Transfer comments column from report to external sheet without macros

[melkontar]

I have a report which summarises data from several large data sources, and combines it into a table, broken down by WBS, using a combination of spill formulas, and an input cell where a user can select a project, and all given formulas update to the data for the selected project. I have a column that brings in the latest comment against each line for the project, and I want project managers to be able to update that comment, and have the comment save against the specific line and project. I was previously using macros to achieve this, so users could update the comment, hit a button and it saves the comment in the comments tab, so that the next person who access it, gets the latest comment. However, my company has recently banned the use of macros, and I'm wondering if there is any way of achieving a similar thing without macros? I can't see how this would be possible, but before I go back to the company and tell them that they will lose the functionality, I want to explore any possible options, or any suggestions on workarounds.

I've attached an image of an example report (the actual reports are much larger), data in pink is formula based, the green column is for free text, and then they would previously hit the command button, and that would save the updated comment as the latest comment, and the formula would then pick it up.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Jeffrey Mahoney]

I don't know why people want to throw out a perfectly good tool that allows me to do my work faster. I would walk out and find another job.

Based on what you describe, I don't see a way of transporting a comment from one place to another without VBA or manually. In one case, I gave a team one sheet per user so they could update comments. These sheets were summarized onto another sheet with those comments. Their sheets had the previous comments in one column and an empty column to add new comments. The summary sheet had formulas to show the current comments from each user sheet and the values of previous comments. Once the new period arrived, new comments are pasted as values over the previous comments. to start fresh and also the user's comments had to be cleared. Of course I used macros.

 

[myall_blues]

@Jeffrey Mahoney it remains a complete mystery to me why companies would take the most powerful aspect of Excel and prohibit its use, thereby curtailing the productivity of their employees.

 

[Jeffrey Mahoney]

it remains a complete mystery to me why companies would take the most powerful aspect of Excel and prohibit its use, thereby curtailing the productivity of their employees.

In all the years since 1999 that I've been working in Excel, I have always turned on VBA macros be default. I have downloaded thousands of macro workbooks. Not one of them had nefarious intent nor caused any system issues, other than bad coding. Now to add a qualifier to that; I'm very discerning when it comes to getting macros from the internet. I would like any IT department to provide the exact instance where somebody in their company downloaded a file that caused some issue, and please tell me how many times that has ever happened.

If the airline or automotive industry took the same precautions after a plane or car crashed, we would still be using horses as our main mode of transportation.

 

[melkontar]

Thanks all, seems like my initial thoughts were correct, I shall let the client know. In terms of why they would do this, I can only imagine that being a government client, the ones making the decisions are not the ones who have to deal with the consequence of said decisions...