Excel Workbook keeps crashing when refreshing PivotTable Data

[cdp_excel]

Greetings,

I have a large Excel Workbook (xlsx) that keeps crashing when I try to refresh the PivotTables.

With the PivotTable selected, I go to the Analyze tab, select Refresh and the following message pops-up:

“We couldn’t get data from the Data Model. Here’s the error message we got: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.”

I’ve Googled this and read many different forums (including here) but nothing I’ve tried works.

Some more amplifying information:

• I’ve opened my Data Connections (Data tab > Connections) and I noticed there are two connections in there. I try to remove them but I get the same error referenced above and I’m not able to remove these connections.
• I’ve gone to C:/user/APPDATA/LOCAL/TEMP and deleted VeritPaq folders/files.
• I’ve been working on this workbook for awhile and, several times throughout the process, have renamed the file and some of the objects within it. Not sure if that’s possibly causing a problem, but I did notice that in my Data Connections menu, the connections had dated object names in them.
• I intend to refresh the workbook on a monthly basis. There are two tabs that I will paste new data into once a month and, as a result, a bunch of formulas/PivotTables throughout the workbook should update.
• I have had problems with this workbook crashing on and off since I made it. I used to be able to restart it and get it to work, but now it is crashing every single time.
• I have opened in Safe Mode to see if add ins might be the problem; no luck.
• To my knowledge, I am not using PowerPivot. I’m not even sure how that works or if maybe I’m using it and just don’t know it yet. But when creating my PivotTables, I did not use any PowerPivot functions.
• Another strange thing I notice: ever since I created this workbook, my Excel does a couple of things:
  • 1) it opens up a blank Workbook with the same title as the workbook I’m opening. If I close that Workbook, it closes both Workbooks.
  • 2) the Excel startup dialogue box now has some new add-ins or features it’s loading that it didn’t show before (to my knowledge): FUNCRES.XLAM, ATPVBAEN.XLAM, SOLVER.XLAM
• I am using a company computer so my admin privileges are limited.

I can post the workbook but will have to remove some the data as some is sensitive.

Thank you in advance for your help.