Analyzing SharePoint list data in Excel
Excel makes it possible for users to create a one-way connection to
data that resides in a SharePoint list, so that once changes are made
to the list, they can be introduced to the Excel spreadsheet
automatically. With this type of one-way connection, the Excel
spreadsheet will always be current because the SharePoint site will
overwrite any data in the worksheet with the latest SharePoint list
data. This makes it easy for users to avoid the pitfalls of emailing
Excel attachments to multiple users, managing the retrieval of those
updated files, and performing the daunting task of updating the
“master” copy in an efficient and accurate manner.
With these two options, you have a choice whether or not to have the
data in the Excel spreadsheet updated after a change is made in a
SharePoint list. If you want to keep it updated, a one-way connection
can be created. If not, you can simply export the table data to a
SharePoint site without creating this connection.
You can make the connection between list data and Excel in the
browser by clicking Export To Excel on the List or Library tab in the
Connect & Export group. Once the data has been copied into the
Excel workbook, then, from within Excel, you can use the Refresh
command on the Refresh split button on the Design tab in the External
Table Data group, as shown in Figure 6.
You can also configure the connection properties using the Connection Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 7, which opens when you click Connection Properties on the Refresh split button.
