Making a better product, Microsoft Excel

[Guest]

I have installed Office XP in my computer and I need to work every day with
some statistic excel book. Excel has some disadvantages when we try to open 2
files with the same name. Regularly display some error saying that I can’t
open two documents with the same name, but I need to open several documents
with the same name at the same time.

Other case is when I have some excel file like a data source. This data
source is changing every day with new data. I have some template file linked
to this data source file. On the end day I save the template file like a book
in a directory for history log. Sometime I need make comparisons between two
or several files. All the files are linked to the same data source file, but
when I open the file I press Don’t update bottom. The data on the files
remain like the day when was saved, but when I open the second file, that is
linked to the same data source like the first file, the first file data
changed for the second file data.

I guess that you don’t have solutions for this case, but would like that you
take note for make a better product for the next chance.

Thank very much.

 

[Nick Hodge]

This group if it is monitored by MS is likely not monitored by the people
who will look at your requests.

A couple of suggestions

1) Why not save the file off as the 'daily' file with the date appended to
it? This way it will have a different name and be much easier to identify.
2) When saving, why not kill the links in the workbook? This can be a simple
Copy>Paste special>Values if there are not too many, or in 2003 (Not sure
about XP), you can go to Edit>Links... and break them or select not to
update (Or even set them to manual). All the prompt does is not open the
workbooks(s) that the data is linked to. If they are open and update is set
to automatic, then they will update. (As you are seeing)

--
HTH
Nick Hodge
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Southampton, England
(e-mail address removed)