Extracting Files PLC to Excel Spread sheet

My question to all you intelligent people is I'm using a PC with RS linx as my communication link to my AB 5/60 PLC which is using RS logix 500 software. I created some timers and some counters in the program that I need to retrieve after 8 hours of production, and put them on a Excel spread sheet. I know of one programmer and he said I would need to put this in a CDM file in the PLC and that is all he could remember. Well I created a CDM file so all my timers and counters are in one place now I need someone to help me get the info from the RS logix program over to a Excel spread sheet. The reason I need to import the file to Excel is I do not want the production supervisors accessing the PLC or ladder if I can help it. Please help!

All the CDM file does is conveniently organize the data in RSLogix5. It doesn't help you get it to Excel.

The easiest is to use NetDDE:

http://www.software.rockwell.com/support/download//detail.cfm?ID=246

Ignore most of the first stuff (NT related). Concentrate on how to create the Topic name in RSLinx and then the cell format in Excel.

However, you will need something beyond RSLinx Lite (if that's what you are using)

This is actually pretty simple. In RSLinx, all you have to do is create a DDE/OPC Topic. Once done, you can format the cells within Excel to display PLC data in the spreadsheet. This data is displayed in real time. If you need to remember values, such as a previous shift's count, then some code will have to be written to store your values. Here is an example of how you format a cell within Excel, rslinx|U11ST11L!'N71:20' , where U11ST11L is the name of my RSLinx topic. Hope this helps.