I would like to send a workbook to someone to enter some data as I continue working on other parts of the workbook. Without the use of a server, is there a way for me to send the shared workbook and then just compare and merge what I have with the data that he has input? I am using Excel 2007 with Windows XP. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Hi,

I don't believe so.
Workbook sharing, (which personally I don't rate very highly because it creates more problems than the limited benefits it offers), needs two or more users to be using the same instance of the workbook.

Your best solution would be to ensure that the data entered by the other user is readily identifiable and structured logically so that you can then use standard excel techniques to compare the two workbooks.

Regards

There is a compare and merge function in excel where you can compare and merge two shared workbook, as long as one of the workbooks derived from the other.

So if you take your shared workbook and send a copy to the other user(s), once you get their copy back, you can compare and merge the copies with yours.

Note that this only works with shared workbooks.

Unless I'm horribly mistaken I don't think that's correct. I don't believe you can take two completely independent copies of the same workbook, give them to two users remote from each other and expect to be able to merge them when they are returned.

Workbook sharing implies sharing the same workbook on a network - see the MS article http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ex...001013057.aspx

Of course it only works with shared workbooks as you said, that's the whole point. The operative word is 'shared' (implicitly on a server). Merging, in the sense of bringing together completely separate instances of the workbook does not apply.

Regards

If you look at what he is asking to do, the merge and compare function of shared workbooks would do what he is looking to do.

Merge copies of a shared workbook
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ex...010177169.aspx

Yes I know that. But unless I'm mistaken he was talking about completely detached copies of the same workbook and thinking that these could be merged with the standard Workbook merge functionality. e.g. books called Book1, Book2, rather than multiple copies of Book1 on a common server.

Am I mistaken and you can merge Book1 and Book2 in the way envisaged?

Regards

Yes, you can merge seperate workbooks (book1, book2) if:

1) the orginal was a shared workbook (call it book1)
2) And the other workbook (book2, book3, etc) derived from book1 (book1 saved as book2 and so on)

So basically he'll be able to open his copy book1 and merge/compare the other copies he got back (book2, book3, etc) using the merge/compare functionality.

The button isn't exposed by default, will need to add it to the QAT. Haven't heard from the OP on this, but from what I understand this is what he is trying to accomplish