linking and summing cells from multiple workbooks

[Gale Williams]

I have about 20 separate workbooks that contain sales
figures for 3 specific items. These are weekly reports.
I would like to compile the sales figures from these
weekly reports into a summary workbook that would compile
the figures contained in these separate workbooks. This
would be an on-going project and I would like to be able
to add weekly report names to the total workbook.

Each line item appears on the same line and column range
in each workbook.

I know this can be done, but don't have any idea where to
start.

 

[Lynne]

Create a new workbook for your summary

in the cell to contain the summary of e.g. item A, start a
formula =

From here, open the workbook containing the first cell to
be included in the summary and click on it with mouse.

Go back to your summary sheet, at the end of the extended
formula, add a +, open the 2nd sheet and repeat as above,
so your formula eventually looks something like this..

=[2.xls]Sheet1!$C$1+[1.xls]Sheet1!$C$1

Where 2.xls and 1.xls are the names of my workbooks
holding the data and cell C1 on both sheets are added
together.

As this is the link, any figures which change for item a
in sheets 2.xls and 1.xls are automatically updated in the
summary workbook

Hope this works for you

Good Luck

Lynne