Live links to excel file

For proper updating, all formatting must be done with strictly Table and Cell Styles. I like to create a "dummy" table to create my styles first, then I delete the dummy table.

1. Create your Paragraph Styles for the table; I like to create separate table paragraph styles and put them in the own folder/group.
2. Create the Cell Styles, linking to the Paragraph Styles (one paragraph style to one cell style)
3. Create a Table Style, linking to the appropriate Cell Styles.
4. Create any other Cell Styles that you might want to apply manually, such as a Subheader Row style.

In Excel--if necessary, you can name your worksheets and create named regions for importing sections of a large spreadsheet. 

The process in InDesign

1. Turn on the Create Links When Placing Text and Spreadsheet Files preference under File Handling.
2. Place your Table--TURN ON Show Import Options
3. Select the Sheet (worksheet) if necessary
4. Select the Cell Range (named regions work best) if necessary
5. Table should be Unformatted Table to remove Excel-based formatting
6. Table Style should be the one you created in InDesign
7. Make any other options you see fit
8. Place table in InDesign
9. Repeat the process for any other linked tables
10. Turn OFF the Create Links preference when finished (not good for leaving on all the time)

Your Excel file will show the yellow triangle update icon when it needs updating.

Click on icon or use Links panel to update.

NOTES:

1. All rows are treated as Body rows from Excel (Excel technically doesn't have a "header" row). If you convert some the first row(s) to a header row(s) after placing, you will have to do so again after every update.
2. Other than adjusting the column width, don't make any edits to the table, including merging cells, in InDesign.
3. Do any additional formatting with Cell Styles--for example, you may have to create a Cell Style simply to link to a Paragraph Style.

If you are doing a lot of this, you may want to look at Em Software's WordsFlow plugin.

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. You may check out the help article https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/data-merge.html#update_data_fields to know about Data merge.
Hope it helps.

Regards,

Ashutosh