Embedding vs. Linking

When you embed another application's data in Microsoft Office Excel 2007, your Excel document stores a complete copy of the source data. Because you have a complete copy (the paragraph from Microsoft Office Word 2007, for example, or the voice annotation you created in a sound-recording program), that information remains intact even if the source is destroyed or becomes otherwise unavailable. But the embedded copy becomes completely independent of the source. The source might change, but the embedded copy does not.

When you link your Office Excel 2007 document to some external data, your document records pointers to the source of that data. If the source changes, your workbook can change accordingly.

Whether it changes automatically to match the source, or only when you request an update, depends on options that you set. In any event, your Excel document retains a connection to the source.

If the information you link or embed is text or a graphic, Excel renders it (makes it visible on your worksheet) if it's in a format that Excel recognizes and if you have not explicitly asked for an iconic display. Otherwise, Excel displays an icon that represents the linked or embedded information. When you double-click the icon, Excel renders the information (plays the sound clip or video, for example), provided an application capable of rendering it is available.

In some cases, Excel might display only some of a text document that you link or embed. If you link or embed a multipage Word document, for example, your workbook displays the first page only. To see the rest, double-click that first page.

Because embedding typically records more information in your Excel document than linking does, embedding tends to generate larger files. If minimizing file size matters, you should favor linking over embedding. You should also link if you need to have Excel update your workbook when the source data changes.

On the other hand, if you need to retrieve some information from a document on a network server so you can take it on the road, obviously you'll want to embed it, not link to it. Otherwise, Excel won't be able to find it when you're offline.