Would installing SERVICE Packs possibly help the linking and calculating
issues?

I saw some things in google about it but not sure if I should proceed.

Is it possible to adjust settings related to linking on a "global all Excel
files" setting?

Did you encounter issues like Excel Freezing also?

Thanks
Carlos

"JLatham" wrote:

The "update links" and "save link values" should already be the default
settings, but yes as you surmised, they are workbook settings and not global
"all Excel files" settings.

"Sometimes if I happen to slip up and open the MAIN spreadsheet which reads
other spreadsheets prior to opening the ones it looks at, Excel 2007 states
it is updating links towards the bottom right and basically freezes the
program.

I know my spreadsheets have alot of links but what amazes me is that MY
dinosaur program of LOTUS 1-2-3 does not run into the same problem and it has
spreadsheets with just as many links."

In a way it's probably the advantages of being a 'dinosaur' --- it's not
filled with many features that probably most of the users never utilize (such
as all of the net-centric and group collaboration abilities). But, as you
noted, the slowdowns can even take place in Excel 2003. I had a project a
while back where I *THOUGHT* I was being really slick by not creating links
to data in other workbooks by setting up dynamic formulas to bring the data
in, convert to values and place where needed in the workbook. I found that
Excel was maintaining DDE links anyhow, even when the formulas referencing
the other workbooks were deleted and it was killing performance. I
eventually rewrote that whole section to open the other workbooks, import the
data directly and close the other workbooks when I was done with them - big
improvement in performance.

YOU ARE NOT the only one to encounter these issues. Performance has been an
issue with Excel 2007 since the day it was released. You should see what
happens if you happen to use charting/graphing and try to change anything on
a chart/graph!

As far as the "update links?" prompt - I'd go ahead and activate it. Then
if you know the other workbooks have not been altered since the last time you
used the main one, you can say NO and perhaps get into the use of it quicker.
Or even set calculation to manual and not update links, and wait until
you're ready to print/review results to have it update the links and
recalculate the workbook.

Here's a short macro that you could add to the workbook that will update the
links in it and recalculate it:

Sub BringUpToDate()
ActiveWorkbook.UpdateLink Name:=ActiveWorkbook.LinkSources
Application.Calculate
MsgBox "Workbook Links and Calculations have been updated."
End Sub

Carlos,
Installing the service pack can't help. There have been some performance
improvements, but they may not all apply to your situation.

As I said, the linking options are workbook specific, probably because
Microsoft (rightly) assumed that most people would not want all workbooks to
work the same way with regards to those settings.

I've not seen Excel 2007 freeze up totally except in one or two rare
instances, but sometimes it seems it may have locked up entirely due to the
time involved in recalculating or redrawing charts. See these two recent
posts by just one new user regarding this type of thing:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...4d3&sloc=en-us
http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...5fe&sloc=en-us
Obviously those aren't the only ones, just 2 recent ones I had references to.

Wish I had more for you, but I really don't.

"Carlos" wrote:

Would installing SERVICE Packs possibly help the linking and calculating
issues?

I saw some things in google about it but not sure if I should proceed.

Is it possible to adjust settings related to linking on a "global all Excel
files" setting?

Did you encounter issues like Excel Freezing also?

Thanks
Carlos

"JLatham" wrote:

The "update links" and "save link values" should already be the default
settings, but yes as you surmised, they are workbook settings and not global
"all Excel files" settings.

"Sometimes if I happen to slip up and open the MAIN spreadsheet which reads
other spreadsheets prior to opening the ones it looks at, Excel 2007 states
it is updating links towards the bottom right and basically freezes the
program.

I know my spreadsheets have alot of links but what amazes me is that MY
dinosaur program of LOTUS 1-2-3 does not run into the same problem and it has
spreadsheets with just as many links."

In a way it's probably the advantages of being a 'dinosaur' --- it's not
filled with many features that probably most of the users never utilize (such
as all of the net-centric and group collaboration abilities). But, as you
noted, the slowdowns can even take place in Excel 2003. I had a project a
while back where I *THOUGHT* I was being really slick by not creating links
to data in other workbooks by setting up dynamic formulas to bring the data
in, convert to values and place where needed in the workbook. I found that
Excel was maintaining DDE links anyhow, even when the formulas referencing
the other workbooks were deleted and it was killing performance. I
eventually rewrote that whole section to open the other workbooks, import the
data directly and close the other workbooks when I was done with them - big
improvement in performance.

YOU ARE NOT the only one to encounter these issues. Performance has been an
issue with Excel 2007 since the day it was released. You should see what
happens if you happen to use charting/graphing and try to change anything on
a chart/graph!

As far as the "update links?" prompt - I'd go ahead and activate it. Then
if you know the other workbooks have not been altered since the last time you
used the main one, you can say NO and perhaps get into the use of it quicker.
Or even set calculation to manual and not update links, and wait until
you're ready to print/review results to have it update the links and
recalculate the workbook.

Here's a short macro that you could add to the workbook that will update the
links in it and recalculate it:

Sub BringUpToDate()
ActiveWorkbook.UpdateLink Name:=ActiveWorkbook.LinkSources
Application.Calculate
MsgBox "Workbook Links and Calculations have been updated."
End Sub