Sure. Why not?
yes
A Word doc with a linked spreadsheet is usually called a 'Compound Document'.
Is an external excel spreadsheet linked into a word document considered a compoound document in the microsoft enviroment?
It is still an Excel spreadsheet. The workbook does not change, just because it is linked to another document to form a compound document.
The spreadsheet does not change. The combination is called a compound document because of definition.
To quickly determine if spreadsheet data in a Word document is linked to a source file, right-click on the data and choose "Linked Worksheet Object" or "Linked Excel Chart" if available. If the option to "Edit Links" appears, it indicates that the data is linked to an external file. Additionally, you may see the "Update Link" prompt when opening the document, which further confirms the data’s linked status.
If it is linked then when the data in the spreadsheet is changed, that change will show in the Word document. If it is embedded, then changes in the spreadsheet will not have any effect on the figures in the Word document.
yes
Because it is more than a single document as one.
An embedded object in a spreadsheet refers to content that is integrated directly within the spreadsheet file, rather than linked to an external source. This can include items like images, charts, or other documents (such as Word files or PDFs) that are inserted into the spreadsheet itself. These objects typically maintain their original formatting and functionality, allowing users to interact with them directly within the spreadsheet environment. This contrasts with linked objects, which pull data from external files and may not be editable within the spreadsheet.
An external style sheet.
The benefit of linking a chart from an Excel worksheet to a Word document is that the chart data will always be current. Excel is spreadsheet software from Microsoft.