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h1. New in ExcelWriter 8.6\!

* [PivotTableSettings.ClassicLayout] for ExcelApplication
* Better performance for opening XLSX/XLSM files with many formulas
* Sparkline support for ExcelTemplate
* For more, see our [OW8:Change Log]

h1. Getting Started


[Help Installing ExcelWriter|OW8:Installation]
[Hello, World\! Tutorial|Hello World Tutorial]

h1. What is ExcelWriter?

*ExcelWriter is a .NET library and API*. It allows you to generate, manipulate, and read Excel documents from your own applications. You can use ExcelWriter to process workbooks with a fully programmatic object model, or design report templates in Office and quickly merge them with data. ExcelWriter can generate spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel format (.xls) or Office Open XML format (.xlsx) and it will preserve all of the familiar features associated with Excel workbooks.
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h1. Standard Edition vs. Enterprise Edition

_ExcelWriter comes in two editions, depending on the functionality needed for your application._

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ExcelWriter SE provides a template-driven development approach, meaning that templates are developed in Excel and then processed with just a few lines of code to import data. With [Reporting Services integration|RS8:SSRS Integration], reports can be created inside Excel and processed by Reporting Services with no code written at all.
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ExcelWriter EE builds on ExcelWriter SE, adding additional features for enterprise-class Web applications requiring maximum Excel functionality and high volume of report generation, such as programmatic control of Excel elements and integration with the SharePoint platform.
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h2. Feature Comparison

|| Feature|| Standard Edition || {}Enterprise Edition ||
| Template-Driven Development | (/)  | (/) |
| Full Programmatic Control | \-  | (/) |
| Nesting and Grouping | \- | (/) |
| SharePoint Integration | \- | (/) |
| Reporting Services Integration | (/) | (/) |
| Reporting Services Formulas | \- | (/) |