Overview of Excel Services

I have put together the following overview of Excel Services to help users understand what it can and cannot do. 

What is Excel Services? Excel Services is part of enterprise version of MOSS 2007. It can read and display data from Excel workbooks stored in trusted locations such as a document library, UNC path or a HTTP site. It enables calculation to be done server side in an Excel workbook and rendered in a DHTML format through Excel Web Access. While SharePoint offers web parts to work with the data in Excel Services the user interface can be anything that can integrate with web services. 

Unsupported features of Excel Services

•  Active X controls
• AutoShapes, Clip or word art
•  Embedded pictures or backgrounds
•  Information Rights Management
• Linked Spreadsheets
• Smart documents or tags
•  Macros, forms or toolbox controls
• PivotTables using multiple consolidation ranges
• Data Validation
• Spreadsheets with protection enabled
• Organization charts and diagrams

For updates or a full list of items go to: http://blogs.msdn.com/excel/archive/2005/12/01/499206.aspx 

Examples of what you can use Excel Services for can be found at:

• http://www.codeproject.com/KB/sharepoint/DisplayingCharts.aspx
• http://blogs.msdn.com/excel/archive/2005/11/21/495454.aspx
• http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms546696.aspx

Other recommended resources for Excel Services

• http://blogs.msdn.com/excel/archive/2005/11/17/493962.aspx