Shared Workbooks

[bpetrek]

Hi - I am considering setting up a 'shared workbook' and did my research first before posting here. I have a few questions / needs.

1. I have run across some criticisms in various forums that say Excel isn’t really designed to perform this way and shared workbooks in general are too unstable, that there are typically problems that many run into, raising the risks of lost data, corrupted files, etc. Then I read that some users are reporting all is ok, works great, etc. and some are having issues. Can anyone offer practical advise on these seeming contradictions? (note, I fully understand that the IT environments of some users who complain may be unstable themselves, and inconsistent in ways that might affect the use of shared workbooks - let's assume that my environment is generally stable and consistent).

2. What would be some realistic alterntives to an Excel multi-user spreadsheet? Don't think something like Google docs will work, for example - this current spreadsheet is a bit too complex in structure, though the formulas are simple)

3. Does the shared file have to be saved on the internal network somewhere? Or can it simply be password protected and remain in some place like Dropbox where it can be opened by multi users and edited /saved?

4. What is a realistic limit on the number of users who can share a workbook before it becomes too 'unstable'?

5. I need to confirm that users can add new rows and alter existing simple formulas to accommodate data in those additional rows - I understand that blocks of cells cannot be added or deleted it seems


Thanks for the input - any is appreciated !
BP

[Russell Dawson]

Hi, welcome to the Forum.

I can only offer my experiences with workbooks I created, I'm not an expert on the matter but you do ask for "any" help.

I worked in an office with up to 200 staff. It was necessary to have several shared workbooks in shared folders on an internal network. All staff were given access (read only) and only managers were given the password to update various areas. You could experience problems if more than one user is attempting to change the same cell. You will then have a conflict and only one (obviously) can update the cell.

Number 5 sends shivers down my spine however! I can only foresee problems if you are to allow several users to change the structure of a workbook.

The main problem I had was getting users to understand that they can only read the data. They would try to update (illegally) and then save it. This only produced a copy which I would then delete and they would then complain that their info was not there. Also, there was the problem of getting them to understand that they should only access via the shortcut sent to them. Many would save the workbook to their personal drive and still expect it to be updated by other users' input.

I suppose it depends upon what you are sharing and what changes are required. It also depends upon users' level of understanding. I've just looked at #5 again! Brrrrrr! I suppose it could be done but you would need to have strict discipline.

Good luck.

Russell

[bpetrek]

thanks, helps a bit actually. #3 is what I can't seem to get a straight answer on though, which I find strange. Will wait to see who else responds here.

[mickisme]

Hi,

I've been doing a lot of research into this - I'm starting up a business and want a means by which I can keep a record of customers details, job requests/details, quotes given etc and have multiple users access it from multiple locations.

In response to your 2nd question, I've not really come across anything that would be a suitable alternative, you're right, google docs would be the best choice, but it's somewhat lacking in features...

For point 3, I've considered using Dropbox for storing the primary excel workbook, however I've not tested multi-user editing yet. I think it's probably not going to work having read this thread over on utter access about storing the back end of a split access database on Dropbox. However, I think there is likely to be syncing issues (it may create a conflicted copy for each user).

Point 4: Excel 2010 offers real time worksheet editing by multiple users, click the review tab >>> share workbook and tick the "allow changes by more than one user at the same time" checkbox. It has some limitations - i.e you can't have any ranges defined as tables in the workbook. I think that it's relatively stable under several users but not sure about this as I've not tested multi-user editing on more than 2 users at a time yet.

Hope some of this helps you!

Thanks


Mick

[Bren11]

I'm currently trying to use Dropbox to share a 'shared' excel workbook. Doesn't work. It does create a new file for every user if two users attempt to save around a similar time. It also turns off sharing on the conflicted copy so if you try to re-save it as the original file, you'll just save right over the top and the changes won't merge. There is no way that I have found in Dropbox to turn this off so I would comment that Dropbox is not the way to go.