I'm trying to import a simple Excel file containing 94,000 rows and 52 columns of various types, mostly `Real`s. It's a 38-MB file. I get this *super helpful* error message:

    Import::fmterr: Cannot import data as XLS format. >>

A little googling reveals that for large files, [Wolfram recommends][1] this magic snippet:

    << JLink`;
    InstallJava[];
    ReinstallJava[JVMArguments -> "-Xmx512m"]

But I get the same error no matter how big I make the number in `"-Xmx512m"`, which I assume is the Java heap size. Can anyone recommend a way to import this file *without* using Excel to convert it to a different format?

**Addendum:** I appreciate the effective ideas that have been proposed as workarounds. But I'm looking for a way of directly importing Excel files. It will be difficult to explain that my favorite software cannot import Excel files without prior conversion using some external program. If this is the case, I'm truly surprised.

  [1]: http://support.wolfram.com/kb/3803 "Wolfram recommends"