Excel Add-In Online Activation Error

Problem

When attempting to activate the Reporting Intelligence Excel Add-In online, activation fails. This affects versions 21.4 and earlier. This occurs because TLS 1.1, TLS 1.0, and SSL have been disabled on the Reporting Intelligence online activation service servers. Older versions of the Reporting Intelligence Excel Add-In built on .NET frameworks prior to 4.8 do not use TLS 1.2 by default, causing the activation request to be rejected.

Solution

Three options are available to resolve this issue. Choose the option that best suits your environment.

1. Upgrade to Version 21.4 or Later

   Upgrade the Reporting Intelligence Excel Add-In to version 21.4 or later. Versions built on .NET 4.8 use TLS 1.2 by default and are not affected by this issue.

   Note: If your organization uses the Reporting Intelligence Service Tier service or Reporting Intelligence Hub, you must upgrade those components as well.

2. B. Enable TLS 1.2 via PowerShell Registry Update

   Run the following PowerShell commands as an administrator on the machine where the Reporting Intelligence Excel Add-In is installed. These commands configure the machine to use TLS 1.2 by default.

   Note: If you are activating via the Reporting Intelligence Service Tier, you must also run these commands on the server hosting the Reporting Intelligence Service Tier service. Restart any machine on which these commands have been run.

3. C. Activate via Email

   Use the activate via email option as an alternative to online activation. This method does not rely on a direct TLS connection to the activation servers.

PowerShell Commands for Option B

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\.NetFramework\v4.0.30319' -Name 'SchUseStrongCrypto' -Value '1' -Type Dword

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NetFramework\v4.0.30319' -Name 'SchUseStrongCrypto' -Value '1

Additional Details

For more information on enabling TLS 1.2 on client machines, refer to the Microsoft documentation:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/intune/configmgr/core/plan-design/security/enable-tls-1-2-client

The registry changes in Option B take effect after the machine is restarted. Ensure all affected machines -

including any server running the Reporting Intelligence Service Tier - are restarted before testing activation again.

For Further Assistance

If this article does not resolve the issue, let your support representative know or contact insightsoftware

Support for further assistance.