XL2002: #N/A Displayed in Cell with RTD Function If You Change RTD Topic

#N/A is displayed in a cell that contains a formula that uses the RTD worksheet function. This behavior occurs after you edit the RTD function to change the topic.

This behavior can occur when the real-time data (RTD) server is disconnected before you change the topic.

To work around this issue, follow these steps:

1. Verify that the RTD server is available.
2. Attempt to restore the connection by pressing CTRL+ALT+F9.
   
   Pressing CTRL+ALT+F9 causes the function to be recalculated.
   
   If the RTD Server is available, the recalculation causes the function to reconnect to the RTD Server, and then the up-to-date value appears in the cell. If the RTD server is not available, the cell value remains #N/A.

When an RTD server provides data for more than one topic, you can edit formulas that contain the RTD function to change the topic. You then see the new data displayed correctly as long as the function remains connected to the server. However, if the server has become disconnected, and you then edit the function in a cell to change the topic, you may find that the cell displays #N/A.

Changing the topic in the RTD function causes it to disconnect from the original topic. When that occurs, the RTD function is also disconnected from the server. Forcing a recalculation of the cell, by pressing CTRL+ALT+F9, causes the function to reconnect to the server and begin accepting updates again.

For additional information about the RTD function, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: