Using PowerPivot 2010 and PowerPivot 2013 in the same company

We recently had an interesting question about using PowerPivot 2010 and PowerPivot 2013 in the same company. As is common, companies often gradually move over from one version to another. Excel 2013 is brilliant and you should move immediately (see why here) but the reality is that it might be gradual.

This presents a potential problem when using PowerPivot.

Although PowerPivot 2010 and PowerPivot 2013 are the same program they are only ‘kind of’ compatible.

What this means is that if you build a PowerPivot in Excel 2010, you can open it in either Excel 2010 or Excel 2013.

BUT

When you open it in Excel 2013 it will immediately force you to upgrade it to the Excel 2013 version and it will then not be possible to open it again in Excel 2010.

If you build the PowerPivot in Excel 2013 it won’t be possible to open it in Excel 2010.

If you have this situation and you want users with 2010 and 2013 to work on the ‘same’ Powerpivot you need to follow the following rules:

Build the PowerPivot template in Excel 2010
Call it something like PowerPivot 2010
Save it
Save that same file with another name while in Excel 2010
Call it something like PowerPivot 2013
Close Excel 2010
Open the PowerPivot 2013 file in Excel 2013.
It will automatically upgrade
Tell the users they must work on the correct version
If you need to make changes to the template you don’t want to have to do it twice each time
- make the changes on the 2010 version using Excel 2010
- Save a duplicate with a new name, open it in Excel 2013 and upgrade

This way, while you are having to work with two ‘different’ versions you will be as efficient as possible with changes. Once everyone is on Excel 2013 this problem will go away.