About Linking Tables to External Data

You can use existing data from Microsoft Excel XLSX files when you create tables within a drawing.

You can link to an entire spreadsheet or only to a cell or cell range by defining a so called data link.

Using the Data Link Manager dialog box, you can:

• Define a data link by selecting an XLSX file
• Specify a range in the XLSX file
• Open, rename, and delete existing data links

Additional options let you control how to convert cell content and table formatting from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets into the table on your drawing.

The DataLink command displays the Data Link Manager.

The workflow for creating a table based on an existing Microsoft Excel file includes the following steps:

• Establish a data link to the spreadsheet or cell range
• Create a table based on an existing data link

Note: By default, data links are locked to prevent accidental changes of the linked spreadsheets.

Any changes that occure in a linked spreadsheet can be automatically reflected in the table using the UpdateDataLink command.

Note: An alternative method to create tables from Excel files is to copy a range of cells and paste them into the graphics area.