Word, Excel and PowerPoint files open in the side panel as a PDF in a read-only preview. Oda converts the file on the computer running DataMind Oda first, and your original file stays as it is.
This page covers the conversion behind that preview. For the preview pane and its controls, see Preview files in Oda; for reading PDFs in the preview, see Preview PDFs and Office files.
Files built from your company's data arrive the same way (Company data, documents and reports), and the cards themselves are explained in Delivered files.
., ., ., ., . and .. The extension is matched regardless of case, so a file like Report. converts too.busy reason; try again shortly.The preview reports what happened:
Office conversion failed. The conversion did not complete, and the message names the reason:| Reason | What it means |
|---|---|
busy | Too many conversions are running or waiting. Try again shortly. |
input-too-large | The source file is over the size limit. Reduce the file and open it again. |
output-too-large | The converted PDF would be over the size limit. Reduce the file and open it again. |
invalid-document | The file cannot be read as an Office document. Check it in its usual app. |
unsupported-format | The file is not one of the six Office formats. |
invalid-output | The conversion produced no usable PDF. Try again, or check the file in its usual app. |
timeout | The conversion ran longer than its time limit. Try again. |
unavailable | The document engine could not run on this computer. See the engine messages below. |
source-changed | The file changed while the preview was opening. Open a fresh preview. |
failed | The conversion stopped for another reason. Try again; if it repeats, check the file in its usual app. |
The document preview was cancelled. The preview stopped before the conversion finished. Open it again when you want it.The source changed. The file was no longer the version Oda checked when it came to reading it, so nothing was converted. Open a fresh preview.The path must end in doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, or pptx. The file's extension is not one of the six formats, so the preview is refused before the file is read.The Office engine is not installed. The engine that performs conversions is missing on this computer.The Office engine is not available: <detail> The engine could not start; the detail after the colon says why.Oda converts Office files with its own document engine. It does not use an office suite already installed on your computer. On some computers the engine is included with the app, and on others it is prepared on first use.
Word . and ., Excel . and ., and PowerPoint . and .. A file whose extension is not one of these is refused before it is read: The path must end in doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, or pptx.
No. The conversion reads your file and makes a separate PDF for reading. The original is never changed, the converted copy is not saved as a document, and opening a preview adds nothing to the chat.
Conversions queue, and two run at a time by default. Waiting for a turn does not count towards a conversion's time limit, so a busy queue can delay a preview. If too much is already waiting, the preview stops with the busy reason; try again shortly.
By default, up to 50 MiB for the source file and up to 100 MiB for the converted PDF. A source file over the limit is refused, and a converted PDF that would go over it is not shown.
Office conversion failed. names the reason: busy, input-too-large, output-too-large, invalid-document, unsupported-format, invalid-output, timeout, unavailable, source-changed or failed. The table above explains each one. Trying again helps with busy and timeout; for the others, check the file in its usual app.
Open a fresh preview. The source changed. means the file changed between the moment Oda checked it and the moment it read it, so nothing was converted.
The document preview was cancelled. means the preview stopped before the conversion finished, so nothing was converted or kept. Open the preview again when you want it.
Oda converts Office files with its own document engine, not with an office suite installed on your computer. On some computers the engine is included with the app, and on others it is prepared on first use. If the message says the engine is not installed or not available, the preview cannot run on that computer until the engine is ready.
No. The same content converts once and is shared: while a finished conversion is still available, opening the same document again reuses it instead of converting again. Two tabs opening the same file at once share one conversion.