Hi clever people, I need some outside-the-box thinking here!

This bit I can do: upload the values or formulas in a cell range to a
database, by cell reference, so it can be downloaded to any workbook.
Normally I have the formats/conditional formats for the destination
range already in place. I successfully use this techniqe a lot in a
variety of common scenarios and is quick.

Now here is the next level I want to take it to - to upload the
formats also, so that the formats also can be served centrally. The
way-forward that comes to mind is to upload the various formatting
properties, as I do the values. But there are so many - eg. interior
color, font name, size, borders x 4, conditional formatting. ie,
that's some 10-20 times the volume of the values/formulas. In short,
bulky.

Is there a better, more elegant, way?

Targeting Excel 2003 mainly.

Thanks,
Hiran