I can't delete cross sheet references

Jameson · 02/24/24

Does anyone what I am doing wrong? I have reached my limit of cross-sheet references on a sheet. I can open "Manage References" and filter down to unused references. I can delete the references here and it looks like they are gone, but I can not make a new cross-sheet reference and when I save and refresh the page, the references I deleted are back on the list.

Thank you very much for any insight anyone has.

SavB. · 02/27/24

Hi Jameson,

I've been having the same problem for the past 5 days or so. As far as Carson's suggestion that has worked for me with the caveat that the name of the reference has to remain the same. I have been editing current unused references with new data sources and copying the Sheet Reference Name without editing it. This will mean something like 'SheetA Range 1' will actually be pulling data from SheetB. It's the only solution I've been able to find until Smartsheet resolves this.

Bassam Khalil · 02/25/24

1- Check for Browser Issues:

Clear Cache and Cookies: Sometimes, browser cache and cookies can cause issues with web applications like Smartsheet. Clear your browser's cache and cookies and try again.
Use Incognito Mode: Open Smartsheet in an incognito window. This can help determine if the issue is related to browser extensions or cookies.
Try a Different Browser: If the issue persists, try accessing Smartsheet from a different browser to rule out browser-specific issues.

2- Check for Dependencies:

Sometimes references might seem unused but are being utilized in ways that are not immediately apparent, such as in hidden columns or complex formulas. Double-check your sheet to ensure that the references you are trying to delete are truly unused.

Lucas Rayala · 02/25/24

Hi @Jameson -- the problem isn't the unused references, the problem is the active references. It's those references that are maxing out your cross sheet reference cell count (which I believe is 2M now?). The only way to get the number of cell references down is to delete rows (on either the source or target sheet) or to delete active formulas.

Until you do something to reduce your number of cell references, you'll can't save the page, which is why the unused references come back.

Jameson · 02/26/24

Thank you both very much for the info. I have tried everything suggested but still no luck.

Lucas, I think my issue is different than what you explained. I am at the limit of my 101 cross-sheet references, not the 2M cell count. I have poured over my sheet verifying that the references I am trying to delete are not in use anywhere on the sheet. I can delete them but as soon as I refresh they are back.

I am not sure what the "active" status means but the ones I am trying to delete are status "active" but do not have the in-use check.

Carson Penticuff · 02/27/24

Deleting references has always been flaky for me. Sometimes "unused" references disappear without deleting them, while references I have attempted to delete do not go away immediately, or until sometime later. If you are maxed out, need to add more, and have some that need deleted, you may try editing current ones to be the new ones, if that makes sense.

Jameson · 02/27/24

Carson thank you so much for your insight. I have attempted to edit current references but when I go to hit save it tells me I am at my cross-sheet limit.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

SavB. · 02/27/24

Hi Jameson,

I've been having the same problem for the past 5 days or so. As far as Carson's suggestion that has worked for me with the caveat that the name of the reference has to remain the same. I have been editing current unused references with new data sources and copying the Sheet Reference Name without editing it. This will mean something like 'SheetA Range 1' will actually be pulling data from SheetB. It's the only solution I've been able to find until Smartsheet resolves this.

Carson Penticuff · 02/27/24

@Jameson

Just some troubleshooting thoughts... have you tried unselecting the data from within the Reference Manager (so it essentially an incomplete reference), saving, then attempting to delete the "empty" reference?

Kaapo · 02/28/24

Same problem here for the past couple of days. I've been deleting over and over again, large set of cross-sheet references from the Sheet Reference Manager, but they keep on coming back again. Their Status is Active, but they are not In Use anywhere. This is getting my Total Range References to 101, and it's blocking me from modifying existing working references. When I delete all the Unused References, and then try making a new reference, I all the time get a message "Unable to create cross-sheet reference, because this sheet already contains the maximum number of different cross sheet references." Yet, the Total Range References, now shows 27 for this sheet (after deleting all the Unused References.

Edit: It seems that I got my problem sorted out. In my case, it seems that the problem was either one or both:

a) My sheets were copying rows from one to another, and I'm not if the references were somehow inherited along.

b) I had references overlapping with one another and other formulas.

After sorting out and improving the above two issues, it seems that everything is at least functioning again. Still need to figure out few individual columns/formulas, but overall is okay now. 🙂

Amy.Mizzi.RP · 03/01/24

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/422085#Comment_422085

@Carson Penticuff I tried this suggestion, but wasn't able to unselect all data within the Reference Manager\Edit screen, only to choose different data.

However, your other idea has saved the day for me. I have been able to update existing (unused) references to point at different data, while leaving the name unchanged. I also made my future self a key, because the old reference names make no sense in the new formulas. Hoping this bug is addressed soon.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Carson Penticuff · 03/01/24

@Amy.Mizzi.RP Hopefully the issue is cleared up soon, but at least there is a workaround.

Gino Medeiros · 03/04/24

I've exhausted all the suggested solutions, but the issue persists. Despite trying the recommendations provided, I'm still encountering the same error message:

"Unable to create cross-sheet reference, because this sheet already contains the maximum number of different cross sheet references."

To achieve my goal, I require 140 Cross Sheet References. In an attempt to resolve this, I copied the original sheet via 'Save as New', renamed it, and then proceeded to delete approximately half of the columns in hopes of eliminating some references. However, even after removing the columns and all formulas containing these references, they persist as 'active' in the Sheet Reference Manager.

Any other advise here?

ssagers · 03/04/24

I'm having this same issue. I have 101 range references and 32 of them are unused because I removed the columns that used them. I've deleted those unused references MANY times, but they keep coming back each time. Their status is Active, but they are aren't being used anywhere on this sheet. Someone please help!

P.S. I tried the suggestion of deleting cookies and browser cache, but that had no effect other than making me frustrated every time I need to access something I typically rely on my browser to remember... :(

yh374 · 03/05/24

Running into the same issue, no matter how many times I delete my references, they keep returning. Perhaps this is a bug. Any way we can escalate this?

Carson Penticuff · 03/05/24

@Alison Clancy Are you able to bring this thread to the attention of the relevant person?

Genevieve P. · 03/06/24

Hi all,

Thanks to your reports and to those of you who contacted Support about this, Engineering are aware and are investigating this issue. We don't have an ETA for when this will be resolved but they are actively working on it.

I can't delete cross sheet references

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