Excel Workbook capabilities

[madfad123]

Hey guys this is my first ever post and I was wondering about the capabilities of excel and if there was anyway to make my idea a reality. Basically, I want to have a blank Workbook or sheet that is chained to a filled sheet or master list. Using the blank sheet, I want to be able to add or edit information on the master as well as use it as a search function. Is this possible? And if so how?

 

[hang-the-9]

You can easily reference another Excel document or any sheet in one. There are also many tutorials about how to do that as well as books.

here is something https/support.office.com/en-us/article/Connect-data-in-another-workbook-to-your-workbook-3a557ddb-70f3-400b-b48c-0c86ce62b4f5

 

[Ralston18]

In full agreement with hang-the-9.

The concept is referred to as "linking".

However I will suggest, without really knowing your full requirements, that you consider a data base such as Access.

Excel is very powerful now and has quite a few data base like functions/features.

Access will be more supportive when it comes to adding, editing, and searching data. You can use wizards to create the queries (searches) and forms in which to add or enter data.

 

[hang-the-9]

In full agreement with hang-the-9.

The concept is referred to as "linking".

However I will suggest, without really knowing your full requirements, that you consider a data base such as Access.

Excel is very powerful now and has quite a few data base like functions/features.

Access will be more supportive when it comes to adding, editing, and searching data. You can use wizards to create the queries (searches) and forms in which to add or enter data.

The thing with Access is that it does not come in the lower versions of Office. Almost every company I worked with has used Excel along with a database back-end and uses Excel really only to pull data from those databases using ODBC connections. But that assumes that Access or another database is available to use. Excel is on every computer with Office, Access is not.

 

[Ralston18]

Very true. Thanks.

We all to often ended up trying to fix up vast, cumbersome Excel spreadsheets that had gotten out of control due to multiple users, custom tweaks, crazy parsing, one-off functions, etc. to keep things working. Always a mess when the original creator moved on and the inheriter ran into some crazy problem. Documentation, of course, non-existent.

In many cases, Excel was orginally used because "database" (Access and others) was too intimidating for many folks.

Tended to do the opposite: i.e., use Access to link into the Excel sheets to pull the data over for further queries, updates etc..

But will admit with all honesty and candor - saw some pretty messed up Access databases also.

Either way, just plan/design it out as well as possible beforehand.