I have several files where I have several tasks. Each task has a "to be completed" date attached to it and a formula that calculates whether the task is "overdue" or "not yet due".
To generate a complete overview, I've created one Masterfile and used Power Query to link all these individual files. This works properly, however one issue I can't resolve which is the following:
The Power Query does not refresh the "overdue/not due" formula, when I am refreshing the Query. As such the Masterfile states that tasks that were "not due" at the time I saved the original file, are still not due, although they are in fact "overdue".. I think the Power Query read the original files without updating the formula's.. Is there anyway to resolve this?
There is no easy way to resolve this. Three possible options :
If you want to accomplish this just from within your Masterfile, you can create a VBA script in your Masterfile that opens and closes all linked workbooks (see more info here). Please note that you must have access to these files (can be tricky if these are on a network drive or in the cloud);
You also can just manually open and close the individual files before you open the Masterfile (or before you refresh the data);
Change your approach/formulas, and use the individual files as pure data files, without any formula's that need refreshing, and do all calculations in the Masterfile.
My personal preference/recommendation would be 3), as I have some bad experiences from working with linked workbooks. My own approach if it is really necessary to exchange data between Excel files, is to create a Transfer tab/worksheet in the source workbook where you put all data that the other workbook needs, and create a Source tab/worksheet in the other workbook, and I copy/paste-as-values from one to the other, in particular when both workbooks are "in development". Once workbooks are stable (but does that ever happens?), you still can link the Target>Source worksheets (but auditing errors is just easier instead of having links all over your workbooks).
Related
I have come to a problem that I had kind of sorted, but it came back to haunt me.
I have a set of Excel files with information (origin) that feed an aggregator/wrangler/chewer in Excel (workbook) and then I have a set of files, one for each subsidiary (output), that have the same structure (sheets, hyperlinks, headers) but only get the relevant info for that subsidiary.
Right now I have everything automated, I download, prepare the information and update the origin files, then the only thing I need to do is open and save all the other documents (aggregator/subsidiary exports) and I do it with VBA.
In order to distribute the subsidiary files I have to come up with something that can have the same structure as an Excel workbook, but doesn't have the links to the aggregator, or the subsidiaries won't be able to see the information as there will be #REF errors everywhere (even on some sheets headers).
The solution that I put in place was exporting the files as MHTML (Single File Web Page), as it managed to keep the sheets and hyperlinks and everything as intended, while only needing to "open [subsidiary file].xlsx & save as [subsidiary file].mht", but then I came to learn that it is only possible to open this file type in IE, which not everyone has access to.
Then my problem is that I need an alternative to this solution while using only "plain" solutions as the IT department won't allow me to use anything more than standard administrative tools (standard MS Office suite).
I tried to replicate the subsidiary files by copying and pasting every sheet, but then I cannot come up with a way to keep every formatting (mainly header width) as intended when pasting as "values", or as "values and source formatting", and this approach doesn't escalate well.
Do you know of a way of saving the file as is but without the formulas, or preventing them from updating when the file reopens (even if you say no to "update links" prompt sometimes some cells ate updated, don't know why), or some different approach?
The idea is to generate a file that no matter who the user is, and does, is able to see the information, and cannot screw the file/info in it, and if possible keeping it "easy" to update with a "simple" macro.
Kind regards,
Flávio
The problem
I have eight Excel documents that are stored on a Sharepoint site. One of those documents (“receiving file”) contains formulas/cell references to the other seven documents (“source files”) on Sharepoint.
Everything works when the references are created.
Once the workbooks are saved and closed and then reopened, the receiving file no longer updates the values from the source files.
The files are synced in Windows Explorer and opened in the desktop version of Excel. Also, all eight files are opened at the same time.
The reference will first look something like this
='[Source file.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1
After closing and reopening, the references will look like this
='https://somecompanyname.sharepoint.com/sites/SitefortestingExcelreferences/Shared Documents/[Source file.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1
If I now change a value in the source value, the change will not appear in the receiving file.
What I tried so far
Setting “Calculation” to “Automatic.
Click “Calculate Now” and “Calculate Sheet”.
Double-click into the cell with the reference and hit enter.
In “Data > Queries & Connections” click “Refresh all”
In “Data > Queries & Connections > Edit Link” I clicked on update values. It did not help. However, I tried to rebuild a simple system with just two files and a single reference, and here it did work
Starting from point 5) I programmed a little macro that updates all links in all open workbooks (it did not help either):
Option Explicit
Sub UpdateAllConnections()
Dim wbWorkbook As Workbook
For Each wbWorkbook In Application.Workbooks
wbWorkbook.UpdateLink Name:=wbWorkbook.LinkSources, Type:=xlExcelLinks
Next wbWorkbook
MsgBox "Update complete.", vbInformation, "Complete"
End Sub
If I remove the path to SharePoint, so the formula looks like this
='[Source file.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1
It works again (until I save and reopen).
I found the following on Microsoft Answers (about OneDrive but it's probably the same issue):
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/excel-value-links-not-updating-on-onedrive/e48a7680-71e6-4a77-9eb1-e03ec7f0e3e0
I contacted the official O365 support desk and they told me this is built into the connection between Excel and OneDrive.
They have received thousands of complaints and there is no fix for it.
No option to tell Excel/Office/OneDrive to link to local copies of files on 1D by default.
No fix is planned as this is not how MS envisions how Excel/1D should be used.
My question
Any suggestions? Are there any tools in Excel that can be used to update the linked cells automatically or manually? Might SharePoint settings prevent the update?
If not, since removing the file path to SharePoint seems to work is there a way (using VBA) to remove the full file path from all cell references, so
='https://somecompanyname.sharepoint.com/sites/SitefortestingExcelreferences/Shared Documents/[Source file.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1
becomes
='[Source file.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1
I could probably loop through all cells and simply replace the path with nothing, but that would only work if I know the file path beforehand and if all the files are stored in the same SharePoint folder.
I had the same issue and here is my workaround: I can open the source file on the Sharepoint site by clicking ... and then Open in App (as opposed to Open in Browser) The referecence cell in the receiving file will become ='[Source file.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1 again and get automatically updated.
My workaround would be to consolidate external links onto a single sheet, and manually or use a macro to copy / hard paste to another identical page that you use for the links.
Just run the macro when you have the workbook open on your desktop to update the values.
Even simpler, you could also have a sort of database with linked values in a column and hard copies pasted into another column. This would be simpler than two identically sized sheets.
BUT, you could also go crazy and have named ranges like quarterly_total_formula and an analogue somewhere else called quarterly_total_valueonly and then write a macro to iterate over each with a for each looking for things "LIKE" *_formula and hard paste each result into the complementary *_valueonly spot... but then you'd need a macro to check that they were all paired... and by that point you might as well not waste your time in Excel and develop in Power BI, Tableau, RMarkdown, or heck learn Adobe Illustrator or work directly in HTML.
my question is a pre-code question, as I would like to verify if and which is the best option to go about this - either formula, VBA or not possible.
I have a main workbook with an array of codes inside cells in sheet 1 - all in the format HXXX-XXX-XXX where X is numbers ranging from 0-9. Each code has an associated revision number as shown in the attached picture.
The workbook itself is named in the format: 'HXXX-XXX-XXX-YY Example Title' where YY can be any number starting from 0 to infinity (in theory). Only YY is subject to updates in the title. If changes are made in this workbook, then a new version is saved, with the YY changing in the title to the next consecutive number - Nothing else changes.
From this main workbook there are a large number of other workbooks (around 50) which share the same codes and revisions. My goal is to link all these workbooks up so that I only have to update a core main workbook and the rest of the codes (HXXX-XXX-XXX) revisions in all the other linked workbooks update accordingly.
The problem is that the other linked workbooks have a dynamic name in the format: 'HXXX-XXX-XXX-YY Example Title 2' where YY can be any number starting from 0 to infinity. YY gets updated to the next consecutive number if a change is made inside the document and this document is then saved as a separate document using Save As. NOTE: not all workbooks will get updated at the same time, as it all depends on which codes and therefore revisions are changing.
My question is firstly, is this possible with current excel functions to update links with ever-changing workbook links, which are saved as different files each time in the same folder?
Secondly, I have read about the INDIRECT function, but it is limited only to having the required workbooks opened at the same time as the updates to the main workbook, hence I am unsure that Formulas will work (I will be linking 50 workbooks to the main workbook) - From this I am gauging that VBA may be the best option, but I would like to double check this is possible before I begin attempting the code.
Of course the use of Formulas in the sheets would be much better, but because the file names are dynamic, and since the updated workbooks are saved as different files each time changes are made to it, I don't believe this is possible.
If I understand your problem correctly you need to differentiate between 3 things.
Using only Excel Formulas.
The problem with this is that formulas crossing workbooks have the big disadvantage, that you need to have the source-workbook open, otherwise manny formulas will not work correctly or update. You also have the disadvantage that saving the file needs still to be done automatically. The advantage is that you do not need VBA macros.
Using Power Query
With Power Query youmight be able to solve the problems with the dynamic names.You can even read a whole folder of files, combine them and do transformations without the need to open the files manually. But you still need to save new files manually and the files will only update once they are opened.
Using VBA
You can prettymuch do everything you asked in your problem description but VBA has its own disadvantages. Firstly the file-format ".xlsm" is not allowed by the IT department everywhere. Also to work, every user using the files needs to activate macros, otherwise the macros won't get executed. Therefore I think a VBA solution is better fitted if you only have a small circle of users or if you can execute the macros on your own (e.g. if the main workbook was updated, you need to execute a macro which opens, modifies and saves all affected files). After that you colleagues do not need VBA themself.
Possible solution:
To avoid VBA you could try to create a Power Query in each "other workbook". The query will read all filenames in the folder where the main workbook is located. Now you sort and filter for the workbook with the newest/highest ID/Titel automatically and load the result as an seperate Excel sheet (all that is possible with power query and without VBA).
Now you can use the "indirect" formula to use the ID/Titel to link to the newest main workbook. As mentioned above this will require that the main workbook is opened. Otherwise the indirect formula will not update the values. If that is out of the question, you probably need to go with VBA.
I am using a macro to create individual reports for different stakeholders in the company. The problem is that the files saved by the macro are larger than the parent files.
Please mind:
There are no "Empty lines" taking up space.
There are no connections to external sources in the outcome files.
There is no macro in any file (original or outcome).
I did see a very similar post from a couple of years ago but this had no satisfying answer. Although someone hinted at the command used to save, this is the one I use :
ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs Filename:="C:\path\" & WR_Date & "Monthly-Report" & Partner & ".xlsx "
(Excel Macros file size)
Below is a recap of the steps done by the macro.
Macro opens "Master workbook"
Deletes all external connections (OLAP)
Deletes calculations in the tables (copy as simple values)
Deletes reconciliation table sheets
Saves 4 files (Division master, Country master, Territory master, Partner master).
Uses these master files to delete all irrelevant data for the stakeholder.
Update all pivot caches (settings of all pivotes to not keep memory anyway.
Protects all worksheets and the workbook.
Saves the files with the correct names.
As per the discussion in below comments, I am pasting my macro below. The replace all function was used to remove any kind of sensitive information, sometimes the result may be weirs but it should definitely be enough to spot the issue.
I am pretty sure that the macro is causing this: if I replicate the steps done by the macro the size of the files is much smaller (5-15 Mo vs 50-60 Mo).
Also, the territory reports are normal sized. The country and division files are bigger than their master file, the partner files are also too big.
EDIT:
After plenty of checks, I have found the begining of an answer, it seems to be related to the way the pivot tables are refreshed. My code was going like this:
ActiveWorkbook.RefreshAll
For Each pc In ActiveWorkbook.PivotCaches
pc.Refresh
Next pc
I have now removed the "Refresh all" prior to refreshing the pivot cache and save about 20 Mo per Division and Country file. This is still not entirely satisfactory since the division and country files still are around the same size as their parent or bigger but these reports need to be posted today.
I'll keep on looking but will definitely try to poste you a full resolution by next month!
Ran a quick test and it may be related to the data in the file being corrupted.
"TestSize1" files are only containing data values
"TestSize2" files are only containing of excel functions
"TestSize3" files are only containing of formatting
Windows File Explorer - Test
I am only seeing a minor increase in file size on the "Values only" or "TestSize1" workbook. I do believe you shouldn't see a size increase unless the data in the workbook is corrupted for your case. This file type just permits the additional save of features, such as Macros/VBA code.
"The first is the default XLSX, then there's XLSM which is identical to XLSX except it can contain macros..."
I would look into copying just the data values out into a New workbook and save that as .xlsb. It should reduce the size (obviously), but also it removes features that excel maybe misreading or corrupted. After that open the .xlsb in a restarted window of excel (maybe restart your computer before as well to clear cache) and attempt saving back to whatever format you prefer. Add function and formatting to restore the document.
This has worked for me, off and on, for recovering large .csv files. I hope it works for you.
Currently we have a Excel VBA application, which consists of 25-30 Excel sheet (and all of those sheets all hidden and we do background processing on them and display it to VBA forms UI), and we have developed a UI using VB forms. But problem we are facing is whenever we click on Save button using this code:
ThisWorkbook.Save
But this saves entire workbook not an individual sheet, so even if we make changes in single sheet it saves entire workbook and this save processing makes very slow (since it needs to save all excel sheet containing lot of data unnecessary, even if there is no changes).
My question is is there any way we can save "only one sheet in a particular excel sheet" not an entire excel file?
Note: I am a Java developer and I worked on VBA before, But it was years back, and I have forgotten bit. Any guidance would be appreciated. Or any pointers on how to handle this situation would be appreciated. Please let me know if you need any more information, I can edit this question.
What I have tried already? I did a lot of research from yesterday, I searched in previous questions on SO, but didn't get any useful information. As per my research it says we cannot do this. Am I on right path?
The short answer is no. You cannot save a single worksheet at a time.
You may want to try to reduce the amount of data in the workbook. Try storing data in several workbooks and when it is needed, open that specific workbook, make the needed changes, and then close it.
If it is necessary to have access to all data at once then consider using access or some other database.
It is also possible that the sheets have "blank data". Cells that don't contain anything in them but excel thinks they do so when saving it tries to save way more than needed.
Assuming that it is the active worksheet that you want to save then you could do something like this:
ActiveSheet.Copy
ActiveWorkbook.Close True, "path"
This copies the active worksheet which creates a new workbook which will become the active workbook. Then just call the close method on that and give it a file name.
I think you should consider splitting your application into multiple workbooks:
The workbook that contains all the logic, user forms and programming code. This workbook handles all other workbooks as well as the displaying of it. Potentially, this could be even an "Application Specific Addin", that stays dormant but activates as soon as any of it's subsequent workbooks gets opened. For this architecture approach check out the section on "Application Specific Addins" in this link.
This workobook/add-in can also hide the other workbooks, so that the user will not notice it's multiple workbooks.
One or multiple data workbooks: Depending how interlinked the data is, you can separate this, e.g. in a "Sales data" workbook which contains the large database, as "Base data" workbook, that contains all the smaller data (e.g. products or stores tables).
This way, you can reduce the saving to the "relevant" sheets. However, of course this requires quite a bit of reprogramming - but it's worth the effort, as for instance it also allows to provide updates/bug fixes without having the transfer the data between versions, as you only need to distribute the the file with programming logic. :-)