How do View Only permissions and .odc files in a data connection library work?
View Only permissions grant users the right to use an Excel file on Excel Services, but not from any other client application — not even Excel. The .odc files work the same way. If a workbook uses an .odc file to refresh data, the server copy of that workbook will correctly refresh for a user with View Only permissions to the .odc file. However, even if the user has permissions to open the workbook in Excel client, the connection will cannot use the .odc file to refresh from Excel client. The user can only make use of the .odc file by refreshing workbooks running on the server that uses the .odc file. Typically, the user will have the same View Only permission restrictions on the workbook and the .odc file. If users are intended to open the workbook in Excel client but not the .odc file, the embedded connection in the workbook should not expose the content s of the .odc file. In this case, the embedded connection should not be a copy of the .odc file. Ensure the cached data in the work
