XL: Error Updating/Adding Records from Data Tracking Template

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you save a workbook that you created from one of the data tracking templates that are provided with Microsoft Excel 97, you may receive the following error:

   Database <file name> is currently marked Read Only or open by another
   user

You may also receive this error when you click the "Capture Data in a Database" toolbar button and update the existing database.

This problem may occur when you use the following data tracking templates:

   Expense Statement.xlt
   Purchase Order.xlt
   Invoice.xlt.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if you performed a Run From CD or "Run from Network Server" installation when you set up Microsoft Excel.

Note that each time you save the workbook or capture the data in a database, the data in the worksheet is saved to a Microsoft Excel workbook that is a database for all of the records for the template. In a Run From CD or "Run from Network Server" installation, the default workbook that Microsoft Excel uses to store the records is in a location that is read- only. Therefore, Microsoft Excel cannot write records to the database.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, specify a new location for the database. You must specify a location to which you have write permissions in order for Microsoft Excel to add and update records in the database.

The following steps illustrate how to customize the template to use a database in a location of your choice. These steps demonstrate how to do this using the Invoice template; however, you can also use these steps with the Expense Statement and Purchase Order templates.

1. Copy the file Invdb.xls to a location for which you have write permissions. This file can be found in the Office\Library folder.

2. Start Microsoft Excel 97.

3. On the File menu, click New.

4. Click the Excel tab. Click Invoice and click OK.

5. On the Data menu, click Template Wizard.

   (If you do not see the Template Wizard command on the Data menu, click Add-ins on the Tools menu, click "Template Wizard with Data Tracking," and click OK to load the add-in.)

6. In Step 1 of the Template Wizard, in the Name for the Template box, type "C:\MSOffice\Templates\Excel\My Invoice.xlt" (without the quotation marks) where MSOffice is the folder in which you installed Microsoft Office, and click Next.

7. In Step 2 of the Template Wizard, type "<path>\Invdb.xls" (without the quotation marks) where <path> is the path to the folder to which you copied Invdb.xls in step 1, and click Finish.

   NOTE: The database file used for the Expense Statement template is Expdb.xlt. The database file used for the Purchase Order template is Podb.xlt.

8. Close the workbook.

9. On the File menu, click New.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.