Publish a Report to PowerPoint

Link a live OfficeConnect Excel report into a PowerPoint deck so slides update with one refresh.

This tutorial covers linking an OfficeConnect Excel report into a PowerPoint presentation. Once linked, refreshing OfficeConnect in Excel automatically updates the numbers in your slides — no copy-pasting needed.

What you’ll need:

  • A finished OfficeConnect Excel report with data populated (Build Your First Report)
  • PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 or Office 2019+)
  • OfficeConnect installed on the same machine

How Excel-to-PowerPoint linking works

OfficeConnect for PowerPoint creates links between named ranges or tables in your Excel workbook and shapes in your PowerPoint slides. When you click Refresh in PowerPoint, OfficeConnect re-reads the current Excel values and updates the slide content — even if you are not looking at the Excel file at the time.

Step 1 — Name your ranges in Excel

1
Select the data range in Excel Open your OfficeConnect Excel report and click Refresh to make sure all cells are populated with current data. Select the range you want to appear in PowerPoint — for example, a summary table of revenue and expenses.
2
Define a named range With the range selected, click the Name Box (the field to the left of the formula bar) and type a descriptive name such as SummaryTable. Press Enter. This named range is what OfficeConnect for PowerPoint will reference.

Step 2 — Insert the link in PowerPoint

3
Open your PowerPoint presentation Open the PowerPoint deck where you want the data to appear. Navigate to the slide that should contain the table or chart.
4
Open the OfficeConnect pane in PowerPoint On the OfficeConnect ribbon tab in PowerPoint, click Open Pane. The pane opens on the right.
5
Click 'Add Link' In the OfficeConnect pane, click Add Link. A dialog appears asking you to select the source workbook and named range.
6
Select the workbook and named range Browse to your Excel workbook and select the named range SummaryTable (or whatever name you used in Step 2). Click OK. OfficeConnect inserts a linked table on the slide.

Step 3 — Refresh and verify

7
Click Refresh in PowerPoint On the OfficeConnect ribbon in PowerPoint, click Refresh. OfficeConnect reads the current values from the Excel file and updates the table on the slide.
8
Verify the data matches Check that the numbers on the slide match the values in your Excel workbook. If any cells show n/a or #REF!, the named range may have moved — redefine it in Excel and update the link.

Step 4 — Update for a new period

9
Refresh Excel first At the start of each reporting cycle, open your Excel workbook and click Refresh on the OfficeConnect ribbon. This pulls the latest data from Adaptive Planning into Excel.
10
Refresh PowerPoint second Switch to PowerPoint and click Refresh again. The slides update to reflect the new Excel values. The entire deck is now current with no manual editing.

Tips

  • Multiple ranges per slide: You can link several named ranges to different shapes on the same slide — useful for separate revenue and expense tables.
  • Charts: OfficeConnect can also link to Excel charts. Select the chart in Excel, give it a name via the Name Box, and link it using the same workflow above.
  • Sharing the deck: Save the updated PowerPoint and share it via SharePoint or email. Recipients who open it will see the static snapshot of the data at the time of your last refresh.

Next steps