Microsoft KB Archive/292471

= You receive an error message when you save a workbook, define a name, delete a name, or use a defined name in a formula in Excel =

Article ID: 292471

Article Last Modified on 2/14/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office Excel 2007
 * Microsoft Office Excel 2003
 * Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q292471





SYMPTOMS
When you attempt to save a Microsoft Excel workbook, define a name, delete a name, or use a defined name in a formula, you may receive the following error message:

Excel cannot complete this task with the available resources. Choose less data or close other applications.



CAUSE
This behavior can occur if you define names that indirectly refer to other nested names that are more than 20 levels deep. When you add or use a name that exceeds that level of indirection in a formula, you receive this error message. You also receive this error message when you delete a name that is referenced by more than 20 levels of defined names.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, change the defined names so that they reference the given cells more directly.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.



MORE INFORMATION
A level of indirection in defined names is created when one name refers to another name or to a cell reference.

If you define the following names in a workbook named Book1   Name    Refers to       Level of indirection

Test1  =Sheet1!$A$1               1 Test2  =Book1!Test1               2 Test3  =Book1!Test2               3 Test4  =Book1!Test3               4 Test5  =Book1!Test4               5 Test6  =Book1!Test5               6 Test7  =Book1!Test6               7 Test8  =Book1!Test7               8 Test9  =Book1!Test8               9 Test10 =Book1!Test9               10 Test11 =Book1!Test10              11 Test12 =Book1!Test11              12 Test13 =Book1!Test12              13 Test14 =Book1!Test13              14 Test15 =Book1!Test14              15 Test16 =Book1!Test15              16 Test17 =Book1!Test16              17 Test18 =Book1!Test17              18 Test19 =Book1!Test18              19 Test20 =Book1!Test19              20 (the limit) Test21 =Book1!Test20              21 where each line represents one level of indirection, and you attempt to use a name that exceeds the twentieth level of indirection, you receive the error message described in the &quot;Symptoms&quot; section.

You may also receive this error message if you try to delete a name that has too many levels of indirection below the name. For example, if you try to delete the name &quot;Test1&quot;, you may receive the error message because the name &quot;Test21&quot; is 20 or more levels of indirection away.

Additional query words: XL2002 XL2003 XL2007

Keywords: kbprb kbsavefile kberrmsg kbpending KB292471

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