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Collaborate on spreadsheets: how to share Excel files with others on your network.

Article Excerpt
Would you like to be able to gather spreadsheet data from people throughout your organization, automatically producing detailed reports or summaries that then can be shared with colleagues? Or would you like a team of users to be able to work on a spreadsheet report simultaneously, sharing information and coordinating the results?

If so, Microsoft's Excel has just the thing for you--a built-in function called Share Workbook. It makes no difference whether the team members are in offices down the hall or on other continents. The only requirement: They must be on a shared network. Follow along and we'll show you how to create a workbook that as many as 256 users can share at the same time.

Begin by clicking on Tools, Share Workbook, evoking the Share Workbook dialog box, as shown in exhibit 1, at right.

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Click on the Editing tab and then place a check next to Allow changes by more than one user at the same time. If others are using the file, their names and their log-on times will appear under Who has this workbook open now. Note that as the originator of the Share Workbook function, you have the power to remove a user by clicking on the name and then on the Remove User button. Next click on the Advanced tab (see exhibit 2, page 62).

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This box offers several options: The first, under Track changes, lets you keep a history of all changes made to the workbook for up to 10,000 days. Be sure to enter a large enough number to cover the period you want because...

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