What is the difference between Regular and Binary Workbooks in Excel

[connoisseur]

Can you tell me the difference between a regular Excel workbook and a binary workbook. We use a shared workbook as a tracking system for our department, and we often have conflicts, crashes, or other miscellaneous catastrophes. My manager asked me to find out whether saving it as a binary workbook might reduce the number of problems that we experience.

[Go!pee]

Welcome to shared workbooks. Conflicts, crashes, or other miscellaneous catastrophes are just part of the territory in my experience. To the best of my knowledge there is no way around the problems... I personally never use them any more.

[Panop]

If you want everybody in the department to be able to tell the status of every job at any time, what alternatives to shared workbooks do you propose. We have about 20 people in the department and anywhere from 100 to 150 jobs in process at any given time. Is a shared binary workbook any more stable than a regular shared workbook. Would one format crash less often than the other. Is there a significant difference in either size or speed, and if so, in which direction.