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Microsoft excel is waiting for another application to complete an OLE action error while trying to run a power query.

Santosh Subudhi

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March 21, 2019

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May 8, 2020 - 2:32 am

Hello Team,

I have been using power query on my daily basis without any issues. Recently I have started facing an error "Microsoft excel is waiting for another application to complete an OLE action" while trying to run a power query.

I have done below steps still getting the error:

Open Excel sheet > go to File menu > click Options
Now go to the Advanced tab > scroll down to the General area
Here check mark the “Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)” option
And restart Excel file

Also removed all the add in previously added still getting the error. Please help me with a suitable solution else I have to start working with manual work or use VBA again.

Regards

Santosh

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Mynda Treacy

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July 16, 2010

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May 8, 2020 - 9:11 am

Hi Santosh,

Is the query connected to data in another Excel file? If so, is that Excel file open when you try to refresh the query? I ask because the source data files must be closed for the query to update.

I hope that helps. If not, I'm out of ideas other than the good old CTRL+ALT+Delete, reboot!

Mynda

Santosh Subudhi

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May 8, 2020 - 10:20 pm

Hello Mynda,

Yes the power query is pulling data from different other files within the same folder. The files that are connected are definitely not open when I refresh the power query.

I have done the reboot multiple times still the issue is not resolved.

Regards

Santosh

Anders Sehlstedt

Eskilstuna, Sweden

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May 9, 2020 - 2:09 am

Hello,

If you update one query at the time, you should be able to see which query that is causing this issue. Or are you not able to update any query? If the latter, then I wonder how it works if you create a query in a new file, does it work or do you get the same error?

If it works in a new file, it would then be good if you could test with an older version of your file where you have this error. If you don’t have such backup, then make a copy of existing file and troubleshoot in either file, leaving the other as a backup. As troubleshooting I would revert added changes/queries and test after every change.

It’s obviosly one of your data connections that is not working, so focus on related data queries. Good hunting!

Br,
Anders