2.3

    Active Monitoring

  • User can subscribe to be notified about changes to workbooks.
  • Administrators can configure ComplyXL support email and/or instant messaging notification channels.
  • Using Spreadsheet Discovery the spreadsheets across an organization can be managed and versions can be recorded automatically if changes have been made.
  • Managers can control whether discovered spreadsheets should be managed.

    • Analysis & Reporting

  • Faster analysis of spreadsheet changes.
  • Grouping and sorting can be used to create change reports.
  • Snapshots introduced to improve the ability of compliance managers to record changes to spreadsheets.

    • Workflow

  • Managers can specify a "current" or production version of a spreadsheet.
  • Users can continue to make changes and record versions but users will be able to see which version should be used when information is to be diseminated.
  • Managers can change the production version at any time and changes the status of a spreadsheet are recorded in the version log.

    • Centralized management

    Further integration with Active Directory on Windows platforms or LDAP on other server systems makes it for easier for administrators to manage deployments and updates to large user communities.