The shiny version of GetDFPData is currently hosted in a private server at DigitalOcean. A problem with the basic (5 USD) server I was using is with the low amount of available memory (RAM and HD). With that, I had to limit all xlsx queries for the data, otherwise the shiny app would ran out of memory. After upgrading R in the server, the xlsx option was no longer working.

Today I tried all tricks in the book for keeping the 5 USD server and get the code to work. Nothing worked effectively. The Microsoft Excel is a very restrictive format, and you should only use it to small projects. If the volume of data is high, as in GetDFPData, you’re going to run into a lot of issues of cell sizes and memory allocation. Despite my explicit recommendation to avoid Excel format as much as possible, people still use it a lot. Not surprisingly, once I took the “xlsx” option from the shiny interface, people complained to my email – a lot.

I just upgraded the RAM and HD of the server in DigitalOcean. The xlsx option is back and working. The new bill is 10 USD per month. So far I’ve been paying the bill from my own pocket, using revenues from my books. The GetDFPData has no official financial support and yes, I’ll continue to finance it as much as can. But, support from those using the shiny interface of the CRAN package is very much welcomed and will motive further development to keep things running smoothly.

If you can, please help donating a small value and keeping the server financed. Once I reach 12 months of payed bills (around 120 USD), I’ll remove the Paypal donation button and only add it back after the cash runs out.