To pull data into a spreadsheet, you can connect its sheets to reports from the Database. From the spreadsheet's Data toolbar or Connections panel, you can add and refresh connections to Reports to keep its data up-to-date.
Note: In a spreadsheet's outline, you can view which sheets have incoming connections , outgoing connections , or both. If your organization uses Wdata, a spreadsheet may also have incoming connections from source queries or outgoing connections to destination tables. Each spreadsheet can have up to 100 connections, with only one incoming connection per sheet.
Connections and spreadsheet cells
When you add or refresh a connection, it:
- Pulls the latest data from the source report into the sheet, starting with cell A1.
- Removes any data from the sheet's unlocked cells. To retain a calculation or other data in the sheet, lock its cell before you add or refresh the connection.
- Locks connected cells to ensure data integrity. To update the data in a connected cell, refresh the connection.
Note: If a connection doesn't refresh, verify the spreadsheet's within its limit of 2,000,000 cells.
In the formula bar, you can view when a cell has an incoming connection .
Tip: To determine which cells are locked, click Overlay on the View toolbar. In Overlay, cells locked by a connection appear green; other locked cells appear gray.
Connect a sheet to Reports
From a spreadsheet's Data toolbar or Connections panel, a sheet's Owner can connect a sheet to a report they have permission to view.
- In the spreadsheet, select the sheet to the connect to the report.
- Add the connection from the Data toolbar or Connections panel:
- From the Data toolbar, click Add Connection , Incoming Connection , Report .
- From the Connections panel, under Incoming , click Add Connection, Report .
- From the Data toolbar, click Add Connection , Incoming Connection , Report .
- Search for and select the report to pull data from, and click Connect.
Refresh connections
To update a sheet with the latest information from its connected report, the sheets' Owners or Editors can refresh its connection from the Data toolbar or Connections panel:
- From the Data toolbar, open the sheet to update, and click Refresh , Incoming connection .
- From the Connections panel, click the connection's Refresh connection .
Note: To cancel a connection's refresh, click its X.
Filter connections
To ease working with the Connections panel, click Filter , and select which connections to view:
- To view all connections in the spreadsheet, select Entire document.
- To view only the current sheet's connections, select Current section.
Open a connected report
To open a connected report from the spreadsheet's Connections panel, click its name, or select Open Source from its connection's menu.
Note: To open the sheet connected to a source, select Go to Sheet from the connection's menu.
Rename a connection
By default, each connection uses the same name as its connected sheet. To edit a connection's name:
- From the Connections panel, select Rename Connection from its menu.
- Enter the new name for the connection.
Replace a connected report
To replace a sheet's connected source, update its connection to use another report:
- From the Connections panel, select Replace Source from the connection's menu.
- Select the new report to pull data from, and click Replace.
Note: To replace a connection with a source of a different type, such as to a Wdata query instead of a report, remove the connection, and then add a connection to the new source.
Remove a connection
To disconnect a sheet from its report, such as to retain a snapshot of the current data, select Remove Connection from the connection's menu on the Connections panel.
Migrate a connected sheet to a connection
From the Connected sheets panel, you can view any report selected as a source through a connected sheet instead of a connection. To update the sheet with the latest data, click Migrate on the Connected sheets panel to add a connection to the report instead.
View a connection's IDs
To view the ID of a connection or its connected sheet, select View properties from the connection's menu on the Connections panel.
Note: You can use an ID to identify its item in a Workiva API endpoint or a Workiva connector command in Wdata Chains.
Connections and permissions
A sheet's Owner can connect the sheet to only reports they have permission to view.
If you collaborate on the spreadsheet with others, their access to its connections depends on their permissions to the sheet and report.
| Report permission | Sheet permission | Connection access |
|---|---|---|
| Viewer, Editor, or Owner | Viewer or None | Locked |
| Viewer | Editor | Refresh the connection |
| Editor or Owner | Owner | Full access |