Our finance department have set up a workbook with 10 tabs. Each tab was configured with an external data connection to a SQL Server (2008) database. The workbook is shared through the organisation (with read only access granted via Active Directory to other departments). Finance have complained that after other departments access the document, they can no longer refresh the data. On viewing the workbook - only 2 of the original 10 external data connections are still listed.
The problem is to determine why the connections are going missing and how to stop it continuing.
* The workbook is based on a design originally developed in Excel XP. As such the connection is via 32bit ODBC.
* The connection string is of the form:
DSN=PRODSERVER_proddb_SQL;Description=to query Prod database for reporting functions;UID=reporting;;APP=2007 Microsoft Office system;WSID=WSyymmnn;DATABASE=proddb;Network=DBMSSOCN
* Our organisation has a mixture of Windows 2007 and Windows XP machines.
* Finance have 64bit ODBC configurations with similar naming conventions. (I don't think these are interfering with each other as the connection would not refresh prior to running C:\Windows\syswow64\odbcad32.exe and setting up a 32bit counterpart.)
* Non-Finance users may not have any ODBC configurations. (As the workbook should be read-only to these users, I would expect them to get an error if they tried to refresh the data - that no changes or removals to the connections should be saved).
I'd greatly appreciate any confirmation of my above 2 assumptions - or suggestions for resolving this issue.
Thank you.