Using Live Data in PowerPoint

PowerPoint presentations can be enhanced by the use of data linked from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or charts that can automatically update in PowerPoint when changes are made in the Excel file. Additionally, Excel can utilize “live” data from the World Wide Web, information that will automatically update in a spreadsheet when it changes online. By extension, data that is linked to live sources within Excel can be linked to PowerPoint, allowing for this “live” link to be extended to PowerPoint presentations. It’s a bit of a hack, but it works, and it can be used educationally in some interesting ways.

Adding Web-Based Content to Excel

Content imported into an Excel spreadsheet must be in a table format on the Web, and it should be in a format that will not change. Changes to the design, layout, or anything else other than the text content of the individual table cells will confuse Excel and could lead to poor results.

When you have identified a data source, create an Excel workbook to store the information in. In Excel, click on Data > Import > Import from External Source > New Web Query. You can then type in the address of the Web page you would like to draw data from, or browse to it. The example file (download the PowerPoint file and Excel spreadsheet to play with it, making sure to store the files in the same folder) displays the air quality forecast for Houston, Texas over the course of a day.

When you have located your data source, small yellow boxes with black arrows in them will designate each element that could be selected for inclusion. The green checkbox shown at the edge of the forecast table is displayed when you click on one of the yellow arrows, and shows that the table it points to has been selected. When you have selected the elements you wish to include, click on Import.

You should now see the contents of your selected table in your Excel spreadsheet. It is essential to remember from this point forward that you cannot manipulate data in this linked area, or you may confuse Excel when it attempts to update the table information. In the example case case, I determined that the data set provided in the table was too large for the line graph they planned to make. Using simple Excel formulas (“=A3”, for example), I referred the partial contents of every other row to another area of the spreadsheet.

Using this data, I then created a line graph in Excel to visually represent the live data. Constructing graphs in Excel is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but there are a lot of good resources online for that sort of thing. Here's one.

Linking Web Data to PowerPoint

When you have developed the final format for your information (it could be as simple as a table with borders, which you would need to add while in Excel), make sure you are satisfied with the filenames you have assigned to your Excel workbook. If you would like to change it, change it now; once you have linked content to PowerPoint, changing the name of the file will break the link. Save As if necessary.

To import the content to PowerPoint, right-click on the content in Excel and hit Control+C to copy the table, chart or graph. If you are selecting a group of spreadsheet cells, select them all as you would to copy and paste to a new area of your spreadsheet.

In PowerPoint, navigate to the slide into which you would like to drop the content. Select Edit > Paste Special, and in the dialogue box that appears, select Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object from the list of object types and click the Paste Link radio button on the lefthand side of the window. Click OK.

Your worksheet content should now be visible on your PowerPoint slide. It cannot be edited or manipulated, and if it is resized, your revisions may not persist when the content is updated. If you need to make any changes to the visible content you have imported, you should edit it in Excel (remembering not to edit within the Web Query area) and reinsert it.

Updating Live Data

The next time you open your PowerPoint presentation, a dialogue box will ask whether you would like to update the live data contained in the PowerPoint or continue to use the data stored in the file. You can click Update Link to update to the latest information contained in the Excel workbook.

Of course, this update will have no effect if you have not updated the query in your Excel file. To do this, open the workbook in Excel, right-click anywhere within the Web query area and select Refresh Data from the menu that appears.

Sample files: PowerPoint file and Excel spreadsheet. The PowerPoint has macros that will need to be enabled to view the presentation.