5 Ways to Import Excel Data into PowerPoint

MS Excel is the best application for organizing & calculating data. It is also the best choice for creating graphs of your data.

MS PowerPoint is the best application for communicating “the story” that you want your data to communicate.

Use  each application to do what it does best. And don’t waste time re-typing your Excel data into PowerPoint.

In this video lesson, I demonstrate 5 ways to import your Excel data into a PowerPoint presentation. 1) Paste it as Text only. 2) Paste it as a Picture. 3) Paste it as a Table. 4) Embed the entire Excel Workbook (OLE). 5) Paste Special to establish a “Link” to the Excel Source Data.

Here are the steps to follow in this video lesson:

  1. Select and copy the Excel Data to the clipboard.
  2. In PowerPoint select the slide for the data and choose “Paste.”
  3. Look at the bottom right corner of the “pasted data” and locate the “Paste Options” tag.
  4. Option #1 – Paste as Text Only. The data is pasted into a Text box that can me sized and moved.
  5. Option #2 – Paste a Picture of the Table – Can be sized and moved. The Picture Toolbar makes it easy to modify the background and borders of the table.
  6. Option #3 – Paste the data as a Table (Default option) – each entry fits into its own “cell” in the table. Easy to format the table to fit your needs.
  7. Option #4 – Paste the Entire Excel Workbook. This option actually “embeds” the Excel application – and increased the size of you file. You can double-click on the table and the MS Excel application is activated (OLE) so that you can e.g. modify functions and add fields. etc.
  8. Option #5 – This time you choose Edit – Paste Special – Link. Now, whenever you change the “source data” in Excel your PowerPoint slide will update to reflect the current information. Be careful to keep the Excel file in the same directory as your PowerPoint presentation file so that the “link” does not get lost when you move files to a USB drive or other location.

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Calculate Data in Excel and Present it in PowerPoint

You can’t beat MS Excel when it comes to organizing, calculating & graphing data. However, when it comes to presenting data – especially to a large gathering of people –  then MS PowerPoint is the best choice.

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However, too many people simply re-type their Excel data into PowerPoint. This wastes time and it is not the most effective way to present the data.

In this video lesson, I demonstrate five ways to Paste, Link, and Embed Excel data in PowerPoint:

Here are the steps to follow in this video lesson:

  1. In Excel, select and copy the data to the clipboard.
  2. In PowerPoint, select the slide to receive the data and Right Mouse Click to “Paste.”
  3. Look to the lower right-hand corner of the pasted data and click the Paste Options Menu.
  4. Paste Option – Keep Text Only. You can move and re-size the Text Box. You can edit and format any text entry.
  5. Paste Option – Picture of Table. You can move and re-size the picture. The Picture Toolbar is activated. This allows you to format the picture. You can not edit individual values – you only have a “picture” of your Excel data.
  6. Paste Option – Table. This is the Default option. Each entry is in it’s own cell. You can choose Rows and Columns to format, insert or delete.
  7. Paste Option – Excel Table (Entire Workbook) – With this option you actually “Embed” the Excel application. Double-click on the data to activate Excel. Make any changes you desire.
  8. Edit-Paste Special – Link. With this option you create a “live link” to the source data in Excel. Any changes to the Excel file are reflected on the PowerPoint slide. Be careful to keep the Excel file and the PowerPoint file in the same directory to prevent “losing the link.”

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News! My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” is now availabe to purchase. I invite you to visit my online bookstore for more details.

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