Changing Source File of Linked Excel Charts

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brad Bendecl
  • Start date Start date
B

Brad Bendecl

I have a PowerPoint file with a substantial number of embedded charts
and tables linked to Excel. The presentation needs to be updated
every quarter to reflect the most current data in the underlying Excel
file. However, instead of updating the same Excel source file every
quarter, I rename the source file after I've updated it with the most
current quarterly data. When I go into my PowerPoint file and attempt
to change the source of the links so that it maps to the most current
version of the Excel file, my table links update beautifully, but my
chart links don't update correctly. Any idea how to make the chart
links re-map correctly when the Excel source file is changed?
 
I don't understand why you are renaming the original file and trying
to do all that extra work to repoint all the links.

A much simpler approach would be to just save the old XL file as a new
name and then update the data in the original file and all your links
would be intact. And you'd have time to go to the beach.

Brian Reilly, PowerPoint MVP
 
Brian, I have done exactly what you suggested in other instances, but
I wanted to inquire as to whether there is actually a solution to this
problem that I haven't found yet on my own. If it simply doesn't
exist, I can live with that, but it would be helpful to know why
PowerPoint can successfully change embedded links to cell ranges in
Excel but not to charts in Excel. I find it very strange. I suppose
I'm secretly hoping for an easy fix, and I figured there would be no
harm in posing the question to the experts. Yes, I do agree that it
would be agonizing to go the through the process of relinking, but
frankly that would be considerably less painful than the confusion I'm
bound to stir up among my co-workers by changing file naming
conventions. Plus there isn't a good beach within 200 miles of here
anyway. :-)

Thanks
 
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