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I have an excel document that is linked to a SP 2010 list. I set the connection and the update on open. It works just fine (i.e. updates with new data) when the file is on my local machine. However when it is posted as a shared document on the SP site it does not update any more. Any ideas?

Thank you,

Rulik

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You may want to make sure that the connection file is saved in a public location, not your local profile. In Excel, on the Data ribbon click Connections > select the connection, probably called something like owssvr, and then click the Properties button. In the next dialog, click the Definition tab. Click the button to Export the Connection File. Upload that file to a public location, for example a SharePoint Data Connection library. Make sure that the file is published. Then, back in the Excel file Data > Connection > Properties > Definition > Click Browse, navigate to the SharePoint site and library and select the published connection file. Save the Excel file.

Users need at least read access to both the Data Connections library and the SharePoint list that the connection file points to.

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  • Thank you teylyn, Tried to follow your example step by step... So when the excel file is local, and the connection file local, I make a change in the SP list, open the excel file, and it updates the NEW data. Fantastic. Exported the connection file and put it on SP data connection library etc... Excel file still local. Make a change in the list, open excel, NO update. Go to data, click on Refresh All Connection, and data is refreshed. Acceptable but not great. Move the excel to the shared document on the SP site. Made a change in the SP list. Open the file from SP in the browser. No updates. C
    – user24505
    Mar 19, 2014 at 21:38
  • Did you publish the connection file? Did you point the data connection in Excel to the published connection file? Forget Firefox. Office integration does not work with Firefox. I'm not sure if data connections are supported in Excel web app. probably not. So store the file in SharePoint, but open with Excel client, not the browser.
    – teylyn
    Mar 20, 2014 at 2:55

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