If you are doing this work to create/parse Excel files specifically, i have found the Spreadsheet::ParseExcel and Spreadsheet::WriteExcel modules to be far more stable, and to work wonderfully with the exception of lacking graph support (which i do not expect to see any time soon from them.). So, if this is just spreadsheet data, i would give them a look, they have a solid interface and are very stable.

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remeber the immortal word's of Socrates who said, "I drank what ?"