Shared Workbook - Best Practice

[Karin]

I would like to be able to have one person modify a workbook while many
people look at (but do not modify) the same workbook -- all viewing at the
same time.

What is the best method to do this? (It's important that the viewers not be
able to modify.)

 

[Kevin B]

You could password protect each of the worksheets and not divulge the
password(s).

Or if you're on a network, place the file in a folder where the users have
read only access rights. They could retrieve the file and mangle it beyond
belief, but they could not overwrite the network copy.

 

[Karin]

If I password protect each sheet, can I still work on the sheets?

 

[Kevin B]

Yes, but you'll have to remove protection by supplying the correct password.

 

[Jim Thomlinson]

XL is not really the right platform for doing this kind of thing. It is very
poor at handling concurrent users. Have you considered using a database???
Generally speaking that is an infinitly easier and more flexible platform for
doing what you are considering...

 

[Karin]

It's definitely a spreadhsheet application, not a database.

What is wanted is for 5 of us to be in a conference room, all with laptops,
I make changes as requested, and everyone else can see the changes on their
copies.

The shared workbook works, except sometimes one of them will make a change
or do something to their copy that should not be picked up as a change (it
should be ignored).

(They know they should do nothing but look, but .... it's my bosses, what
can I really say?)

 

[Jim Thomlinson]

I am not clear how you intend this to work out. The first person to open the
file will get the editable copy. Everyone subsequent will get a read only
copy. How do you intend for the one person to be able to modify the workbook
if they do not get the original copy. The only work around is for a shared
workbook. But now your protection gets tossed out as sharing is essentially a
type of protection.

A closer option is in XL2002 or better there is a protection option to allow
users to edit ranges and you can specify which users. But we are back to how
do we ensure that the person allowed to edit the workbook gets a non read
only copy. You can not have both a shared workbook and user defined
protection...

The closest you will get is probably to have 2 workbooks. The one that the
user with edit privilages uses and another workbook linked back to this one
via externally referenced formulas. This second workbook can be saved as read
only allowing as many users as you wish to open it. But this is a huge hassel
as you now have to maintain 2 workbooks. Additionally the second workbook
will read from the source and pick up the last saved values. If the original
is updated no one will be able to see the updates until the original is
saved...

This bring me back to... How about using a database where all of these
problems just go away???

 

[Jim Thomlinson]

I wish you all the best... You are asking XL to do something that it just not
designed to do. Your question is analagous to "I have a screw driver and a
nail. How should I proceed?".

If you check my other post you will see an option involving 2 workbooks that
is about as close as you are going to get.

 

[AshMorK]

Google spreadsheet allow you to do something like you're describing, but it
got very simple tools and runs over internet.