With this unique resource, you'll discover how to unlock the power behind Excel Services in order to effectively utilize server-side spreadsheet calculation and rendering. It walks you through all programming aspects of Excel Services, covering everything from APIs to UDFs (User Defined Functions). You'll quickly gain a strong understanding of what Excel Services is, how to work with it, and how to develop applications using its robust features.

Written by the senior software development engineer for Excel Services, this book first provides you with detailed explanations about the various programmability options Excel Services offers. You'll then gain an inside look into the problematic areas that you must avoid. And you'll find ideas for solutions that you can create using this server technology. This information will help you extend and work against Excel Services as you develop business-critical applications.

What you will learn from this book

* Steps for streamlining work with the Excel Web Services API
* In-depth explanations about Excel Services UDFs, including various ways to make them work in Excel 2007
* How to use Excel Models to extend your applications
* Various techniques used to employ both Excel and Excel Services in end-to-end solutions.
* How to streamline processes that rely on Excel spreadsheets, such as modeling, handling, and storing data
* Tools used for generating Excel Workbook-based custom Web services, RSS feeds, and more
* Hints for building your own mashups using Excel Services