XL: "Could not be found" or "Cannot find" Consolidating Data

ID: Q176832

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you try to consolidate data in the versions of Microsoft Excel listed at the beginning of this article, you may receive error messages similar to the following:

   '*' could not be found. Check the spelling of the file name, and
   verify that the file location is correct.

   If you are trying to open the file from your list of most recently
   used files on the File menu, make sure that the file has not been
   renamed, moved, or deleted.

    -or-

   Cannot find '*'.

If you click OK for either of these error messages, you receive an error message similar to the following:

   Cannot open consolidation source file '*'.

If you click OK, you receive the following error message

   No data was consolidated.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when the following conditions are true:

You are using the Consolidate command.
```
    -and-
```
You add a reference to a file by using a wildcard character (* or ?).

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

REFERENCES

For more information about using consolidation, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

   consolidate

and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Consolidate Command (Data Menu)" topic.

Additional query words: 5.0 wild card variable

Version           : MACINTOSH:5.0,5.0a,98; WINDOWS:5.0,5.0c
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbpending

Last Reviewed: February 8, 1998