Refreshing Excel Data Automatically Using PowerShell

In this post, we will be looking at a handy script designed to refresh external data connections in Excel. If you’ve ever found yourself drowning in outdated data or wished for a more efficient way to keep your spreadsheets up to date, you’re in for a treat. Let’s dive into the script step by step and unveil the magic of automation.

#Refresh Excel External Data with PowerShell

# Define the path to the Excel file
$excelFilePath = "C:\Files\ExcelRefresh.xlsx"

# Set the visibility of the Excel application to false (invisible)
$visible = $false

# Create a new Excel application object
$excelApp = New-Object -ComObject "Excel.Application"

# Set the application to be invisible
$excelApp.Visible = $visible

# Open the specified workbook
$workbook = $excelApp.Workbooks.Open($excelFilePath)

# Refresh all external data connections
$workbook.RefreshAll()

# Disables pop-up alerts or messages while interacting with the workbook
$workbook.DisplayAlerts = $false

# Hides the workbook from view
$workbook.Visible = $false

# Save the workbook
$workbook.Save()

# Close the workbook and quit the application
$workbook.Close()
$excelApp.Quit()

# Release COM objects
Remove-Variable excelApp, workbook

Script walkthrough:

Step 1: Define the Excel File Path

# Define the path to the Excel file
$excelFilePath = "C:\Files\ExcelRefresh.xlsx"

Here, we start by specifying the path to our Excel file. Make sure to replace this with the path to your own workbook.

Step 2: Set Excel Application Visibility

# Set the visibility of the Excel application to false (invisible)
$visible = $false

This line determines whether Excel will be visible during the process. Setting it to $false makes it run in the background without distracting pop-ups.

Step 3: Create Excel Application Object

# Create a new Excel application object
$excelApp = New-Object -ComObject "Excel.Application"

With this line, we create a new instance of the Excel application, essentially opening Excel programmatically.

Step 4: Set Application Visibility

# Set the application to be invisible
$excelApp.Visible = $visible

Here, we use the visibility variable we defined earlier to set whether Excel should be visible to the user or not.

Step 5: Open Workbook and Refresh Data

# Open the specified workbook
$workbook = $excelApp.Workbooks.Open($excelFilePath)

# Refresh all external data connections
$workbook.RefreshAll()

We open the workbook specified in the file path and trigger a refresh for all external data connections.

Step 6: Disable Alerts and Hide Workbook

# Disables pop-up alerts or messages while interacting with the workbook
$workbook.DisplayAlerts = $false

# Hides the workbook from view
$workbook. Visible = $false

To avoid interruptions, we disable any alerts and keep the workbook hidden.

Step 7: Save Changes

# Save the workbook
$workbook. Save()

Ensuring any changes made during the refresh are saved.

Step 8: Close Workbook and Quit Application

# Close the workbook and quit the application
$workbook. Close()
$excelApp.Quit()

Finally, we gracefully close the workbook and quit the Excel application.

Step 9: Release COM Objects

# Release COM objects
Remove-Variable excelApp, workbook

To clean up, we release the COM objects, ensuring no memory leaks.

By following these steps, you’ve successfully automated the process of refreshing external data connections in Excel using PowerShell. This script is a time-saver, especially for those dealing with frequently updated data.