How to: Create an external reference in different workbooks in Excel
How to: Create an external reference in different workbooks in Excel 2007.
Solution
Open the destination and source workbook. To save the destination workbook, click the ‘Microsoft Office’ button and click ‘Save’. Select the cells to create the link. Enter ‘=’. Open source workbook. Select the cells that you want to link to. Press ENTER.
Details
An external reference is a reference to a cell or range on a worksheet in another Excel workbook. You can refer to the contents of cells in another workbook by creating an external reference. You can use the external references while working with large amounts of data or complex formulas.
To create an external reference between cells in different workbooks:
1) Open Microsoft Excel workbook.
2) Open the workbook that contains the link and the workbook that contains the data that you want to link to.
3) To save the destination workbook, click the ‘Microsoft Office’ button on the top left and click ‘Save’.
4) Select the cells in which you want to create the link.
5) Enter the ‘=’ sign.
NOTE: If you want to perform calculations or functions on the link value, type the operator or function that you want to precede the link.
6) Open the source workbook and click the appropriate worksheet.
7) Select the cells that you want to link to.
8) Press ENTER. (This creates a reference between cells of different workbook. You may close the source workbook after creating a link.)
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Masud Ahmed 