object linking and embedding (OLE)

This is a method of putting an object created by one program into a file created by another. For example, a word processed document might include a chart from a spreadsheet. If the chart is just copied from the spreadsheet into the word processed file, then it will never change, even if the original chart data changes. However, if OLE is used instead, the chart in the word processed file will be changed if the original chart in the spreadsheet is changed.

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