Creating a data link

Each data link corresponds to a single sheet in an .xls or .xlsx file. You can link to the whole spreadsheet, a named range, or a custom range that you specify.

To create a data link, Microsoft Excel or another spreadsheet program that works with .xls or .xlsx files must be installed on your computer.

Once the data link is created, you can include the referenced data in your drawing by inserting a table and selecting the data link. The data link can also be created at the same time you draw tables. For more details about tables, see Drawing an empty table.

To create a data link

   1   Do one of the following to choose Data Link Manager ():

    On the ribbon, choose Insert > Data Link Manager (in Data); Annotate > Data Link Manager (in Tables).

    On the menu, choose Insert > Data Link > Data Link Manager.

    Type datalink and then press Enter.

   2   Click New Data Link ().

   3   In Name, enter a name for the data link.

   4   In Choose an Excel File, click [...] to browse for an .xls, .xlsx file, or choose a file from the list of files that are linked to from the current drawing.

   5   In Path Type, choose whether you want to use a full path, relative path, or no path to find the specified file.

   6   In Select Excel Sheet to Link To, choose the sheet from the list of all sheets contained in the specified Excel file.

   7   Choose one of the following:

    Link Entire Sheet Select to include data from the entire specified sheet within the Excel file.

    Link to a Named Range Select to include data from a named range of cells within the Excel file. Available only when the specified file contains named ranges.

    Link to Range Select to include data from a custom range of cells. You can specify an entire column (e.g., A:A), a set of entire columns (e.g., A:D), or a rectangular area (e.g., A1:D10).

   8   Click OK.

    9    Click OK again.