Where is the option to update Excel data?

[agibsonsw]

Hello. PowerPoint 2013.

I copied some Excel data and pasted it as a link into the Edit Data box, but when I close and open PowerPoint it still has the old values. Where is the simple option to update the data please? (This shouldn't be so hard!!)

[Rudi]

Hello. PowerPoint 2013.

I copied some Excel data and pasted it as a link into the Edit Data box, but when I close and open PowerPoint it still has the old values. Where is the simple option to update the data please? (This shouldn't be so hard!!)

Is your link setting possible set on manual update?
If you go to the FILE ribbon, INFO tab, bottom right corner, click on Edit Links and check on the dialog if the option is manual or automatic.

Usually links will prompt when you open the presentation. You can also manually update if you click on the linked object, and and choose update links on the contextual ribbon of that object.

[agibsonsw]

Hi Rudi.

Unfortunately, there is no "Edit Links" option in the properties, or advanced properties. I can find no similar options in either of the contextual tabs, and the various Edit options lead me nowhere

[Rudi]

Hi Andy,

Here are some screenshots of the edit links and the auto update options.
With charts for example, you have a button called Refresh Data
BTW: What happens if you right click and view the menu...is there update link options there?

2013-11-01_20h13_43.jpg

2013-11-01_20h17_13.jpg

2013-11-01_20h20_41.jpg

[Rudi]

When I close this PPT and reopen it it prompts to update all the links...as in this image...

2013-11-01_20h25_43.jpg

[agibsonsw]

This is my fault, sorry. I've created a Chart in PowerPoint, and pasted linked data into the Edit Data window.

That is, I'm not directly linking to either a worksheet or chart. None of the screenshot image-options appear for me.

[Rudi]

Hi Andy,

I see your point - the refresh and update buttons are disabled.
However, I notice that the linked data does update if you use the dropdown and point to Edit data in Excel 2013 (not just the Edit Data option - here it does NOT update).
The moment the Excel window activates, the linked data is updated and reflected on the chart. (You can actually see the links to the source workbook in the formula bar.

2013-11-02_12h42_43.jpg

[agibsonsw]

Still no joy for me. Even if I Edit Data in Excel and then (from Excel) go to the Data tab and choose Edit Links, Update, it all drops to #REF

Maybe having more than one version of Office on my computer doesn't help? But a colleague tried on another computer and had similar issues.

[Rudi]

Still no joy for me. Even if I Edit Data in Excel and then (from Excel) go to the Data tab and choose Edit Links, Update, it all drops to #REF

Maybe having more than one version of Office on my computer doesn't help? But a colleague tried on another computer and had similar issues.

Is it absolutely necessary to go the route of pasting the data from Excel into the Edit Box of PowerPoint?
Could you not simply draw up the graph in Excel, then copy and paste the graph into PowerPoint. This is a more common way of doing it (and IMHO, a much better way) and I'm sure this method will not give you any issues when it comes to updating the links.

[agibsonsw]

This is the route I've generally recommended, rather than people just copying and pasting an Excel chart. The Excel chart they have might be too detailed for PowerPoint, used to cause distortion issues and requires the chart to remain in the spreadsheet.

But it looks like we have no choice now. I am not enamoured of 2013. A lot of things that were previously easy are now either hard or not possible. For instance, if I save a presentation as a template it doesn't appear on the front page, it only shows MS, online templates. And I can't see anywhere to turn off the silly animation effects (of the UI).

Thank you for your assistance though. Andy.

[teachesms]

I use the Insert Object command in any version of PowerPoint, and have no trouble linking to an Excel Chart or spreadsheet.
1. On a slide in PowerPoint (Title Slide for example) choose the Insert Ribbon
2. Choose the Object command
3. Choose the From File command, and find your file, ensure the checkbox for Link is chosen and choose the OK command button.
4. You will double-click on the object to refresh the file as it is a direct link to Excel. If you change it in Excel and save, it changes in PowerPoint.

Maybe I'm missing something here. If so, clue me.

[agibsonsw]

Hello teachesms. I know this option but it isn't what I wanted. I wanted to link to the Excel data, but build the chart in PowerPoint. I've always done this previously by copying, and linking, the Excel data into a PowerPoint-Chart's Datasheet (now the Edit Data dialog in 2013). It seems that this is no longer an option sadly.

But thanks for your response ;)