Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

July 7 - July 17 | Round 2 of the Power BI Dataviz World Championships. Don't miss your chance! Learn more

Reply
Anonymous
Not applicable

Efficiency - Multiple Excel Files vs One file multiple sheets / tabs

Hi

 

Using Excel files in Sharepoint, is it more efficient to import from multiple Excel files or from one file with multiple tabs? Or is there no practical difference?  I'm talking about 12-15 tables. 

 

I have no current issues, but I want to avoid possible future problems, and I just prefer to use the more efficient method if one exists.

 

TIA

 

Primo

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Anonymous
Not applicable

HI @Anonymous,

I think get data from one file should be better, you only need to get data from one source file, then you can duplicate the query table and change the navigate steps to redirect to different sheets.

It also helps you to reduce maintain time and you only need to handle one data source file.

Regards,

Xiaoxin Sheng

View solution in original post

2 REPLIES 2
Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi Xiaoxin Sheng

thanks for the reply, that sounds like good advice. I had wondered if there was a hit in terms of time to load for using multiple files, or a bottleneck for using multiple sheets in one file, but I guess it's not significant - I haven't seen any noticeable problems with either method. So I'd agree that from a development and maintenance point of view using one file is a more practical solution.

 

Thanks again for your help

 

Primo

Anonymous
Not applicable

HI @Anonymous,

I think get data from one file should be better, you only need to get data from one source file, then you can duplicate the query table and change the navigate steps to redirect to different sheets.

It also helps you to reduce maintain time and you only need to handle one data source file.

Regards,

Xiaoxin Sheng

Helpful resources

Announcements
FabCon and SQLCon Barcelona 2026

FabCon & SQLCon – Barcelona 2026

Join us in Barcelona for FabCon and SQLCon, the Fabric, Power BI, SQL, and AI community event. Save €200 with code FABCMTY200.

July Power BI Update Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - July 2026

Check out the July 2026 Power BI update to learn about new features.

60 days of Data Days Carousel

Data Days 2026

Join Data Days 2026: 60 days of free live/on-demand sessions, challenges, study groups, and certification opportunities.

Power BI DataViz World Championships carousel

Power BI DataViz World Championships - June 2026

A new Power BI DataViz World Championship is coming this June! Don't miss out on submitting your entry.