Links and Connections Q's and Strategy?
Udzielono odpowiedziI'm a little confused about the different types of Worksheet links and which I should use. I've read this already but still have Q's: https://support.workiva.com/hc/en-us/articles/32709250416276-Should-I-use-links-or-connections
I've got data in several Source Workbooks that feed to one Destination workbook. The sources are all fairly complex with a lot of worksheets. And I need to pick small amounts of data from all over the workbooks.
So I've been using simple Linking and pasting the links from the fields I need. This works fine. Except what if I want to change the source files? Is there a way to do that without relinking everything? The usecase would be a new version of a source workbook. I suppose I could just copy over the data (or use excel synch) and then just publish the changes. But is it possible to switch the source in bulk?
Alternatively, it seems that this is what Connected worksheets are for, however the data is strewn across many worksheets in each source. And Connections seem to be Worksheet specific, and it doesn't make sense to create connections for all that data when I just need 40 data points across maybe 20 worksheets.
So, is it common to create a NEW worksheet in each Source workbook for interface purposes, paste the fields I want to share to other workbooks in this worksheet, and then share that worksheet via a connection? And then I can also change connections?
The only problem is the client doesn't want the original workbooks changed in anyway. (Also, the bigger goal is to replace all this cross linking with wdata fed from SQL)
Thx!
-
Hi there,
Apologies for the oversight on this post. To summarize the difference:
- Links → connect individual cells across files. Flexible, granular, but manual to manage at scale.
- Connections → replace entire sheets with source data. Better for large, consistent datasets (Wdata/GRC), but replaces all existing content in the destination sheet.
For your use case (picking ~40 specific data points scattered across ~20 worksheets), simple linking is the right tool — connections aren't well-suited for this.
Can I Switch the Source in Bulk (Without Relinking Everything)?Short answer: Not natively — but there are workarounds.- Merge Source Links — If you copy cells from the new source spreadsheet, paste them over the existing linked destination cells, and select "Merge Links", Workiva will redirect all downstream destinations to the new source. This is the closest thing to a bulk source swap today.
- Cut (not Copy) — If you cut cells from the old source and paste into the new one, the destination links follow the move. This works if the new workbook is a replacement rather than a different file entirely.
- Bulk Link Swap via API — Workiva has been working on API-based bulk link swapping. This isn't generally available yet but is on the roadmap. Worth flagging to your CSM if the volume is large!
Creating a dedicated interface/summary worksheet in each source workbook to consolidate the 40 data points you need, and then sharing that worksheet via a Connection, is a valid and commonly used pattern. It gives you:- A clean, predictable structure for connections
- The ability to swap/replace the connection source later without touching individual cell links
- A single place to manage the data handoff
However, since your client doesn't want the original workbooks changed at all, this approach would require adding new worksheets — which conflicts with that constraint.
Since the client doesn't want source workbooks modified, continue with cell-level links for now. When you're ready to replace a source:
- Use Merge Links to redirect destinations to the new version
- Or use Cut & Paste to move source cells to the new workbook
And since your longer-term goal is Wdata from SQL, the investment in setting up elaborate connection structures now may not be worth it — the current linking approach is pragmatic and supportable until Wdata replaces it.0Zaloguj się, aby dodać komentarz.
Komentarze
Komentarze: 1