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What are external data connections?
The external data source is connected to the workbook through a data connection, which is a set of information that describes how to locate, log in, query, and access the external data source. When you are connected to an external data source, you can also perform a refresh operation to retrieve the updated data.
How do I connect external data to Excel?
Connections tab
- In the Show drop-down list, do one of the following: All To display all connections, click All Connections.
- Select the connection that you want, and then select Open. The Import Data dialog box appears.
- Decide how you want to import the data, and then select OK.
What is external data?
Definition. External data refers to any type of data that has been captured, processed, and provided from outside the company.
How to access external data in MS Access?
When you’re accessing external data, you have two choices: You can import the data into an Access database or you can access the data by linking to it from an Access database. Importing the data is the optimum route (except with ODBC data sources), but it is not always possible.
Why do I need to link external files to access?
If you can’t import external data, you should link to external files because Microsoft Access maintains a lot of information about these linked files. This optimizes performance when manipulating the external files. When you import data into an Access table, Access makes a copy of the data and places it in the Access table.
Why do I need access to external table?
By linking to the ODBC data source, you can take advantage of Access’s ease of use as a front-end tool and also take advantage of client/server technology. Finally, if you intend to access data on a regular basis, linking to the external table provides you with ease of use and performance benefits.
Which is the best tool to use with external data in Excel?
Given that there are now multiple tools in Excel for working with external data, it’s not always clear as to which one is the best, and unfortunately there is no single tool that wins over all, although I believe that that will be the case soon. The answer, as always is, “it depends”.