Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting Documentation
Index

License Issues

This guide addresses common licensing issues with Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting.

License Overview

Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting requires a valid license key in production environments, but only part of the app is license-gated:

  • Indicators: without a license, indicator rows calculate 0 and the Define Indicator card does not open ("This app require registration to work.")
  • API pages: without a license, the CalcDate and DateFilter endpoints return "No active license for the Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting"
  • Everything else works: spreadsheets, report distribution (print jobs), inter-company reporting and the indicator library do not check the license

Business Central Online sandboxes are fully functional with no key. On-premises environments — production and sandbox alike — need a key. The key is stored per environment (not per company) and every key has an expiration date.

Common License Issues

License Not Registered

Symptom: Indicators show 0, the Define Indicator card refuses to open, or an API call fails with "No active license".

Solution:

  1. Search "About Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting" in Business Central, or choose About/License on the Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting menu
  2. Enter your license key in the Registration Key field
  3. Press Tab or Enter — the key is validated as soon as you leave the field

Invalid License Key

Symptom: "License key cannot be used, reason: ..." when entering the key.

Possible Causes:

  1. Typo in Key
    • Copy/paste the key to avoid errors
    • Check for extra spaces
  2. Wrong Key
    • Verify the key was issued for Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting (not another Hougaard product)
  3. Wrong Tenant or Environment
    • Keys are validated against your Azure AD tenant and environment name
    • The reason text in the message says what the license server objected to

License Expired

Symptom: The About page says your registration key has expired; indicators return 0 again.

Solution:

  1. The expired key has already been removed from storage automatically
  2. Contact sales@hougaard.com for renewal
  3. Enter the new key in Registration Key and press Tab or Enter

License Not Valid for Environment

Symptom: License works in one environment but not another.

Possible Causes:

  1. Environment-Specific Key
    • Keys are validated per environment; a key issued for one environment name is refused for another
    • Contact Hougaard for keys for additional environments
  2. Different Tenant
    • Keys are tenant-specific
    • Contact Hougaard for multi-tenant licensing

Registration Process

How to Register

  1. Obtain License Key
    • Purchase from Hougaard
    • Receive key via email
  2. Open the About Page
    • Search "About Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting"
    • Or choose About/License on the Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting menu
  3. Enter the Key
    • Type or paste the key into the Registration Key field exactly as provided
    • Press Tab or Enter to validate it — there is no separate button to press
  4. Confirm Registration
    • Verify the confirmation message ("Thank you for registering the Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting app, all functionality is now enabled.")

Verifying Registration

After registration:

  1. The About page shows the key as registered, with the License valid until date
  2. A Change License action appears for entering a new key later
  3. Indicators calculate and the API pages respond

License Types

There is one kind of license: a subscription key with an expiration date. Keys are valid for a specific period, require renewal before expiration and are tied to one tenant and environment. There is no perpetual key, and there is no separate trial key — Business Central Online sandboxes are the evaluation environment, fully functional without any key.

Troubleshooting Steps

License Not Being Recognized

  1. Start a New Session
    • The license check runs once per session and its result is cached, so sign out and back in after registering elsewhere
  2. Re-enter the Key
    • Use Change License on the About page and enter the key again
  3. Check License Details
    • Verify the key is correct
    • Confirm the License valid until date has not passed

Features Still Limited After Registration

  1. Refresh Session
    • Log out completely
    • Log back in
  2. Check Permission Set
    • The AFR_Hgd permission set must be assigned
    • The license enables the gated features; permissions grant access to the pages
  3. Verify Registration Saved
    • Re-open the About page
    • Confirm the key and its License valid until date appear

After Environment Copy/Refresh

  1. Sandbox refreshed from production (Business Central Online)
    • No key is needed in an Online sandbox; nothing to do
  2. Production copied to a new environment name
    • The key is re-validated online against the new environment name and may be refused
    • Contact sales@hougaard.com to have the key re-issued for the new environment

License Error Messages

"There is a problem with your license, please contact sales@hougaard.com"

The stored license has no valid expiration date, or the date has passed:

  • Renew the key and register it again
  • Contact sales@hougaard.com if the key should still be valid

"License key cannot be used, reason: ..." / "This license key cannot be used, reason: ... Please contact sales@hougaard.com to resolve this."

The license server rejected the key; the reason it returned is shown in the message:

  • Check the key for typos
  • Verify tenant and environment
  • Contact sales@hougaard.com quoting the reason text

"Cannot contact the hougaard.com license checker, please email support@hougaard.com"

The environment could not reach check.hougaardlicense.com:

  • Check network connectivity and firewall rules (HTTPS, port 443)
  • If the Configuration Problem page appeared instead, enable Allow HttpClient Requests for the app — see HTTP Client Warnings

"The hougaard.com license checker returned an unexpected reply. Please try again later or email support@hougaard.com."

The server answered in an unexpected format — usually temporary:

  • Try again later
  • Email support@hougaard.com if it persists

"Your registration key for the Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting has expired..."

Shown on the About page after expiry. The key has been removed from storage; register a renewed key.

Contacting Support for License Issues

Information to Provide

When contacting support about licensing:

  • License key (or partial key)
  • Environment URL and environment name
  • Error message text
  • Business Central version
  • App version

Support Contact

  • Sales and renewals: sales@hougaard.com
  • Technical problems: support@hougaard.com
  • Include your order or invoice number if available, describe the issue and quote the error message

Best Practices

License Management

  1. Record License Information
    • Store the license key securely
    • Note the License valid until date
  2. Monitor Expiration
    • Set reminders for renewal
    • Renew before expiration to avoid interruption — an expired key is deleted automatically
  3. Test After Changes
    • Verify the license after environment changes (a renamed or copied production environment is re-validated online)