Updating a centrally located document in Confluence

Question

Hi there, we have an excel spreadsheet that resides on a central server. We want to be able to attach this spreadsheet to a confluence page and be able to make changes centrally for it to effect the spreadsheet on confluence and also be able to make changes to the same spreadsheet within Confluence to have it effect the changes centrally. Is this possible with the new version of Confluence?

thanks.

unknown · Answer

Hi there JP,

Thank you for your reply to my query.  It does go some way to answering my question sure. I will need to go down the storing the excel sheet centrally as it is accessed (but not updated) by individuals outside the confluence umbrella. I was more interested in the steps I'd need to apply to make this happen rather than choosing where I would need to store my saved document however.  Would you be able to assist with that at all?

Thanks in advance,

Rob.

JP _AC Bielefeld Leader_ · Answer

Hi Robert,

you have to decide where you want to store the excel spreadsheet: On a central (file) server or in a Confluence page. Both approaches have their pros & cons. If there is a need to access the Excel file from outside Confluence (eg. it is read by some other systems or used by users without access to Confluence) then store it on the file server.

If the spreadsheet is only used by users having access to Confluence and the spreadsheet is related to the content in the space or page where it is stored, it might make sense to store it in Confluence: You get an automatic versioning, a single source of truth, the content inside the excel file can be search with Confluence, no Excel client needed for preview,...

After working with Confluence & administering it for 5 years, we found out that more & more files are stored in Confluence as the users find this more convenient.

There is no easy/single solution for your problem.

Best

JP