Prepare Your Workbook to Be Shared

Anyone in your workgroup can share a workbook over your network with little preparation, but you can do some things in advance to make the collaboration go more smoothly. For example, your group can use your aged-receivables worksheet to collect past-due customer accounts. To let your co-workers know which customers to call, you can add comments to certain cells. You can also set up the worksheet so that your team members can update the amounts owed and add their own comments, without risking inadvertent changes to the formulas.

To view a comment, move the pointer over a cell containing a comment. To view all comments, click Comments (View menu).

Want to keep your formulas out of sight?   Hide them before you protect the worksheet. Select a formula, and then click Cells (Format menu). On the Protection tab, select the Hidden check box. Protect the revision history   Information about changes made to a shared workbook is recorded on a new sheet named History. You can protect this revision history and ensure that the workbook remains shared, until you decide otherwise. Click Protect for Sharing (Tools menu, Protection submenu), and then select the Sharing with Track Changes check box. For more information on revision history, see “What Kinds of Shared Editing Can You Do?” later in this topic. Tend your comments   To add, delete, edit, or review multiple comments, click Comments (View menu) to display all comments in the workbook and to display the Reviewing toolbar. Leap into action   Use the Create Task button on the Review Comments toolbar to start and create a new task in Microsoft Outlook. Click the Send Mail button to compose a quick e-mail message. For more information, see Create a Task. Combine separate workbooks   Click Merge Workbooks (Tools menu). To allow merging, all the workbooks must be created from the same original, and revision history must be maintained throughout the editing process. For more information, see Collaborate, and Watch Everyone’s Progress. Should you consider using a Microsoft Access database?   For information that will help you choose the right Office application for your needs, see Where Should You Store Your Contact Information.

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Want to know more?   Look up Getting Results - Share Workbook in Help.