Can't open linked Excel worksheet in Access 2003

[jswedlund]

I have an Excel file that has been set to share via Tools | Share Workbook. I have the worksheets (there are three worksheets in the workbook) in this Excel file set up as linked tables in an Access 2003 mdb file. I can open any one of the three linked tables in Access. I then open another instance of the same Access mdb, but I cannot open the same linked table in this second instance that I have open in the first Access instance. So much for Excel file sharing.
Also, if I attempt to open the workbook directly in Excel while having one of these linked tables open in Access, Excel complains saying: Cannot access 'filename'

Am I missing something or can't Excel files be set up for use in an Access multiuser environment?
I have heard that this may work in Office 2007 but I am using 2003 and don't have plans to migrate the system to 2007.

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

PS - I just found Eileen's Lounge today. Very happy to see some familiar names among the moderators and users!

[HansV]

Welcome to Eileen's Lounge!

Sharing in Excel is rather primitive, and it can easily lead to workbook corruption, so it's best avoided.

Whether the workbook is shared or not, only one instance of Access can open a link to the same workbook. This hasn't changed in Excel 2007. If you want multiple users to be able to open a table, you should import the data into Access. Access tables can be opened by more than one user (preferably in a split frontend/backend design)

[jswedlund]

OK, thanks. This confirms what I have experienced.