When working with external links to multiple slave Excel files in a master Excel file, ensuring that the master file updates correctly can be a bit challenging. Here are some steps and considerations to help you ensure that the data in the master file reflects changes in the slave files:
1. **Check File Locations and Paths:**
- Ensure that the file paths in your formulas are correct and the slave files are accessible. Make sure there are no typos or changes in the file structure that might have broken the links.
2. **Formula Evaluation Order:**
- Excel calculates formulas in a specific order. If a formula in the master file depends on a formula in a slave file that hasn't been recalculated yet, it might not update correctly. Ensure that the dependent formulas in the master file are evaluated after the slave files are recalculated.
3. **Automatic Calculation:**
- As you mentioned, set your calculation options to "Automatic" in both the master and slave files. This ensures that Excel recalculates all formulas whenever changes are made in the slave files.
4. **Refresh All Data:**
- In the master file, you can try using the "Refresh All" feature, which forces Excel to recalculate all external references and update the data from the slave files. You can find this option in the "Data" tab.
5. **VBA Macro for Recalculation:**
- You can create a VBA macro in the master file that triggers the recalculation of all formulas. Here's an example of how you can do it:
VBA Code:
vba
Sub RecalculateAllLinks()
Dim Link As Variant
For Each Link In ThisWorkbook.LinkSources
ThisWorkbook.UpdateLink Link
Next Link
End Sub
You can run this macro whenever you need to update the links. Note that this macro iterates through all external links in the master file.
6. **Check External References:**
- Ensure that you don't have circular references or complex dependencies that prevent Excel from updating correctly.
7. **Data Connections and Power Query:**
- Depending on the complexity of your data, you might consider using Power Query or data connections to import and merge data from the slave files into the master file. This can provide more control and flexibility.
8. **Regular Maintenance:**
- Periodically review and update the links in your master file, especially if there are changes to the slave files or file locations.
9. **Link Manager:**
- Use the "Edit Links" option to check for and manage external links. This can help you identify and resolve any issues with link updates.
10. **Testing and Troubleshooting:**
- Try simplifying your setup by creating a small set of master and slave files. Test whether updates work correctly in this simplified setup. If they do, gradually apply the same principles to your larger dataset.
By following these steps and ensuring that all external links are correctly set up and that calculations are being triggered properly, you should be able to maintain accurate and up-to-date data in your master file.
