About external data and data connections

Excel allows you to import data from other sources such as a text file, a Microsoft Access database or a table on a web page.

You can also access other data sources such as SQL or XML data, or use the Data Connection Wizard to get data from unlisted sources, but these options are not covered here.

When you get external data, Excel creates a connection to the data source. If the data source changes, refreshing the data connection will update the data in the worksheet. In some cases, however, security settings on your computer will prevent data connections being established. You can also close a data connection – this will leave the data in the worksheet fixed as it is when the connection is closed.

The main options for importing external data are found in the Get External Data group.

To show the Get External Data group:

As usual, the button sizes will vary depending on the width of the program window.