In reply to Scott Wheeler.

Scott,

I know exactly what you mean by "works great--except when it doesn't!!"

I have not run into this particular error message, but I found this: Problem Note 60543 The error "No cell rectangle in range occurs when you are reading an XLSX file for a named range of one cell." Here is the link: http://support.sas.com/kb/60/543.html

This note says "The problem occurs when the named range includes only one cell."

This does not exactly address your situation because this note uses PROC IMPORT instead of the XLSXL LIBNAME engine. Perhaps this note will suggest a solution to the problem using XLSX LIBNAME. Alternatively, you could try the workaround for PROC IMPORT listed in the note. Reading Excel files requires an extra measure of experimentation as your situation shows! Of course, if neither of those works, you can always submit your question to SAS Technical Support. Here is their link: https://support.sas.com/en/technical-support.html

Good luck, stay healthy, and Happy SASsing!
Susan