Shared Excel file Large?

[Steven547]

We have an excel file that is placed on a shared folder. When this file is placed on your desktop, and saved as a different name ("un-shared") the file size decreases drastically, yet it's the same file. Why is it that an excel file is so large when on a shared drive? It went from 16mb file to around 600k??

thanks.

 

[SkipVought]

Hi,

I did the same thing with a shared workbook (4,300 K) and saved it as unshared (600 K)

Big change.

It is not the DRIVE that is shared. The WORKBOOK is shared, thus, apparently, increasing the workbook size.

Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[kjv1611]

So it's 16mb on the Shared folder location, and 600k locally?

A few questions:
[OL][LI]Where is your shared location? Is it on a SharePoint server or a general file server or what?[/LI]
[LI]Do you have some additional history that goes along with the shared file? I mean is it storing a change history, and then perhaps that change history isn't transferring with the file to the local machine for some reason?[/li]
[LI]Are you sure you didn't create some sort of short-cut to the file on the local PC to get such a file size difference?[/li]
[LI]Are you using different versions of Excel?[/LI]
[LI]How are you getting the shared workbook from the network drive to the local drive? Using File - Save As, or just click-dragging it with Explorer?[/LI]
[/OL]

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[Steven547]

Where is your shared location? I believe it is just on a general file server.

Do you have some additional history that goes along with the shared file? It doesn't store any history. The users just make changes to the file as needed.

Are you sure you didn't create some sort of short-cut to the file on the local PC to get such a file size difference? Would that cause the problem? I don't believe anyone has a shortcut created. They just go right to the folder.

Are you using different versions of Excel? Same versions.

How are you getting the shared workbook from the network drive to the local drive? Using File - Save As, or just click-dragging it with Explorer? If I need to make changes or import data, I "Save as" on my desktop so it is no longer a shared file. If I drag and drop it, it remains shared.

 

[kjv1611]

Steven547,

I defer to what Skip was talking about. I believe with any Shared Workbook (not just a Shared Drive location), you will have a bigger file, especially if there have been many changes. With a shared workbook, there is a history that is stored, so that one person (or group of persons) can approve/deny changes.

When you save a non-shared copy (local or network drive doesn't matter), then you would be dismissing all the history that is involved in that whole approval process (I think) which could easily explain losing some parts of the original file - thus greatly reducing the file size.

I could be wrong, as I don't do a lot with Shared Workbooks, myself, but that seems to me to be the way it is supposed to work.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[Steven547]

Ok. Thanks. Sounds like that would be the issue. I haven't been able to google it yet to find the right "keywords" but if I find it, i'll post on here as well. It makes sense though.