Ways to collaborate in Tabular

Tabular is an Excel add-in and as such it has to comply to some limitations of Excel. One of them is that a Tabular return can’t be opened by two users at the same time in edit mode- one will always be in “read only” mode. In Tabular there are three main ways to create “copies” of the excel QRT files to allow different users to work on different parts of the same return at the same time:

1. Export QRTs to Excel – creates another copy in Excel of the QRTs selected for export. This separate Excel workbook can be accessed separately and then re-imported via Import > Excel function

Advantages: User who makes changes doesn’t need to have Tabular
Disadvantages: Can’t use any Tabular functionality like Validation, Reg hub etc..

2. Team carve-out functionality – creates a Tabular “sub-file” of QRTs selected for carve-out and in the meantime locking them in main return. These separate Tabular return sub-files can be accessed separately and then carved-back in via Team manager > Import . Details on how to use Team functionality you can find here.

Advantages: You can use all Tabular functionality on the carved out QRTs -Validation, Reg Hub, Export etc..
Disadvantages: Need Tabular to access carved out file

3. Copy the return workbook in Windows explorer – creates another exact copy of the return workbook in your Windows explorer file structure. This workbook can be used for most Tabular functionality however is not registered/ “offline” . You can then do any export from this copy and import into the main registered return. You can check them in this help article

Advantages: Full copy of workbook with almost all functionality available
Disadvantages: Data Updates don’t update this copy, Users need to keep track of Tabular copies i.e. file management, Need Tabular to access