Importing into a pre-formatted spreadsheet

[rukiddin]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I am trying to import a text file into a pre-existing spreadsheet that has been pre-formatted to meet the end users needs. My thought was to import into a blank sheet, and then have the formatted report/spreadsheet reference the items from the raw data on the other sheet. Since the imported data is always in the same format, it should be a no brainer. However it appears that once Excel makes the association with a field, when you change it, it breaks the association, and you have to do it all over again. All I get on my formatted pages are #REF! Is there a proper way to accomplish what I am trying to do? Realize that there is a lot of unnecessary data in the raw import. So importing into a template probably isn't the write process, but maybe it is.

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I am trying to import a text file into a pre-existing spreadsheet that has
been pre-formatted to meet the end users needs. My thought was to import into
a blank sheet, and then have the formatted report/spreadsheet reference the
items from the raw data on the other sheet. Since the imported data is always
in the same format, it should be a no brainer. However it appears that once
Excel makes the association with a field, when you change it, it breaks the
association, and you have to do it all over again. All I get on my formatted
pages are #REF! Is there a proper way to accomplish what I am trying to do?
Realize that there is a lot of unnecessary data in the raw import. So
importing into a template probably isn't the write process, but maybe it is.

I think you are on the right track. If your formatted sheet references an
image of the imported data, then copy the imported data to that sheet. If
you want it to reference the actual imported sheet, you should update the
links to the newly imported sheet.

 

[rukiddin]

Bob,

Thanks for the tip. I had actually done that once, and it had worked, but I forgot what I did. Your tip did the trick.

Mike