Why do I receive error message " Requested DDE Server is unavailable" when I try to interface Aspen HYSYS with MATLAB 7.8 (R2009a)?

I am trying to interface DCS Toolbox of HYSYS software with MATLAB and when HYSYS software tries to establish communication between the two, I receive the following error:

Aspen HYSYS

Vendor Error Msg

Requested DDE Server Is Unavailable

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

From the error messages provided, it looks like DCS toolbox HYSYS is trying to communicate with MATLAB 7.8 (R2009a) using DDE server, which is disabled by default since MATLAB 7.0 (R14) and is an obsolete functionality.

As an alternative, we strongly suggest utilizing COM in MATLAB. Unlike Dynamic Data Exchange, Component Object Model functionality is actively being maintained by MathWorks and is the preferred workflow.