In the preceding section, you linked to another file from
within your Excel workbook. The advantages of linking to a second file
are that the size of your workbook is kept small and any changes in the
second document will be reflected in your workbook. The disadvantage is
that the second document must be copied with the workbook—or at least be
on a network-accessible computer. If Excel can’t find or access the
second file where the link says it is located, Excel can’t display it.
You can still open your workbook, but you won’t see the linked file’s
contents.
If file size isn’t an issue and you want to ensure that the second
document is always available, you can embed the file in your workbook.
Embedding another file in an Excel workbook means that the entirety of
the other file is saved as part of your workbook. Wherever your workbook
goes, the embedded file goes along with it. Of course, the embedded
version of the file is no longer connected to the original file, so
changes in one aren’t reflected in the other.
Important
To view a linked or embedded file, you must have the program
used to create it installed on the computer on which you open the
workbook.
You can embed a file in an Excel workbook by following the
procedure described in the preceding section but leaving the Link To
File check box cleared.
It is also possible to embed your Excel workbooks in other Office
documents. In PowerPoint, for example, you can embed an Excel file in a
presentation by displaying the Insert tab in PowerPoint and then, in the
Text group, clicking Object to display the Insert Object dialog box.
Then in the Insert Object dialog box, select Create From File.
To identify the file you want to embed, click the Browse
button and then, in the Browse dialog box that opens, navigate to the
folder where the file is stored and double-click the file. The Browse
dialog box closes, and the file path appears in the File box. Click OK
to embed your workbook in the presentation.
If you want to embed a workbook in a file created with any other
Office program but don’t want the worksheet to take up much space on the
screen, select the Display As Icon check box. After you select the file
to embed and click OK, the file is represented by the same icon used to
represent it in Windows. Double-clicking the icon opens the embedded
document in its original application.
Troubleshooting
If your Excel workbook’s cells don’t have a background fill
color (that is, you have the No Fill option selected), PowerPoint
treats the cells’ backgrounds as if they were transparent. If you were
to place cells with black text and no background fill over a dark
background, you would not be able to see the text. To make your text
visible, fill the cells with a very light gray color so the
presentation’s background doesn’t show through.
To edit an embedded Excel workbook, right-click the workbook (or
the icon representing it) and then, on the shortcut menu that appears,
point to Worksheet Object and click Edit. The workbook opens for
editing. After you finish making your changes, you can click anywhere
outside the workbook to return to the presentation.
In this exercise, you’ll embed an Excel workbook containing sales
data in a PowerPoint presentation.
Important
You must have PowerPoint 2010 installed on your computer to
complete this exercise.
Set Up
-
In the Slides panel of the
presentation window, click the second slide.
The second slide appears.
-
On the Insert tab, in the
Text group, click Object.
The Insert Object dialog box opens.
-
Select Create from
file.
The Insert Object dialog box changes to allow you to enter a
file name.
-
Click Browse.
The Browse dialog box opens.
-
Browse to the RevenueByServiceLevel workbook and
double-click it.
The Browse dialog box closes, and the file’s full path appears
in the File box.
-
Click OK.
The workbook appears in your presentation.
Clean Up
Save the RevenueByServiceLevel workbook and the
2010YearlyRevenueSummary presentation, and then close those files.
Exit PowerPoint.
