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Can excel pull from a different workbook if it is closed, but in the same folder

R

rjwalters

New Member
I am kinda making a dashboard. In my folder I have 5 other excel files. My question is can my dashboard pull from those files as changes are made? It could update on open, which is fine.
 
Certainly. How are you bringing the data in? Cell links, SQL query, macro, etc.

The first will usually prompt user upon opening, or update automatically. The 2nd prompts the user as well, and then refreshes the query. The third has many options, depending on how you want to set it up.
 
Upon open I want the dashboard to update. I am not a guru so just trying to put something together. I imagine cell links would be the easiest for my knowledge level.
 
So my Dashboard file is called Dashboard. If my other is called Jello, do I need to do something special to link them.
 
A lot depends on how much data you need to bring over. The simplest approach is to have both the workbooks open while setting things up. Then, start typing a formula with the "=", and navigate to the source workbook and select the cell(s) of interest. XL will write the formula for you. Could look something like:

=SUM('[Other Workbook.xls]Sheet2'!A:A)


When you're all done, close the source workbook, and you'll notice XL changes the above formula to have full address

=SUM('C:My Documents[Other Workbook.xls]Sheet2'!A:A)


Now, when you open the Dashboard workbook, all the cells which link to the other workbook will update.
 
Hi there,


Have you tried the PULL function? This works in updating links to closed workbooks. Its not a formula in Excel but a combination of VBA and native Excel processes. There is some VBA you have to download online and paste in your workbook for it to work. I've used it in the past combined with VLOOKUPS and it works.


Good luck.
 
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