This article tells you what to do when a synchronisation does not give the result you expect: an error during synchronisation, tables or charts that still show old figures, numbers that change format, a progress bar that stays orange, or a synchronisation indicator that does not disappear. Open the synchronisation screen first, then go to the section that matches your problem. Most problems occur in the Excel file or in the choice of data source, not in the document.
Before you start
Make sure you understand the three steps of a data source (see Connect a table to a data source):
- connect a table,
- upload the Excel file,
- then synchronize.
See Connect a table to a data source. When you upload a file, the file replaces the previous file in that data source. You cannot undo this action.
Test structural changes on a copy first
When you plan to restructure the Excel file or the links themselves, it is recommended to do this in test document version first. This way, the live document keeps its working links while you test. See Roll forward of a document in Tangelo.
Quick diagnosis
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| The progress bar stays orange, or dates in the sync screen do not match | Errors are still open, or you compare two different date columns | Section 1 |
| Error during synchronisation: selection or range not found | The linked worksheet, cell range or named range no longer exists in the uploaded file | Section 2 |
| No synchronisation indicator appears after you upload a file | You uploaded the file to a data source that is not connected to this document | Section 3 |
| Your latest Excel changes are missing after synchronisation | You uploaded an older version of the file (this often occurs with SharePoint or OneDrive) | Section 4 |
| Only part of the tables or charts show updated data | The document uses several data sources, and only one data source received a new file | Section 5 |
| Numbers show a decimal point instead of a comma, or show the wrong scale | Cell formatting in Excel | Section 6 |
| You cannot edit or format a cell in a table | Connected tables are read-only in Tangelo | Section 7 |
| The synchronisation indicator stays on, or a data source is missing from the list | A table points to a data source that has no data, or a data source that is not visible to your role | Section 8 |
| The upload does not finish, or you get a server error | This is not a problem you can fix in Excel | Section 9 |
1. How to read the synchronisation screen
The synchronisation screen gives you many details. Read the screen before you change anything.
The overview
- The screen groups the data sources into two lists: data sources with errors at the top, with an error count, and up-to-date data sources below.
- Expand a data source to see each connected section, sheet name and selection.
- A warning icon marks each selection that the system skipped. The icon shows the reason.
The three date columns
| Column | What it means |
|---|---|
| Last upload | The date and time when you last uploaded the Excel file to this data source. When this date is older than your last Excel edit, your edit is not yet in Tangelo. |
| Last synchronisation | The date and time when the system last synchronized the data source with the document. |
| Last updated | The date and time when that specific selection last changed. When the source data does not change, the system does not create a new timestamp. An old date here is normal for figures that did not change. |
Dates that do not match are usually not a problem
When the Last updated timestamp is newer than the Last synchronisation timestamp, this is a timing difference: the synchronisation already updated the entries, but did not yet refresh the synchronisation date. Both dates update correctly after the next synchronisation.
Why the progress bar stays orange
The bar stays orange while errors remain open for the document. Scroll through the item list, resolve the errors it lists (Section 2 covers the most common error), and synchronize again. The bar turns green on the next synchronisation, when no errors remain.
Warnings are not errors
A message such as "the table structure has changed, adjust column widths manually" gives information only. The system updated that selection. Only the items marked as skipped did not receive new data.
2. Error during synchronisation: the system cannot find the selection
Tangelo looks for the exact worksheet name and the exact selection that the table links to, whether this is a cell range or a named range. When Tangelo cannot find this selection in the file you uploaded, the system skips that table. The table keeps the values from the last successful synchronisation. The document still shows content, but the content is not current.
Read the error message first
The message tells you what to check:
- the data source name
- the worksheet name
- the selection: a cell range, for example A166:C169, or a named range
- the time of the last upload and of the last update of that selection
How to fix this error
- Open the Excel file that you uploaded. Do not open an older copy.
- Check that the worksheet named in the message exists, with the exact same name. When you rename a worksheet, you break the link.
- Check that the selection exists in that worksheet:
- Cell range – the range must still exist and must still cover your data. When you insert or delete rows above the range, or when the sheet is shorter than the last row in the range, you break the link.
- Named range – the name must still exist in the workbook and must still point to the correct sheet. When you delete or rename the name, the system shows "range does not exist in worksheet".
- Correct the file, save the file, upload the file again in Data sources, and synchronize.
Prevent this: use named ranges
A link based on a fixed cell selection breaks as soon as the layout of the sheet changes. Excel keeps a named range aligned with the data when you add or remove rows or columns. Relink the table with a named range instead of a first and last cell. See this link for more information about named ranges: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-named-range-in-excel-adee78ff-bcf0-4283-8c29-83304ca0c29d
3. No synchronisation indicator appears after you upload a file
You uploaded a new Excel file, but the orange indicator on the synchronize button does not appear, and the document shows no pending updates. In this case, the file most likely went to a data source that is not connected to this document.
- Open the document and check which data source the tables connect to, through the Synchronize with data source(s) option.
- Compare the file names with the name of the data source you uploaded to.
- Upload the file again, to the data source that is actually connected. Then synchronize.
Watch for lookalike names
Documents often contain several data sources with almost identical names, for example "Financial statements ABB 2025" and "Tangelo tables - financial statements ABB 2025". The Excel file name is independent of the data source name, so a matching file name does not prove that you have the correct data source. Always check the name that the document connects to.
Do not create a new data source to solve this problem
A new data source has no connection to any document, so when you upload a file to it, the upload does not change your report. When you cannot find or open the data source that the document uses, your account may not have access. Ask your Tangelo administrator to check your permissions, or contact support.
4. Your latest Excel changes are missing after synchronisation
Tangelo always synchronizes the file that you last uploaded to the data source. When the uploaded file did not yet contain your changes, the synchronisation itself completes without an error, so the document simply shows older data.
This problem is common when the Excel file lives in SharePoint, OneDrive, or another cloud folder: when you close the file on your computer, this does not guarantee that the change is already saved back to the cloud copy.
Check what the system actually uploaded
- Open Data sources and select the data source.
- Check the Last upload timestamp. When this date is older than your Excel edit, the edit is not yet in Tangelo.
- Open the file from the data source and confirm that your change is in the file.
How to work with files in SharePoint or OneDrive
- Edit the file and save the file.
- Close the file and wait until the cloud folder shows the file as fully synced (no pending sync icon).
- Open the file again, from the cloud location, and confirm that your change is in the file.
- Only then, upload the file in Tangelo and synchronize.
Do not reconnect the table to solve this problem
When you disconnect and reconnect the table, the system does not retrieve newer data. Only a new upload retrieves newer data. Reconnecting the table costs you time and risks a change to the link.
5. Only part of the tables or charts show updated data
When some elements update and other elements do not update, the elements that did not update usually connect to a different data source, or the system skipped these elements during synchronisation.
First: count the data sources
A document often uses more than one data source, and each data source holds its own Excel file. When you upload one file, the system updates only the tables and charts that connect to that data source. All elements that connect to the other data sources keep their previous values, and the system does not show an error for this.
- Open the synchronisation screen. The overview lists every data source that the document connects to.
- Compare the Last upload date for each data source. An old date on a data source shows that the data source did not receive your new file.
- Expand each data source to see which sections it feeds, so that you know which elements depend on which file.
- Upload a current file to each data source that needs one, then synchronize.
Another user may own the other file
The Last upload column also shows who uploaded the file. When a colleague or an external agency last updated a data source, this file does not belong to you: ask the owner for a current version instead of uploading an older copy over it.
Then: check for skipped selections and import problems
- Expand the data source as described in Section 1. The system lists each skipped selection with a reason. Try to fix these problems as described in Section 2.
- Check the sheet for rows that contain an unusually large amount of data, for example a row that extends far beyond the visible table. One overloaded row can stop the import early, so all data after that row arrives empty or old. Remove the extra content, save the file, upload the file, and synchronize again.
- Remove empty rows and columns outside the actual data, and delete sheets that you do not need in the data source.
- Check that the selection of each element still covers all rows and columns that you added.
Figures that did not change do not get a new date
Before you assume that an element is faulty, check its Last updated value. When the underlying figure did not change in Excel, the old timestamp is correct behaviour, not a failed update.
6. Numbers show the wrong separator or the wrong scale
Tangelo takes the value and the number format from the Excel cell, and applies the regional number formats depending on the document language set in Tangelo. When one figure in a column looks different from the other figures in the column, compare the cells in Excel, not the output in Tangelo.
- Select the cell that shows the wrong value and check its number format. The system applies number formatting to cells with the format Number; the system shows cells with the format General as typed.
- Compare it with a cell in the same column that shows the correct value, and make the formatting identical.
- Correct the formatting or the calculation in Excel, upload the file again, and synchronize.
Rule of thumb
Keep the formatting and the method of calculation consistent within each column in Excel. Then the whole column shows the same way in Tangelo.
7. You cannot edit or format a cell in a connected table
Connected tables are read-only in Tangelo. The content comes from Excel, so you cannot change the text or the formatting inside the table in the document.
What to do instead
- Make the change in the Excel file.
- Upload the file again and synchronize.
- When you cannot make the change in Excel, disconnect the table from the data source. The table then becomes editable, but the table no longer receives updates. Only disconnect the table when you are certain that you do not need further synchronization.
8. The synchronization indicator stays on, or a data source is missing
The orange exclamation mark next to the synchronize button shows that Tangelo has pending updates for the document. The mark can stay visible after you synchronize, when a table or a chart in the document refers to a data source that has no file, that the system removed, or that the system cannot resolve.
- Open the synchronisation screen and note which data sources appear in the list, and which data sources show errors.
- Check each table and each chart that refers to a data source. Look for links that point to a data source that has no file.
- Upload a file to that data source, or disconnect the element from the data source when you no longer need the link.
When a data source that you expect does not appear in the list at all, or when a colleague sees a different list than you see, this is usually a matter of permissions on data sources and documents. Ask your Tangelo administrator to check your permissions.
9. The upload does not finish, or you get a server error
Some problems are not caused by your file or by your links, and when you repeat the upload, the problem can become worse, not better:
- the upload stays at the same step for a long time and does not finish
- the system shows an error message with a technical code, instead of a message you can read
- your browser shows an error, for example 503 Service Unavailable
- the synchronize button does not respond, or the system reports every section as unmodified, when you know that the sections changed
Stop the upload of new files. A repeated upload during a failed import can leave the data source in an unclear state.
- Note the time of the failed upload and the exact message.
- Contact support@tangelo-software.com. State your deadline. Include the details listed at the end of this article.
Checklist before you synchronize
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| You upload to the data source that the document connects to | When you upload to a lookalike data source, the upload does not change your report |
| Each data source that the document uses has a current file | One upload updates only the elements that connect to that one data source |
| The file is fully saved and synced to the cloud | Otherwise, you upload an older version without knowing this |
| The worksheet names did not change | A renamed sheet breaks every link that points to it |
| The named ranges still exist and still cover the full data | This prevents skipped selections and missing rows |
| No rows or columns are inserted above a fixed cell selection | A fixed range does not move with your edits |
| No extra content sits far outside the tables | Extra content can stop the import early |
| The number formatting is consistent within each column | This prevents individual figures from showing differently |
| You make formatting changes, such as subscript, in Excel | You cannot edit connected tables in Tangelo |
What to send us when the problem continues
Contact support@tangelo-software.com and include as much as possible from the below:
- the document name and the data source name
- a screenshot of the full error message and of the expanded item in the synchronisation screen, with timestamps
- the Excel file that you uploaded
- the worksheet and the selection that the affected table links to
- what you already tried
- your deadline you are working towards