Forum Discussion
Bulk link updates
Make sure you do not change the original file name (Data.xlsx).
Whenever a new file is available, make sure to create an archive copy.
- First, take the existing Data.xlsx file and create a copy (Data_Copy_ForArchive.xlsx) of it.
Move that copy to the archive location and rename it using a consistent naming pattern, such as:
- DataArchive1.xlsx, DataArchive2.xlsx, DataArchive3.xlsx, and so on. You can apply a consistent renaming logic for archived files not for the original file.
- Once the archive copy is safely created, you can proceed to overwrite the original file with the new one using the same name: Data.xlsx.
- This will overwrite the existing file in SharePoint (and create a new version if versioning is enabled).
By keeping the file name, the same (Data.xlsx), all existing links in your Word documents will continue to work without breaking.
Can you please explain your scenario with specific examples and file names? That will help me give you a more accurate answer.
If you are replacing the same Excel file and keeping the same name or new name , and overwriting it with the new version / or name, then the link issue in Word can be fixed/automated easily.
But if you are creating a completely new Excel file every time, and moving the old one to an archive, then the situation becomes more complicated.
For example: Let’s say the Excel document currently has ID = 1. You create a new Excel file, and now the new file has ID = 2, and the old file (ID = 1) is moved to the archive. In this case, Word cannot automatically update the links, because the latest document always gets a new ID.
When the file ID changes every time, automation becomes difficult, and a manual approach is often the only reliable option since the “latest” file always has a different ID and name combination.
