Best method of having a Shared Excel file.

JoeF1 · 29 Mar 2016 at 16:52

Hi guys,

Really need your help here. We have about 50 people accessing one excel spreadsheet. All on different versions of excel and in split up locations. This corrupts a lot and we have to go in and fix it. I am trying to think of other ways of having this shared to stop the corruption etc. We are slowly rolling out share point. Am i right in thinking we can have the file on sharepoint so they can open it up edit then re-save? I am testing this but there is no way of editing the file without downloading the excel file then re-uploading into share point which won't work.

Any other tips on this would be great. Company just won't spend any more money on different software.

Thanks.

tom_e · 29 Mar 2016 at 16:54

IIRC from using sharepoint in my previous place you check it out so no one else can edit it then save and check it back in when you're done, I think it still needs at least a temporary file to be downloaded though.

What about something like Google docs?

JoeF1 · 29 Mar 2016 at 17:19

tom_e said:
IIRC from using sharepoint in my previous place you check it out so no one else can edit it then save and check it back in when you're done, I think it still needs at least a temporary file to be downloaded though.

What about something like Google docs?

Yeah, don't think sharepoint will be the solution here. I have never even thought of google docs. Naive question but i am assuming everyone using google docs would need a log in?

Orcvader · 29 Mar 2016 at 17:25

JoeF1 said:
Yeah, don't think sharepoint will be the solution here. I have never even thought of google docs. Naive question but i am assuming everyone using google docs would need a log in?

You can set it so people with the link can access it regardless if they have a Google account or not.

I think the web version of Office can do this too although not tried it.

The1nonly1 · 30 Mar 2016 at 00:02

Google Docs definitely.

Spleen Sauce · 30 Mar 2016 at 08:23

In the last company I worked for, we migrated to Google Docs as there wasn't anything that came close in terms of multi-user simultaneous collaboration. It just works and works well.

Quartz · 30 Mar 2016 at 10:49

JoeF1 said:
Hi guys,

Really need your help here. We have about 50 people accessing one excel spreadsheet.

Take a step back: is Excel the right tool for the job? Might an Access or SQL database - perhaps with an Excel front end - be a better solution?

All on different versions of excel

This is a real issue.

Six6siX · 30 Mar 2016 at 12:50

Quartz said:
Take a step back: is Excel the right tool for the job? Might an Access or SQL database - perhaps with an Excel front end - be a better solution?

I second this. For some reason Excel often seems to be the weapon of choice despite it being entirely unsuitable (e.g. multi user access).

pearce64 · 31 Mar 2016 at 01:24

If the solution needs to be Excel Try this link

https://support.office.com/en-us/ar...laborate-79BD9DEE-1AA3-49B5-BC27-A1AD28FFCBCE

balanceballs · 31 Mar 2016 at 22:39

Six6siX said:
I second this. For some reason Excel often seems to be the weapon of choice despite it being entirely unsuitable (e.g. multi user access).

Yeah, 50 people accessing an Excel file is just asking for trouble

wesimmo · 31 Mar 2016 at 22:59

Quartz said:
Take a step back: is Excel the right tool for the job? Might an Access or SQL database - perhaps with an Excel front end - be a better solution?

This is a real issue.

Agreed, 50 people constantly using the same spreadsheet stinks of Excel being asked to do a database job and not being very good at it.

gpuerrilla · 2 Apr 2016 at 20:53

wesimmo said:
Agreed, 50 people constantly using the same spreadsheet stinks of Excel being asked to do a database job and not being very good at it.

+1 im afraid.

jpaul · 3 Apr 2016 at 21:58

if 50 people are editing the spreadsheet it must be difficult to check/guarantee
ongoing quality of the data - does the application not permit you to have multiple
spreadsheets, from whom data is then consolidated in a master spreadsheet which
references these. eg 50 individual sales accounts with data in similarly structured but separate spreadsheets, which are then referenced from a master spreadsheet (which
most folks just access in read only)

Ethermaster · 4 Apr 2016 at 18:08

As others have stated Excel in this case does not offer the best solution, I would suggest that you start to think a simple MS Access database with simple MIviews to query the data and update records.

For 50 users personally I would be looking at an squeal database and web GUI.. If you don't have the skill set or time to develop this maybe look at its importance to the business and business objectives and look to see if there product that can be purchased off the shelf and deployed quite quickly.

james.miller · 6 Apr 2016 at 11:07

JoeF1 said:
I am testing this but there is no way of editing the file without downloading the excel file then re-uploading into share point which won't work.

Any other tips on this would be great. Company just won't spend any more money on different software.

Thanks.

You shouldn't have to download the file. Are you using IE? It's the only browser that really integrates with sharepoint correctly. With ie its open file > check out > edit > check in and done.