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After you have created a graphic in a spreadsheet program, you are ready to insert it in your document or presentation. The simplest method is to copy your graphic and then paste it into your document or presentation. This approach works well if you think your data will not change and you do not want to make major changes to your graphic.
If you want to make changes to your graphic or data, however, you will need to make these changes in your original spreadsheet file and then reinsert your graphic. For example, if your annual report includes 20 graphics based on budget data and you discover a mistake in your data, you will need to go back and update your graphics in the spreadsheet and then manually reinsert the 20 revised graphics in the report. This process could be very time consuming and could introduce errors.
If you think you might need to make changes or are dealing with several graphics in a single document, a more efficient method is to copy your graphic and then use your word-processing or presentation program's paste special feature. This feature allows you to insert a graphic in your document and link it to the spreadsheet file. Linking your graphic to its source file allows you to update your graphic automatically by making changes to the spreadsheet file. You do not have to update each graphic in your document manually because changes you make to your data are made automatically to your graphics.
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Word's paste special feature allows you to link the data in a spreadsheet file to a graphic inserted in a Word document. In the screen shot that follows, the Result section explains how the paste special function works.
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