Connect sheets to source or destination spreadsheets

To pull or push data between spreadsheets, you can connect a spreadsheet's sheets to other spreadsheets' sheets from the Data toolbar or Connections panel. You can then refresh the connection to update the destination sheet with the latest data from the source sheet.

Note: In a spreadsheet's outline, you can view which sheets have incoming connections, outgoing connections, or both. If your organization uses Wdata or Reports, a spreadsheet may also have incoming connections from source queries or reports, or outgoing connections to destination tables. Each spreadsheet can have up to 100 connections, with only one incoming connection per sheet.

Incoming connections and destination cells

When you add or refresh an incoming connection from a source sheet, it:

• Pulls the latest data from the source sheet into the destination sheet, starting with cell A1.
• Removes any data from the destination sheet's unlocked cells. To retain a calculation or other data in a destination sheet, lock its cells before you add or refresh its incoming connection.
• Locks connected cells in the destination sheet to ensure data integrity. To update the data in a connected cell, refresh its connection.

Note: If an incoming connection doesn't refresh, verify the destination spreadsheet is 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 sheets to other sheets

From a spreadsheet's Data toolbar or Connections panel, a sheet's owner can connect a sheet to another sheet they have permission to view. This sheet can even be in a separate workspace.

Note: When you add a connection, it removes any data from the destination sheet's unlocked cells. To retain any calculation or other data in the destination sheet, lock the cells before you add the connection.

Connect to sheets in another workspace (cross-workspace connections)

Cross-workspace connections can help your teams share snippets of fully aggregated, report-ready data across the organization. This data will often be limited in size and scope -- it's perfect when prepping targeted reports or in support of an upcoming reporting cycle.

It is not, however, intended to support large transfers of data within an organization. For larger projects, tables or queries are a preferred choice.

Note: By default, only Workspace Owners have the ability to create cross-workspace connections, but this ability can be granted to other members with the Cross Workspace Data Sharing Manager role.

Search for spreadsheets

The search box provides a quick way to sort through a large number of files.

There are two ways it can help you locate a connection source:

• Search for a spreadsheet by name
• Copy and paste a direct link to a sheet URL

Please note that the search function will only search spreadsheets -- it won't locate the individual sheets contained therein. 

Refresh connections

To update a destination spreadsheet with the latest information from its connected sources, a sheet's Owner or Editor can refresh its connections.

Note: When you refresh a connection, it removes any data from the destination sheet's unlocked cells. To retain any calculation or other data in the destination sheet, lock the cells before you refresh the connection.

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 connection's sheet

From a spreadsheet, you can open the sheet it pulls data from or pushes data to through an incoming or outgoing connection.

Note: To open a destination or source sheet from within its own spreadsheet, select Go to sheet from the connection's menu.

Rename a connection

By default, each connection uses the same name as the destination sheet. To edit a connection's name:

1. From the Connections panel, select Rename connection from the connection's menu.
2. Edit the connection's name, and press Enter.

Replace a destination sheet's source

To connect a destination sheet to a different source sheet:

1. From the Connections panel of the destination spreadsheet, select Replace source from the connection's menu.
2. Select the new sheet 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 another sheet, remove the connection, and then add a connection to the new source.

Remove or disconnect a connection

From the Connections panel, you can disconnect a spreadsheet from its source or destination, such as to:

• Retain a snapshot of the current data in the destination sheet.
• Replace the source a sheet pulls data from to something else, such as a Wdata query or Report.

To disconnect a connection:

• On the destination spreadsheet—Under Incoming, select Remove connection from the connection's menu.
• On the source spreadsheet—Under Outgoing, select Disconnect from the connection's menu. 

Migrate a connected source to a connection

From the Connected sheets panel of the destination spreadsheet, you can view any spreadsheet 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 source sheet instead.

View an incoming connection's IDs

For the ID of an incoming connection or its source sheet, select View properties from the connection's menu under Incoming on the Connections panel. To copy an ID, click Copy to clipboard .

Note: With an item's ID, you can identify it in a Workiva API endpoint or a Workiva connector command in Wdata Chains. 

Connections and permissions

A sheet's Owner can connect it to only other sheets they also have permission to view.

If you collaborate on a spreadsheet with others, their access to its connections depends on their permissions to both the source and destination sheets.

Source permission	Destination permission	Connection access
Viewer, Editor, or Owner	Viewer or None	Locked
Viewer	Editor	Refresh the connection
Editor or Owner	Owner	Full access

Note: For a spreadsheet's Viewer, connections appear locked regardless of their permissions to specific sheets.