Case:
I have an Excel file that is shared with several users and that merges with
several Word documents. All users can use the Excel file, save whenever they
please, and observe changes made other users without having to save.

Problem:
If one user is in a Word document, the Excel file cannot be saved by anyone
until the Word document is closed.

Ideally, I would like for everyone to have Word documents open, be able to
make changes to/save the Excel file simultaneously, and have the Word
document show the updated information without needing to be closed and
reopened (after upgrading to Office 2003, this is what happened; I don't know
why it stopped happening).