Refresh External Data Source in Excel Pivot Table

I have a couple of methods for you on how to refresh external data source in the Pivot Table:

• Manual Refresh
• Refresh when opening the file
• Refresh at regular interval

Let’s look at each method one by one!

 

Before you proceed, don’t forget to download this workbook and follow along:

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Let us check out our Pivot Table if it does really have an External Data Source.

Go to PivotTable Analyze > Data > Change Data Source

You can see that it is using an external data source. Click OK.

 

Manual Refresh

To update this the good old fashioned manual way, right-click on the Pivot Table and select Refresh

 

Refresh when opening the file

There is another way to ensure your Pivot Table is updated.

STEP 1: Go to PivotTable Analyze > Data > Change Data Source > Connection Properties

STEP 2: Select the checkbox – Refresh data when opening the file.

This triggers a pivot table update whenever you open the Excel file. This is a good option if you prefer this to happen only once when you open the file.

 

Refresh at regular interval

STEP 1: Go to PivotTable Analyze > Data > Change Data Source > Connection Properties

STEP 2: Select the checkbox – Refresh every X minutes.

This will refresh your pivot table automatically after the number of minutes has passed.

Try out these options and have fun keeping your Pivot Table up-to-date!