Take Your Data Traveling: Present the Same Table Data in Multiple Programs
Published: November 22, 2005
When you work on a large project, such as a presentation or report, how many times do you type the same data or copy and paste updated data? And, when collaborating on a project with others, do you simply distribute the data and leave everyone to enter and update it themselves?
If this sounds familiar, take heart—you are not alone. But, as you might imagine, there is an easier way.
This article will show you how to use one set of data in multiple programs without having to retype and update information, both to save time and to improve the quality of your results. See just how far the data from one simple Microsoft Office Excel worksheet can go.
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Practice Data
In this article, we will use the Excel data in the image below to create tables in Microsoft Office Word 2003 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003. If you're the do-it-yourself type, then download the Excel 2003 sample data available on the right side of this page and try the tasks as you follow along.
Data that will be used in this article's examples
Key Terms
The tips in this article use Microsoft Office Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) features. Following is a quick introduction to the terms linking and embedding, and what they can do for you:
| • | Link objects between programs: When you paste content into a file as a linked object, it remains connected to the originating file. So, when data is updated in the original file, that update is reflected in the linked object. Links can be updated manually or automatically, and the links can be broken—leaving the appearance of the object in tact—when updating is no longer required. |
| • | Embed an object from one program into another program: When you paste content into a file as an embedded object, the object does not need the originating file in order to be updated. Instead, the pasted content can be edited on any computer where the originating program is installed. Edits made to an embedded object are not reflected anywhere but in that object. |
Using Excel Data in Word Tables
Have you ever worked on an important report while the data was still updating? When you need Excel table data in your Microsoft Office Word document, but prefer the flexibility of Word formatting to make your document look its best, there is an easy answer.
| • | The task: Copy an Excel table and paste it into your Word document as a Word table. |
| • | The challenge: The Excel data is still changing. |
| • | The solution: Paste the table in Word as a Word table, linked to the original Excel data. Then, break the link when the Excel data is final so that you can format the Word table as needed. |
How to get it done:
1. | In your Excel workbook, select and copy the table data. If you are using the downloadable sample data (Managing Data.xls), on the Table Data worksheet, select and copy cells A1 through F7. |
2. | In your Word document, on the Edit menu click Paste Special. To paste this content as a Word table linked to the original Excel data, select Formatted Text (RTF) from the list provided and click the Paste Link option. When your dialog box looks similar to the image directly below, click OK.  The Paste Special dialog box in Word with options for pasting Excel worksheet data as a linked Word table Your data is now a Word table linked to the original Excel data. However, while it appears to be a normal Word table, avoid applying table formatting—such as table styles, AutoFit settings, or merging and splitting cells—while the table is linked to the Excel data. Some table formatting can be lost or even cause the table to distort when the link is updated. You can safely apply most paragraph formatting to your linked table, such as paragraph styles, at any time. However, for best results when applying table formatting, wait until your data is finalized and break the link before completing your formatting. To break the link, start with your insertion point anywhere in the table and then press CTRL+SHIFT+F9. Or, to use the Link dialog box: |
3. | On the Edit menu click Links. |
4. | In the Links dialog box, click Break Link and then click OK. |
Once the link is broken, the table is a regular Word table and can be formatted however you prefer.
Note Even if you do not need to apply table formatting, it is a good idea to break links once the data is finalized, before distributing your final document. Documents containing linked data will prompt you to update links whenever the document is opened. When this happens, if the recipient of your document does not have access to the original linked file, an error message will occur.
Get help and more information on working with linked objects in Word, including updating and managing links. Or, take a free training course on table formatting basics.
Using Excel Tables in PowerPoint
What do you do when you need to create a presentation but the data is not yet final? The table you place on your slide needs to update, but it also needs to look like a professional part of your presentation. When you need Excel table data in your Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation, you can paste it in PowerPoint as a linked Excel object and still format the object to coordinate with your presentation.
| • | The task: Copy an Excel table and paste it into your PowerPoint presentation as an Excel worksheet object. |
| • | The challenge: The Excel data is still changing, and you need the image in PowerPoint to match your presentation design. |
| • | The solution: Paste the Excel data into PowerPoint as a linked Excel worksheet object, so that the data can update as needed. Then, use the Recolor Picture tool to match the look of your table to your presentation. |
How to get it done:
| • | In your Excel workbook, select and copy the table data. If you are using the downloadable sample data, on the Table Data worksheet, select and copy cells A1 through F7. |
| • | In your PowerPoint presentation, on the Edit menu click Paste Special and then select the Paste Link option. When you do this, you will see that the only option available for linking the Excel data is to paste it as a Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet Object. Click OK. |
Your data is now a linked Excel object on your PowerPoint slide. However, you can resize the object as needed and even recolor it to coordinate with your presentation. When the link is updated, your formatting will be retained.
To recolor a linked or embedded object, such as this linked Excel table, start with the object selected. Then:
| • | On the Format menu select Object. |
| • | In the Format Object dialog box, click the Picture tab and then click Recolor. If you are using the sample data provided in this article, the Recolor Picture dialog box will look something like this: |
| • | Click the dropdown arrows in the New column to select a color from your presentation's color palette or to specify a custom color. The preview image will update as you make selections. When satisfied with your new colors, click OK twice. |
Important As mentioned earlier, it is a good idea to break links before distributing your final document. To break a link in PowerPoint, start with the linked object selected. Then:
| • | On the Edit menu click Links. |
| • | In the Links dialog box, click Break Link and then click OK. |
Get help and more information on working with linked objects in PowerPoint, including updating and managing links.
Using Word Tables in PowerPoint
When you copy data from Excel into Word or PowerPoint, linking the data enables you to always have the most up-to-date data without extra work. But, when you need to copy a Word table into PowerPoint, embed the Word table in PowerPoint to simply and effectively display the data in your presentation while still taking advantage of the powerful formatting tools in Word. Embedding the table enables you to edit the table in Word, without being connected to the original file.
| • | The task: Add a table from your Word document to a PowerPoint slide. |
| • | The challenge: You need the flexibility of Word table formatting but also need the table to coordinate with your PowerPoint presentation. Your PowerPoint presentation might also use a dark background, in which case the black default text in the Word table will not be visible on the slide. |
| • | The solution: Paste the Word table in PowerPoint as an Embedded Word Document Object. Then, use the Recolor Picture tool to easily coordinate the table with your slide design. |
How to get it done:
| • | In Word, select and copy the table. Be sure to select the entire table or your results in PowerPoint might not match the steps that follow. To ensure that the entire table is selected, on the Table menu click Select and then click Table. Note If you have downloaded the Excel sample data and followed the steps in the preceding sections of this article, you can use the Word table you created for this exercise. However, be sure that you have broken the link on that table before copying it for this exercise. |
| • | In PowerPoint, apply an appropriate slide layout to the slide where you want to paste the table, such as the Title Only layout shown here. |
| • | On the Edit menu click Paste Special. Then, select Microsoft Office Word Document Object from the list provided and click OK. Note If Microsoft Office Word Document Object is not an available option, you either did not select the entire Word table before copying it, or your insertion point in PowerPoint might be in an active text box. Copy the table again, confirm that nothing is selected on the PowerPoint slide, and then access the Paste Special dialog box again. |
Once your Word table is pasted in PowerPoint as an embedded object, you can resize it as needed and use the Recolor Picture feature to coordinate the table with your PowerPoint presentation. When you use Recolor Picture, particularly if you need to lighten text to be visible on a dark slide background, you can save a lot of time. This feature will recolor the image of the table that appears on the PowerPoint slide, but the original table colors will still be visible when you edit the embedded object in Word, making editing fast and easy. Use the steps in the preceding section of this article for help with the Recolor Picture tool.
Notes about Linking and Embedding
| • | Embedded objects originating in some programs, such as Excel, will embed the entire file from which the data originated and not just the copied content. For this reason, the tips in this article for copying data from Excel into other programs recommend linking rather than embedding, and breaking the links when data is finalized. This method will help ensure that your final document contains only the data you intended to share. If you have an embedded object in Word, you can use the same shortcut you use to break a link (CTRL+SHIFT+F9) to convert the embedded object to a picture. |
| • | Where the tips here recommend breaking links or converting linked or embedded objects to pictures, keep in mind that once your object becomes a picture, its data can no longer be edited. To avoid extra work later, note the location of the originating file before converting linked or embedded objects, in case of future editing needs. |
Sharing Your Data
The preceding tips show you how to manage data that is still changing as you work. But, what about when you need that changing data to be accessible and easy to update for everyone working on the project? Instead of sending new versions out by e-mail each time there is a change, you can save your files to a shared workspace using either Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) or Groove, and know that everyone is always on the same page without any extra work.
Try the quick and fun sharing information quiz to find out if you already know the best ways to save time when working with others, or if options might exist that can help you work more easily. In the quiz answers, you will find help, more information, and access to free trials for both WSS and Groove.
 | Stephanie Krieger
Stephanie Krieger is a Microsoft Office System MVP as well as author of the books Advanced Microsoft Office Documents 2007 Edition Inside Out (February 2007) and Microsoft Office Document Designer. As a professional document consultant, she has helped many global companies develop enterprise solutions for Microsoft Office and taught numerous professionals to build great documents by understanding how the Office programs “think.” Stephanie writes regularly for several Microsoft Web pages and frequently delivers Microsoft webcasts. Visit her blog, Arouet Dot Net, for Microsoft Office tips as well as information about new and upcoming publications and webcasts.
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