Merge pull request #36206 from chugugrace/mybranch01092026

add excel connection manager limitation

Author: prmerger-automator[bot]

docs/integration-services/load-data-to-from-excel-with-ssis.md

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ The following sections contain the information you need to use Excel successfull
    - Issues with [data types](#issues-types).
    - Issues with [importing](#issues-importing).
    - Issues with [exporting](#issues-exporting).
+   - Issues in [unattended or non‑interactive environments](#issues-non‑interactive-environments).
 
 <a id="tools"></a>
 
@@ -175,8 +176,32 @@ After you select or enter the Excel objects to import or export, you can also do
 
 - Preview sample data to make sure it's what you expect by selecting **Preview**.
 
-<a id="issues-types"></a>
+<a id="issues-non‑interactive-environments"></a>
+## Issues in Unattended or Non‑Interactive Environments
+
+When SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages use Excel Connection Managers and are executed in unattended or non‑interactive environments—such as SQL Agent Jobs, the SSIS Catalog, or other server‑side automation—they may fail with connection or provider‑related errors.
+
+This occurs because Microsoft Office/Excel components (including ACE/Jet providers) are not supported for automation or use in service contexts. These components require an interactive desktop session and may behave unpredictably when invoked by background processes.
+
+Microsoft Office has long provided official guidance that server-side or unattended automation of Office applications is unsupported, including Excel data providers.
+
+### Recommended Alternatives
+
+To ensure reliability in production and automated ETL pipelines, Microsoft recommends replacing Excel Connection Managers with one of the following supported, server‑safe alternatives:
+
+- **Flat file sources (CSV/TXT)** - Ideal for structured tabular data and fully supported for unattended SSIS execution.
 
+- **OLE DB or ODBC connections** - Use when the source data can be placed in a supported database or exposed via an OLE DB/ODBC provider.
+
+- **OpenXML or ADO.NET–based approaches** - Suitable when Excel files must be consumed directly without relying on Office automation or ACE.
+
+These options do not depend on Office binaries and provide predictable, reliable behavior in server environments.
+
+### Further Reference
+
+For detailed information on Office automation supportability, please see [Considerations for server-side Automation of Office](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/considerations-for-server-side-automation-of-office-48bcfe93-8a89-47f1-0bce-017433ad79e2).
+
+<a id="issues-types"></a>
 ## Issues with data types
 
 ### Data types