Update to the new solution for syncing forms responses to Excel

Microsoft

Sep 04, 2024

We are excited to announce that we have a new and improved solution for syncing your form responses to Excel, with better reliability and performance! Previously, some Forms supported an older version of live data synchronization with Excel. This older solution will be gradually discontinued and completely replaced by the new solution by January 13th, 2025.

The older version of data sync exists in two types of forms:

Forms created from OneDrive for Business and Excel for the web

Form created from Excel for the web

Group forms created with SharePoint Online, Teams and M365 Group.

Group forms created with SharePoint Online

After the older solution for data syncing is replaced, the existing Excel workbooks and their data will still be retained, but they will not be updated with new responses. To ensure that your workbooks continue receiving new form responses, you must follow the steps below to update your workbook.

How do I upgrade my workbook in web to use the new version of data sync?

Open an Excel workbook that uses the older syncing solution, and you will see a pane on the right-side reminding you to update the workbook to continue syncing new responses. Click the "Update sync" button to begin the updating process. Please note that this process is not reversible.
Upgrading to the new Forms data sync via the web

Upgrading to the new Forms data sync via the web

A new sheet will be created in the same workbook that is connected to the form using the new syncing solution.

You should see all your previous responses being resynced to this new sheet, and any new responses will also be synced to this sheet. You will still be able to see the previous data in your workbook, but this will no longer be updated.

Once the update is complete, a green success bar will appear near the top of the page. The right-side pane will also change to confirm that the update has been successfully completed.

Updated to the new solution

How can I upgrade to the new version of data sync via the Forms website?

Open a form using the older syncing solution, and you’ll see a pop-up reminding you to update your workbook. Simply click 'Update sync in Excel' to open your workbook and initiate the syncing process.

Upgrading to the new Forms data sync
For more information, and a helpful Q&A, read the full article on the Forms blog site here >.

Updated Sep 18, 2024

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msexcel

Microsoft

Joined August 10, 2016

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SergeiBaklan
MVP
Sep 07, 2024
Best is the enemy of good. The problem is with "new solution" Excel file with responses is not updated till it is opened. In our processes Excel file collects Forms responses in background. Dataflow summarize them, when it goes to sematic model or another Excel file for the reporting. Nobody cares to open the file with responses if only some issues appear. Now I need to add one more step to the process with Power Automate which collects responses in Excel file on "When a new response is submitted" event. Oh, boy...

Thank you for the alerting in advance.
- WalterT
  Copper Contributor
  Nov 13, 2024
  I'm running into a similar issue. I'm running a powerBi report of the excel file, but as this does not open the file, the data is not being updated anymore.
  Could you give me a hint on what to add to the Power Automate script to force an update of the file?
  Thanks!
  and msexcel no thanks.
  - grant150
    Brass Contributor
    Nov 17, 2024
    I have written some instructions.
raDavid1595
Copper Contributor
Nov 03, 2024
I completely agree with SergeiBaklan . This change indeed forces us to add additional processes that weren’t necessary before, ultimately complicating our workflow. In the previous system, there was no issue with the automatic synchronization of form responses. everything worked smoothly without the need to open the file each time to see updates.
This change disrupts existing automations and requires us to spend time and resources adding workarounds like Power Automate to achieve a result that was previously handled easily. I don’t see the benefits of this change—it only adds extra work and creates complexities that didn’t exist before.
nowuser
Copper Contributor
Dec 03, 2024
msexcel As per the new solution 'Sync forms data with excel' where the sync only happens after opening the Excel file to refresh the new responses. What I found is (can be a bug!),
Users having 'Can View' access are not able to see the new updated responses even after the excel file is already synced from their end. But, If the form/excel owner opens the excel file and once sync is complete, users can then see the updated responses. What an abnormal behavior it is!
Users having 'Can Edit' access, they can see the synced new responses when they open the excel file and the sync completes. (No manual intervention requires from the form/excel owner).

I am not understanding why this is happening. As an owner, I don't want to open the excel file every time a new response is submitted. Also, I can't give edit access to all my users. Please check from your end and raise a concern to the team.
I also urge other people to check and reply under this thread so that we can find a possible solution.
- TedTurner
  Copper Contributor
  Dec 03, 2024
  I completely agree. Forms for Excel was one of the more powerful integrations M365 had going BECAUSE I didn’t have to open the Excel file. The table in Excel was just a data source for Power BI. It was easy to deploy and use right away when sending surveys and now that is ruined with this new update. Microsoft, please reconsider this change. It’s not helpful.
- tsionh
  Copper Contributor
  Dec 20, 2024
  Hello,
  We are experiencing the same issue on our team. Even though my team members have 'Can Edit' access, they can't see the updated form entries until I open the Excel spreadsheet and the sync completes. This has been really challenging for our workflow and isn't sustainable in the long run.
  Could you let us know if there are any steps we can take to fix this, or if this might be a bug fix? Looking forward to any guidance on this.
- MNSlaughter
  Copper Contributor
  Jan 10, 2025
  This is a major issue and is the only way I have found to work around the system. I really don't want to give other users access to 'editing' but that is the only way I can make sure my workflow is doing what it should without my intervention. What an upgrade - NOT!
Cushty
Copper Contributor
Oct 15, 2024
Thanks SergeiBaklan MVP (!!) I stumbled upon your comment here after an hour or two of frustration when one of my (many) forms/excel sheets started to no longer automatically update ! Your suggestion to add another action to my power automate flow to collect the responses into the Excel file have ultimately solved the problem !

The thing is - and I'm talking to you , Microsoft - my form submissions and automatic excel updates WORKED PERFECTLY BEFORE you chose to improve the data sync mechanism. In my experience thus far , you've simply broken something that was previously working very well and have simply added extra work for already overstretched IT staff!
- sgill-UWTSD
  Copper Contributor
  Dec 11, 2024
  I 100% concur with this comment. Why break something that was working well?!
dbird
Copper Contributor
Dec 20, 2024
The automatic sync process has caused a major issue. Can someone please share the steps they have added to their flows to ensure the excel file is updated prior to getting data from the file in a flow?

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Update to the new solution for syncing forms responses to Excel