Another excel question for the experts

[polarmystery]

My colleagues and myself have a running database in excel that we all use to modify. It is a list of something like 5000 line items with 30 columns or so with information. When we modify the file to be a shared file (meaning we can all modify it at the same tim) the file size balloon's up 50MB from it's original size. The file itself is around 9MB but when it's shared, it's 61MB. The file size seems to be causing slow downs for all.

We each work on different columns for this database so the data being fed into this database is updated constantly. Each day we import these changes into an Access database. Is there any reason why the file size gets so big when it becomes a shared workbook and/or is there a way to trick the file to not get so huge? It's causing huge problems for us. Thanks in advance.


*paging AreaCode707*

Moved from Off Topic
moderator allisolm

 

[sdifox]

any particular reason you don't move it into access?

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: sdifox
any particular reason you don't move it into access?

Or use the right forum?

 

[KingGheedora]

I never knew Excel would do that, but it is probably necessary to allow the shared use, if Excel is doing that. If you already use Access, why not just have everyone update the data directly in Access?

 

[Legendary]

Sharing allows everyone to edit at the same time. The only way to do that is to create multiple instances of the file inside the file you're clicking to open. It will let you merge them together later, and then have you manually sort out any conflicts.

 

[polarmystery]

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
I never knew Excel would do that, but it is probably necessary to allow the shared use, if Excel is doing that. If you already use Access, why not just have everyone update the data directly in Access?

Because our customer requires database lists in excel. We don't have any other choice.

 

[yinan]

Use access and export it to Excel?

 

[NeoV]

What version of Excel are you using? Excel 2007 does a much better job keeping the file size down on shared files than prior versions did.

Another option would be to split the file up, and have one master file pull the info in from the other's

 

[polarmystery]

Originally posted by: NeoV
What version of Excel are you using? Excel 2007 does a much better job keeping the file size down on shared files than prior versions did.

Another option would be to split the file up, and have one master file pull the info in from the other's

2003 but we are soon updating to 2007

 

[sdifox]

assuming the excel sheet is setup in a proper table structure, you could just leave the file on the network and add an odbc entry to each user's machine, and just reference it as a data source.