Refresh external data in excel services - EPC Group
1. Refresh external data in Excel Services
Applies to: Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
When you use a workbook in the browser, the Web-based viewer displays data that is either stored
directly in the workbook, or stored in an external data source, such as in a database or in an Online
Analytical Processing (OLAP) cube.
To include data from an external data source, the workbook author has to define required information
about the connection when the connection is created. Frequently, the author saves the connection
information in an Office data connection (.odc) file for reuse. The information specifies how to locate, log
on, query, and access the external data source.
If the workbook that you are using contains data from an external data source, you can refresh the data.
This operation retrieves the most recent version of the data, which includes any changes that were made
to the data since it was last refreshed.
Learn about data refresh
The following illustration explains the basic process of what happens when you refresh data connected to
an external data source.
The user initiates a refresh operation to get the most recent data.
The refresh makes a connection to the data source, often saved to a connection file that defines all the
information needed to access and retrieve data from an external data source.
There are a variety of data sources you can access, such as OLAP, SQL Server, OLEDB providers, and
ODBC drivers.
The refresh adds the most recent data to the workbook.