Is Excel 2016 compatible with TestComplete 12?

Hi,

> the only way to use 64 bit Excel 2016 is to remove it and install 64 bit drivers from Office 2010

No. Excel may be left as it is. :)

There are four players in this game:

1) First and foremost: there is an Excel file that contains data that you need;

2) There is the Excel application. Excel application can manipulate data in the Excel file. In most cases, this manipulation is done via graphical user interface (GUI) and this is what you do when you open the file in Excel and working with it. Besides that, Excel application can also be used as a COM-server. I.e. it is possible to create its COM instance (via Sys.OleObject('Excel.Application') call) and work with the file using methods and properties provided by Excel's COM object model. While this is the way that you may try (check MS documentation for Excel Object Model for more details), this is usually an overkill for the simple tasks like yours when the only thing that you need is to read data from Excel file. Also, using Excel as COM server requires Excel to be present on the given machine which means a considerable disk space requirement and appropriate licensing. This is where player 3) appears.

3) There are drivers based on either OLE DB or ODBC technologies that, when installed, can read (and, optionally, write) data from Excel file. These drivers do not require Excel to be present on the given box which means lower disk space and licensing requirements. Obviously, as they are computer programs, these drivers can be of 32-bit or 64-bit flavors. Generally, 32- and 64-bit applications do not interfere with each other. But in case of Excel drivers, their 32- and 64-bit flavors have problems when installed side-by-side and this is described in the previously referenced help topic.

4) TestComplete. This is the consumer that reads data from Excel file 1) via drivers 3). Due to Windows OS architecture, in order to be able to communicate, both TestComplete and Excel drivers (not Excel application which is not used in this process) must be of the same bitness. Either 32- or 64-bit. Which one is determined by your requirements/preferences, but the same.

So, based on the above, you should decide what TestComplete and Excel drivers bitness is more preferable to you. Usually, unless there are some 64-bit-specific requirements, 32-bit flavors work quite well.

Based on the decision been made, you must install appropriate Excel drivers using the links and guidance provided in the help topic. After drivers are installed, you should be able to use them from TestComplete (of matching bitness!) and access data from the Excel file.

Note one more time: Excel application is not involved in this process, may be whatever version and you may use it in a usual way when you need it.

Hope, the above made things more clear but feel free to ask for the things that left not clear enough.