How to Create a Report in Word From Excel Using Tables

Combining Excel data and Word desktop publishing can be a winning combination for creating a superb report.

Excel has many great formatting options for presenting reports, but oftentimes you may need to go the extra mile to make your report that much more presentable and easy to understand. Combining the desktop publishing capabilities in Word with the calculation abilities of Excel can make the difference between a good report and an excellent report. You can insert Excel spreadsheets, data, charts or pivot tables into Word documents in just a few steps.

Instructions

Input Excel Data in a Word Document Using Tables

1. Click the "Insert" tab on the Toolbar in Word.

2. Click the "Table" button and choose "Excel Spreadsheet." You can now edit your data in Excel interface.

3. Enter your data and format it suitably for your report. Click outside the report in the Word document to get out of the Excel interface.

4. Edit the data and formatting in the report by double-clicking the table and editing in the Excel interface.

5. Edit the position of the report by clicking on the table, and then selecting the "Home" tab and using any of the applicable choices there. You can edit the border of the table here as well.

6. Edit individual cells by double-clicking and editing in the Excel interface.

Insert an Existing Excel Workbook into a Word Document

1. Click the "Insert" tab on the Toolbar in Word.

2. Click the "Insert Object" button in the lower right corner of the text section. This method inserts the entire workbook, but only the sheet you select will be visible. To change the sheet displayed, double-click to enter the Excel Interface and click the "Sheet" tab of your choice.

3. Click the "Create from File" tab and use the "Browse" button to find the Excel workbook you would like to insert. Select the "Link to File" box if you want the data to update when changes are made to the source. Click "OK."

4. Double-click the table and select the "Sheet" tab you would like to display in Word.

5. Insert pivot tables, charts or graphs by using Steps 1 through 4 and by selecting the tab that contains the item you want to display.

Insert Existing Excel Data into a Word Document Using Copy and Paste

1. Click to select the data in Excel that you want to copy to Word and press "Ctrl+C" to copy it.

2. Paste the data in Word by clicking in the location you want the data to go and pressing "Ctrl+V."

3. Click the "Paste Options" button (little clipboard icon) at the end of the data. Choose whichever options are proper for your document.

4. Click the appropriate "Link to Excel" option to ensure the data will automatically update with changes to the spreadsheet if that is your choice.

Tips & Warnings

• To copy data using shortcut keys, select the data, hold down the "Ctrl" key and press the "C" key.

• To paste data using using shortcut keys, select the data, hold down the "Ctrl" key and press the "V" key.

• Choose carefully whether or not to link or embed your data. Linked data are stored at the original source and are updated when changes are made to the source. Embedded data are stored in the Word document and can be updated in the Word document. Changes to embedded documents will not affect the original source.

References

• Microsoft: Copy Excel data or charts to Word
• Microsoft: Link or embed an Excel worksheet
• Microsoft: Copy Excel data or charts to Word

Resources

• Microsoft: Collaboration - Word 2007 Help and How To