Frequently asked questions about using Linked Excel Data in ThunderDome®.
Formatting
I applied bold to my table in Excel. Why doesn’t it show in the document?
Formatting such as bold, italics, and underline must be applied in the Editor. When new items are added to a table, it is a good idea to review it in the document to make sure you fix the aesthetics as needed.
How do I remove the space between the dollar sign ($) and value in narrative fact links?
In Excel, format the narrative table cells with the currency format rather than the accounting format.
Text is being cut off in my table when it’s inserted or converted but it looks fine in Excel.
Add text wrapping to the cell in Excel, then check if it appears correctly after your next upload. If it still doesn’t appear as expected, you may need to replace the table.
The $ or % symbols in my column headers are moving after an upload.
Try the following for a DIY fix: In the Editor, move the $ or % back to its place.
In the same cell, remove the cell ID by using this keyboard shortcut: CTRL + ALT + ~ . Then use this keyboard shortcut in the row to designate it as a header row: CTRL + SHIFT + ~ . This will prevent the $ or % from moving during future updates.
If the misplaced symbols appear repeatedly or in multiple places, notify RDG so we can review the document.
None of my Excel changes are showing up.
Typically this occurs when the file name is changed after it has already been linked to the document. Check the file name by opening the project (not the document) in ThunderDome®. Go to the Excel Uploads page of your project and cross reference the name of the linked file with the name of your recently uploaded Excel file. The name of the files should match exactly. After fixing the name of your file to match the linked Excel name, upload again.
Editor
I’m trying to open my project but it says “IN USE [Excel tools].”
There is a pending manual review that requires RDG to look at the latest upload and make sure it appears correctly in the document. Most of the time, these reviews are based on structural changes to linked tables. Read more about manual reviews.
How do I scale a linked narrative fact?
In Excel – Use a formula or cell format to adjust the fact presentation then upload to affect the change.
In ThunderDome – Right-click on the fact and select “Change LED fact scale” or use the Scale option on the Excel tab of the Editor toolbar. Note that only whole numbers can be scaled. If the number is a decimal in Excel, it should be changed to a whole number prior to scaling in the Editor.
Please do not link numbers from financial tables; instead, always use numbers from narrative tables.
How do I remove a linked fact?
Right-click on the fact and select “Unlink LED Fact” or use the Unlink option on the Excel tab of the Editor toolbar.
How do I delete an LED table from my EDGAR document?
Simply delete the table in the EDGAR document. It does not need to be removed from Excel unless you wish to remove it.
Why isn’t my table updated in the EDGAR document?
Check that the table name has not been changed in Excel, and make sure the data is inside the defined range of cells. Re-insert the table if needed.
excel
What if I can’t access or load the ThunderDome® Linked Data Add-in?
Contact your IT department to see if company policy prevents you from accessing the Microsoft store or loading add-ins. If they require an alternate method of obtaining the add-in, contact us for central deployment instructions.
My add-in has disappeared. How do I get it back?
Follow our Quick Access instructions to keep your add-in easily accessible in the toolbar.
How do I remove duplicate ranges in my Excel?
In the Name Manager, sort by range name to find the duplicates, and modify or remove the duplicate range names.
ERROR messages
Login failed: Invalid username or password
1. Your Excel login is the same as your ThunderDome® credentials.*
2. If you recently updated your password on ThunderDome®, log out of the website and close Excel, then reopen Excel and try logging in again.
3. Contact RDG to make sure you haven’t been locked out from trying the wrong password too many times.
*Only Web Add-in users (later than Office 2016)
Error during API request
This is a browser cache or workbook validation issue that can present after accepting an update in the document.
If the project shows as “IN USE [Excel tools],” ask RDG to clear the status before taking the following steps.
1. Open the project and hit “Cancel” instead of “OK” when prompted to update the project with the latest Excel.
2. With the document open in the Editor, click Log Off in the upper-right corner of the window.
3. Log in to ThunderDome®, open the document, and you will be asked to log in again to see the document. Select “OK” to accept the update.
This error commonly occurs when structural changes are made to tables in the Editor instead of Excel, such as split tables or removal of columns. We recommend you make a version comparison to see what changes were made, then make sure the changes are in both the document and the Excel file before uploading and trying again.
If the API error persists, there is an issue with the linked file. Review ranges in Excel to check for linked table duplication or a linked table that is missing defined ranges.
Error converting workbook
Changes were made to the Excel that need to be reviewed. Use Excel‘s Name Manager to find duplicate table names or tables that have been renamed using more than 26 characters. You may also send the file to RDG for review.
“The Excel is no longer linked to the project” in red banners above the tables
The browser‘s verification token is stale and needs refreshed.
1. With the document open in the Editor, click Log Off in the upper-right corner of the window.
2. Log in to ThunderDome®, open the document, and you will be asked to log in once more to see the document.
Upload failed
Check the Name Manager in Excel for table names that exceed 26 characters past the ‘rdg_000’ prefix and shorten the name if necessary. When using the Name Manager to change a table name, the character limit is bypassed which results in an error if the name is too long.