Microsoft Excel includes an immensely powerful data extraction tool called Power Query (accessible via the “Get Data” tab). This feature allows a spreadsheet to connect to an external SQL database, a live web API, or another Excel file, and pull in raw data automatically. By default, whenever you open a workbook that contains one of these external data connections, Excel throws a massive yellow security warning bar across the top of the screen: “SECURITY WARNING External Data Connections have been disabled.”
While this warning protects you from malicious spreadsheets secretly pulling tracking data from remote servers, it is an absolute nightmare for corporate dashboards. If you have built an internal financial dashboard that connects to your company’s secure SQL server, you want the data to refresh instantly and invisibly the moment the CEO opens the file. Having to manually click “Enable Content” every single time completely breaks the automated experience. To guarantee that your trusted dashboards open cleanly and refresh their Power Queries silently in the background, you must completely disable the external data prompt.
Disabling Data Prompts via the Trust Center
You can force Excel to implicitly trust all external data connections globally by modifying the core Trust Center settings.
- Open the Microsoft Excel desktop application.
- Bypass the Start Screen by clicking Blank workbook to enter the main editing interface.
- Look at the main menu ribbon at the top of the screen and click on File (in the top-left corner).
- Scroll to the absolute bottom of the left-hand blue sidebar and click on Options.
- A new Options window will appear. In the left-hand menu, click on Trust Center.
- Click the large button labelled Trust Center Settings….
- In the new window that appears, click on External Content in the left-hand sidebar.
- Locate the section labelled “Security settings for Data Connections.”
- Change the radio button selection to: Enable all Data Connections (not recommended).
- Click OK twice to save your changes and exit both options windows.
Extreme Warning: You have just instructed Excel to instantly execute any Power Query or SQL connection embedded in any workbook you open. If you download a malicious spreadsheet from a phishing email, it will silently pull or push data without warning you. You should only enable this setting on dedicated corporate workstations that exclusively handle internal, highly trusted dashboard files.