Data Shuttle Failing "Workflow Execute: Could not access source"

bgriffiths

I have a Data Shuttle automation to pull in an Excel file to a sheet (replace) on a weekly basis that lives on Sharepoint. Every time the automation runs, I get the error message "Workflow Execute: Could not access source. Please check your workflow configuration for errors." The Excel file will also not be hyperlinked anymore when this happens but will still have the correct Excel file name in place.

To resolve this, I simply point the Data Shuttle flow to the Excel file location again and manually re-run the process with no issues. Has anyone had this problem before where an automatic Data Shuttle process continuously fails to pull in an Excel sheet from a Sharepoint location? Thank you

bgriffiths

@Genevieve P. Thank you for this information. You were correct in that the issue was due to the Excel having a different file name when being deleted and created each week even though the actual name of the file was the same. To resolve the issue, we changed the Sharepoint automation to replace data in the existing Excel file and it has worked as it should twice now. Thank you again!

Genevieve P.

Hi @bgriffiths

How are you updating the Excel file in Sharepoint, before the weekly run? For example, is anyone changing the file that might break the connection, perhaps adding tabs, changing header rows, etc.

You should be able to add data to the Excel file as long as the file has the same file ID (and it's not a delete / replace operation). The file also needs to have the row data in the same location, meaning the workbook and starting row can’t change.

Let me know if this helped; if not, I would recommend reaching out to Smartsheet Support with a screen recording of what you're seeing, detailing exactly how you're making changes to the source file.

Cheers,
Genevieve

bgriffiths

Hi Genevieve,

Thank you for the reply. The Excel file is being automatically deleted and re-added every week in Sharepoint to get the latest update on data. It has the exact same file name and tabs/headers each time, but the values within the Excel file do change (it has employee names and time off information). Thank you for the assistance.

Genevieve P.

Hi @bgriffiths

If the entire file is being deleted out, then the File ID would be different each time, even if the name is the same. This is why Data Shuttle is unable to find it. You would need to keep the same file, but replace the row contents. Does that make sense?

bgriffiths

@Genevieve P. Thank you for this information. You were correct in that the issue was due to the Excel having a different file name when being deleted and created each week even though the actual name of the file was the same. To resolve the issue, we changed the Sharepoint automation to replace data in the existing Excel file and it has worked as it should twice now. Thank you again!