get external data source from excel

[Aker Kværner]

I wondering it's possible to get external data source from excel into
word?
I have now problem to get the data source if the excel document a save
ex. in c:\test.xls

I wont to het data source from ex. http://excel.com/test.xls it's this
possible?
When I try this i just get a error message that's say documentname or
the path is wrong.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Word cannot connect to a data source that is located at an Internet URL such
as http:something or ftp:something. The data source has to be a file in the
"Windows file system", either on a local disk or accessible using a UNC file
name, or it has to be accessible using an ODBC driver or OLEDB provider
(OLEDB only works in Word 2002/2003), and in that case the correct
driver/provider must be present on your local machine, and (In the case of
OLEDB anyway, there has to be a .odc or .udl file in the Windows file
system as well)

What that means is that if you want to store data on a web site, you
probably need to consider storing it in a database you can access via ODBC
or OLEDB.

If that is not the problem you are having, please try to explain the problem
again.

Peter Jamieson

 

[Aker Kværner]

Thanks for your answer.
Reason I need to use excel on the internet URL it's I working with
sharepoint. And it's only generate xls files.
And I don't have premisson to connect direct to the sql server, only by
http protocol.

Do you know some idea to fix this problem?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Do you know some idea to fix this problem?

Not really - the inability to connect directly to files at URLs is
frustrating. Here are the only thoughts I have.

1. Users with Sharepoint connectivity and Access 2003 (not sure about
earlier versions) can link to Sharepoint /lists/ in Access. If you can
represent your data in a list and distribute a suitable pre-linked .mdb
file, you might be able to do things that way.

And I don't have premisson to connect direct to the sql server, only by
http protocol.

2. If you can set up a connection to the SQL Server using either ODBC or
OLEDB, you should be able to set up a merge using data on that server,
although here, my server is on a Windows domain so it's not easy to verify
the more general situation with a remote server. Your users would need the
ODBC driver, or the OLEDB provider with a local .odc or .udl file. You might
have to distribute a pre-connected Word document as it's not easy to do that
stuff by hand. Also, things are much easier with SQL Server if the users
have Windows Integrated Security. If they don't, you end up having to store
logins etc. on the user workstations.

If what you mean is that you do not have permissions to use the SQL Server,
that's a different question - nothing I can do about that.

If you do have permissions, the question is how to get the data in there
(and probably, whether it's worth it).If there's only one Excel file and it
never changes, you could consider setting up a linked table from SQL Server
using the TRANSACT-SQL OPENDATASOURCE. and connect the Word document to that
data.

3. If you are using Word 2003, if possible generate the document(s) you need
on the server in WordProcessingML.

Peter Jamieson