Allowing multiple users on excel sheet

[lforster96]

At work, we have a workbook per project which is used to track the project tasks and deliverable s. Within this, we also have the time sheets of each consultant on each project, to track their hours against the task. The task is allocated to them in the main "Sub Tasks" sheet, with a macro running to add the task to their own personal consultant sheet. Now we want to be able to let multiple users edit the workbook at once (E.g. Filling in timesheet), but we can not co-author and shared workbook is a flawed and hopeless system.

The only alternative is to have a main workbook where only the project leader has access to, and then separate workbooks for each consultant which includes their time sheet. Then VBA code to refresh the data int their timesheet to display the tasks allocated to them, and then more code to work the other way round and transpose their newly inputted time sheet data back to the master file. Is this the most suitable method for what is wanted? Also, is there any starters anywhere that can provide assistance? Im worried it will take some time to export and import the data for each consultant.

 

[CSmith]

Connect to database through excel? Use the database as gateway between entry and master document.

 

[offthelip]

You could do it with links going both ways between the "master" workbook and each of the consultants workbooks. I once set up a system like this that was adding about 30 extra workbooks a month all done by links so users looking at their individual workbooks could see update information from the master, and details from all the "child" workbooks appeared in the Master workbook. I used vba to generate each new "child" from a template and put the links in using VBA. Each user could edit the information on their "child" workbook and it would appear (eventually) in the master workbook. Since this was over a network the master often didn't update for minutes.. I would see you "timesheets" as being exactly equivalent to the "child" workbook I was dealing with

 

[lforster96]

Sorry, im not quite sure what you meant through links. Could you elaborate?

 

[lforster96]

I was under the impression links could be broken easily and slow down