how can i merge cells in excel without losing data

Five minutes later User 2 saves the shared workbook but continues working.

This version, now residing in the memory of User 2's system, does not contain any of the changes done during the last 10 minutes by User 1.

Ten minutes later User 2 opens the shared workbook.

User 1 opens the workbook, which means that a copy of the workbook now resides in his system memory.

In a shared-workbook scenario, this means that multiple copies of the workbook are actually open at the same time, and Excel is charged with resolving potential conflicts in data. In Excel, the entire workbook is transferred to the user's computer, not just a single record from the data in the workbook. While the record is in use by a user, no other user can make changes to the record, but they can make changes to other records. In a program such as Access, data is fetched and worked with on a record-by-record basis. The reason that sharing a workbook can lead to data corruption is the way in which Excel allows users to work with data. Of course, it is possible that the change history may not provide the information that you hope it will. If you open the workbook and find the data missing, checking the change history may actually disclose that the data was deleted-probably inadvertently-by a user. This allows you to see who last changed a workbook. If this is not possible, consider turning on Track Changes in Excel (an option available when you share the workbook) so that a change history is maintained. If the data contained in the workbook is extensive and it must be shared among multiple users, consider converting to a program that is designed for better data integrity in a multi-user environment, such as Access.

If you 'unshared' it, then only a single person can open the workbook at a time, which reduces complexity and decreases the chances of corruption. This leads to the first suggestion: don't share the workbook. All the problems were traced to the fact that a workbook was shared, and the problems went away when the sharing was turned off. Many folks have related experiences where data has become corrupted, information is overwritten, or data just outright disappears. This problem is, perhaps, a prime example of why many people refuse to trust shared workbooks in Excel. Still, she reports that there are times when the workbook data is simply erased wiped clean. In trying to track down the problem Karen did tests where she and her coworkers tried to open the file at the same time and save it at the same time, but all the tests left the data intact.

Karen described a problem in which a shared workbook, stored on a company network, periodically loses all the data it previously contained.

How can i merge cells in excel without losing data