AFAIK, the process used for the docx format with Office 2007 & later, results in each link being evaluated iteratively, rather than all links to the same file being processed as a group. Where possible, you should try to reduce the number of links. For example, if the data for the same link is used multiple times, bookmark the first, then use cross-references to the bookmark instead of having a link for each instance. Similarly, if you need a table, construct it in the workbook, then use a single link for the table as a whole rather than linking individual cells.

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Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]