Microsoft KB Archive/180375

= "External data range" message clicking Edit Query button to edit a Web query in Excel =

Article ID: 180375

Article Last Modified on 1/22/2007

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Excel 2001 for Mac
 * Microsoft Excel X for Mac

-



This article was previously published under Q180375



SYMPTOMS
When you click the Edit Query on the External Data toolbar, you may receive the following error message:

This external data range contains data from a Web query. Web queries cannot be edited.

When this happens, the only option that you have is to click OK.



CAUSE
You cannot edit Web queries in Microsoft Excel. The Edit Query button on the External Data toolbar is used to edit queries that are created in Microsoft Query.



RESOLUTION
To edit a Web query, you must open the Web query file that you created for the Web query by using a text editor like SimpleText.



MORE INFORMATION
Like any other data query in Microsoft Excel, a Web query is a tool to extract information from a Web site and return it back to your worksheet.

To perform a Web query, follow these steps:  Create a Web query file in a text editor with the following lines of text:

Type of Query

Version of Query

URL

Post Parameters (not required for "Get" queries)

Note Microsoft Office installs several sample Web query files in the Queries folder. The following is the text of the Microsoft Investor Stock Quote file:

WEB

1

http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/external/excel/quotes.asp?SYMBOL=["QUOTE0", "Enter up to 20 symbols separated by commas."]

This is a "Get" query because the fourth line of text is not used. On the Data menu, click Get External Data, and then click Run Web Query. In the Run Query dialog box, locate and select the query file, and then click Get Data.

Note Based on the type of Web query file that you created, you may have to specify some information for the Web query.

Microsoft Excel performs the query. If the query is successful, the data is returned to the location that you specified.

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

178870 How to create Web query files

274787 How to create Web query files for use with Excel for Mac

