Faster MS Excel Reading using Office Interop Assemblies

/*
 * Created by Dusty Candland.
 * Date: 3/2/2005 8:27 PM
 * 
 */
using System;
using Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel;
using System.Reflection;
using System.IO;

namespace FasterExcelAccess
{
	class MainClass
	{
		public static void Main(string[] args)
		{
			#region Uncomment the code in this region to run the TimedAccess class
			// TimedAccess timedAccess = new TimedAccess();
			// timedAccess.Read();
			// return;
			#endregion
			
			ApplicationClass app = new ApplicationClass();
			Workbook book = null;
			Worksheet sheet = null;
			Range range = null;
			
			try {
				app.Visible = false;
				app.ScreenUpdating = false;
				app.DisplayAlerts = false;
				
				string execPath = Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().CodeBase);
				
				book = app.Workbooks.Open(execPath + @"\..\..\Book1.xls", Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value
				                                  , Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value
				                                 , Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value
				                                , Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value);
				sheet = (Worksheet)book.Worksheets[1];
				
				// get a range to work with
				range = sheet.get_Range("A1", Missing.Value);
				// get the end of values to the right (will stop at the first empty cell)
				range = range.get_End(XlDirection.xlToRight);
				// get the end of values toward the bottom, looking in the last column (will stop at first empty cell)
				range = range.get_End(XlDirection.xlDown);
				
				// get the address of the bottom, right cell
				string downAddress = range.get_Address(
				    false, false, XlReferenceStyle.xlA1, 
				    Type.Missing, Type.Missing);
			
				// Get the range, then values from a1
				range = sheet.get_Range("A1", downAddress);
				object[,] values = (object[,])range.Value2;
				
				// Value2 is a two dimenial array dime one = row, dime two = column.
				Console.WriteLine("Col Count: " + values.GetLength(1).ToString());
				Console.WriteLine("Row Count: " + values.GetLength(0).ToString());
				
				// View the values
				Console.Write("\t");
				for (int j = 1; j <= values.GetLength(1); j++) {
					Console.Write("{0}\t", j);
				}
				Console.WriteLine();
				for (int i = 1; i <= values.GetLength(0); i++) {
					Console.Write("{0}\t", i);
					for (int j = 1; j <= values.GetLength(1); j++) {
						Console.Write("{0}\t", values[i, j]);
					}
					Console.WriteLine();
				}
				
			}
			catch (Exception e) {
				Console.WriteLine(e);
			}
			finally {
				range = null;
				sheet = null;
				if (book != null)
					book.Close(false, Missing.Value, Missing.Value);
				book = null;
				if (app != null)
					app.Quit();
				app = null;
			}
			
		}
	}
}