Analyse Document Scan Results — Understanding What ReplaceMagic Found
After you scanned documents and got a list of broken hyperlinks, OLE objects, link sources and connections in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio and Project documents, the next step is to analyse what needs to be fixed.
One option is to export findings to Excel and apply filtering so that only broken links are shown. The next step is to create a list of strings that should be found and what the replacement should be.
Click HERE to go to the next step in the process → Make replacements in Office documents
In case of any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
What the Results View Shows
After a scan completes, ReplaceMagic presents a comprehensive results view showing every document that was processed and every link that was found inside it. The scanning dashboard at the top of the results screen gives you a summary of totals: total documents scanned, total links found, total broken links, and total valid links. This high-level overview lets you assess the scope of repair work at a glance before drilling into individual records.
Understanding the Link Type Tabs
Results are organised across dedicated tabs, each covering a different category of embedded reference:
- Hyperlinks: clickable URLs and file paths embedded in document text, shapes or images.
- OLE Objects: linked objects from other Office files, such as an Excel chart embedded in a Word document.
- Link Sources: workbook-to-workbook or document-to-document data connections (common in Excel).
- Power Queries: data source references defined in Excel Power Query connections.
- Pivots: PivotTable source references pointing to external data ranges or files.
Switching between tabs lets you focus on one link category at a time, which is useful when different link types require different repair strategies.
Interpreting Broken vs Valid Link Status
Each link in the results grid carries a status indicator. A valid link resolves to a reachable file or URL. A broken link points to a location that no longer exists or is no longer accessible — typically because a file was moved, a server was renamed, or a SharePoint tenant was migrated. Links marked as not checked have been catalogued but not yet validated; you can trigger validation separately if you only need an inventory rather than a full broken-link report.
Filtering Results
The results grid supports filtering by document, by link type and by status. You can narrow the view to show only broken links across all documents, or drill into a single document to see every link it contains. Combining filters — for example, broken OLE links in a specific folder — helps you prioritise which documents to address first.
Using Scan Results as a Pre-Migration Audit Baseline
Running a scan before a migration gives you a baseline: a record of which links were already broken before any files were moved. This is valuable for two reasons. First, it prevents you from being blamed for breakage that existed before the migration. Second, it lets you compare a post-migration scan against the baseline to identify exactly which links the migration broke and confirm that your replacements resolved them.
Exporting Results for Reporting
All scan findings can be exported for use outside ReplaceMagic. Supported export formats include CSV, Excel (XLS and XLSX) and database formats. Exported data includes document path, link text, link target, link type and status, giving you a complete audit record suitable for project sign-off or compliance reporting.
What to Do Next After Reviewing Results
Once you have reviewed the scan results and identified the links that need updating, configure your search/replace rules in the Make Replacements tab. Use the broken link targets you found in the results grid to define what to search for, and the correct new paths as the replacement strings. For complex migrations with many path variations, consider the Replacements Preparation Package.
