Efficiently flow in pricing from an excel document

[MG Marketing]

Here's what I'm working with. I tried with Data Merge but it wasn't helping.

I'm hoping for a solution where our client can update an excel file, and the numbers they type in get imported in their proper place in the attached shot. Is this possible? Data merge couldn't work at all. This is a multiple page catalogue with periodic price updates across a few hundred prices. What's my solution here aside from typing everything up myself? Is it possible? I'm hoping I can simply match each box to a respective value, even if I simply need to set the boxes in a specific order.

I'd like to have a document that looks like this:

[Joel Cherney]

Sounds like Data Merge should work, honestly. Can you tell us how it failed?

For truly complicated merges, the data-wrangling forum regulars often suggest InCatalog or InData. I have used InData and know that it will easily do what you are asking for - but so should Data Merge.

FWIW your source doc example doesn't have headers, and you'd have to treat "frame type" and dollar values as separate columns. You could do that row-and-column juggling in Excel before csv export, so your Excel doc could look like your example yet export the csv you needed for the multiple record merge.

[vinny38]

InlineMerge script from Loic.Aigon​ might be helpful.

You can download it here.

[vinny38]

I find this script sooo cool...

[Loic.Aigon]

Thanks a lot for the quote. You may also consider CSV2Tables although it's old and buggy at the time:

https://www.scriptopedia.org/en/js-indesign/126-csvtotable-en.html

[MG Marketing]

Data merge was only copying the first row of values per page. It had something to do with multiple masters. I found a shortcut though.

It's not near as comprehensive as I'd like it to be, but it's simple and works: I'll be creating a price grid in Excel and have each section of the catalog with linked text so that I can simply paste in once cell and have the new pricing flow into all of their corresponding textboxes. I just have to be sure to set my document in the proper order, but it definitely works.

Thanks for the suggestions!