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What does Internet Explorer sunsetting mean to Catalyst users?

Tom S
Updated

Microsoft is sunsetting Internet Explorer 11 as of June 15th, 2022

Starting June 15, 2022, Microsoft will gradually transition users from the unsupported IE11 desktop app to Microsoft Edge. The IE11 desktop app will be progressively redirected to Microsoft Edge over several months. Additionally, the IE11 desktop app will be permanently disabled as part of a future Windows Cumulative Update. Note: this may be applied at any time after June 15, 2022.

Article updated as of 6/1/22. For the change notes and full description on Microsoft.com follow this link. To skip to what you need to do to be prepared, click here.

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Why does it matter?

It's important to understand why Internet Explorer is being sunsetted, even if you have been using other web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Many applications and software still use IE in the background in support of their applications to connect websites to software, other apps, and to the Microsoft suite. As a Microsoft partner, EBM has leveraged Microsoft and IE in this way since our founding. Historically, Internet Explorer has been utilized in the background of each Excel file you've used that's connected to EBM and your Catalyst website. With the news that IE is being phased out, that will all soon change. 

What's happening to IE?

Starting June 15, 2022, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported on many versions of Windows. In some cases, many integrated applications may still work or have the option to be reconfigured to Microsoft Edge instead. But Microsoft Edge may also go through changes beginning in 2029. For this reason, EBM is taking proactive steps to create an IE-less environment, untethered to Microsoft IE and Edge. This development will carry with it several improvements to our software and the end-user experience, which are discussed below.

What this means

This change means a few things:

  • Any EBM-connected cube file or upload template you have saved will likely no longer work after June 15th, 2022 unless you take the recommended action. 
  • All new EBM-connected files you download from your website will work as you'd expect with zero interruption. 
  • Your processing speeds will improve in Excel-based files that connect to EBM data lake.
  • You will no longer need to log in multiple times when accessing an EBM-connected file. Logins will carry across open files as long as they remain open. As soon as Excel is closed completely, you'll need to login again once reopened. 
  • Different in-Excel login window and Catalyst-based dialog boxes. The login window and in-app Catalyst popup messages you're used to seeing will be more minimalistic and will not be IE-based. Further design improvements will occur.
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Who is impacted?

This change will impact any user that regularly uses Catalyst, specifically Excel-based cubes and upload templates. The most impacted users will be those that rely on a set of regularly used files, such as custom upload templates or cubes. Any file you have saved before this change date will require action on your part so the file can remain connected to your Catalyst website and all of its data.

Who is not impacted?

Anyone that downloads new cube files from Catalyst will not be impacted. This means if you only download your EBM-based files when you need them rather than saving them locally, then there is nothing you need to do. This will also NOT impact your in-app experience when you go to your Catalyst website. The only changes are to legacy files saved prior to this change.

What should you do?

  • Update your legacy files (those saved locally prior to this change) by running them through the Cube Updater in the Catalyst website. This is a quick action that takes less than one minute. Do this before June 15th, 2022 to ensure little-to-no interruption of service. Files that are not run through the Cube Updater will try to connect to IE, which will no longer exist, and then redirect to Microsoft Edge, which will not work. In some cases, you may need to rebuild your file, but this should help limit those instances.

Troubleshooting

Occasionally, you may run into issues after this change takes place. Below is some common troubleshooting advice: 

  1. Most issues will be cured by quitting Excel completely and reopening the file. Recommended: Use the Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Delete) to quit the program, then reopen the file.
  2. Sometimes you may be required to restart your computer. If the above action doesn't solve the issue, restart your machine completely and try again.  
  3. Additional issues may materialize due to antivirus/malware software running on your computer, as they may block the initial login popup or subsequent connections to EBM. To rule this out, manually disable your antivirus or firewall software from targeting Excel. And/or temporarily disable the software to test to see if it's the culprit. 
  4. Finally, another possible cause for issues will relate to Macro or Trusted Document security. In this case the solution will be to create a Trusted Location for your EBM-connected files. Do this by following the steps in this article: Macros and Security for Trusted Documents
  5. Note that if you save your files to a shared drive, like Sharepoint or Dropbox, be sure to delete the old version of the file in your shared folder before resaving your file to this location. Otherwise the file may revert to the old IE-based connection. Alternatively, you can rename the file rather than overwriting it. 

What are some of the benefits of this change?

  • Improved processing speeds from within Excel as it relates to the connection to EBM data lake. 
  • Improved login speeds in connection to Excel and Catalyst.
  • Greater development opportunities are no longer dependent on IE.
  • Limited logins required from Excel.

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