Excel Online - Sharing workbook between two companies - Editing Permissions

[ashleyuk1984]

Hi,
I've attempted to contact MS directly for this, but they won't talk to me because I'm not the account admin? :( I'm not sure who is in our company, as it's quite large... So thought I'd try here.

I have also posted this same question here last week, but no response yet: https://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/243829/excel-online-sharing-workbook-between-two-companies

We're currently using Google Sheets to offer a online tracking system for one of our customers.

So for example, in columns A B C, we would enter specific details, and our customer would complete Columns D E F with their finishing details.

However, we don't allow the customer to edit our columns, and visa versa (we don't edit the details in theirs). In Google sheets, this is easy to do. You basically just protect the columns, and allow certain people editing access.

I want to do the same thing, but in Excel Online. I can't find out how to do it?? I've found a guide on how I could do it within, one company... Lock Cells to Certain People But Give Access to others in a Live Excel Online Worksheet (https://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/118905/lock-cells-to-certain-people-but-give-access-to-others-in-a-live-excel-online-wo)

But this wouldn't work with two companies, because I wouldn't have their details in my Group / Usernames.
Is there another way of doing this? Or am I clearly missing something?

In summary:
Company A completes columns A B C (and only views columns D E F)
Company B completes columns D E F (and only views columns A B C)

Neither company, can edit the others data - BUT they are allowed to edit their own columns...

I really want to move away from Google Sheets (because it's very slow on large databases), but this is the only hurdle from preventing me.

Thanks

[Logit]

.
From Excel Online Help :

Password protect a workbook

Excel Online can’t open or edit workbooks protected by a password. In fact, passwords can’t be added, changed, removed, or recovered from Excel Online.
If you try to open a password protected workbook, you’ll see a message like this:

https://support.content.office.net/en-us/media/342abc2f-6315-41f5-81c8-0b00fd15a5f7.png

If you want to add a password to a workbook you are working on in Excel Online, and you have Excel desktop application, you can use the Open in Excelbutton to open the workbook and password protect the workbook. But going forward, you’ll only be able to make changes to the workbook in Excel desktop application.



Click Open in Excel and password protect the workbook (https://support.office.com/client/password-protect-the-workbook-7e365a4d-3e89-4616-84ca-1931257c1517).


https://support.content.office.net/en-us/media/eb46ee34-47ba-4eb5-9f21-28d57f84279e.png

For news about the latest Excel Online updates, visit the Microsoft Excel blog (http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-excel/).
For the full suite of Office applications and services, try (https://office.microsoft.com/redir/en-us/fx102858196.aspx) or buy (https://office.microsoft.com/redir/en-us/fx102886268.aspx) it at Office.com.



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Seems like you'll need to place the workbook on your Company servers and give limited access to the other company. OR ... place the workbook on a Cloud Website - Password protect access to the workbook location,
then go from there. It will be just like having the workbook on your desktop so you won't lose any of the password functionalities.

The other company can download the workbook .. make their changes .. then reload the workbook to the Cloud site. You'll be doing the same thing.

Or .. perhaps consider emailing the workbook back and forth.