Can I link a template to several documents?

Question

I am producing a  series of booklets which are all the same size and have a number of common pages at the back.
Is it possible to craete a template that links to each of my documents so that whenever I cahnage the template all the documents will be automatically updated?
It's getting qyuite labourious amending each document every time there is a change to the common pages.
I'm using CS2.

Answer 1

Eugene Tyson wrote:
First, in CS2 they cannot place an ID file, so they would need to
upgrade at some expense, and second, placing a multi-page ID doc is a
lot more work than adding it as the last document to a book -- I have
yet to see a script that will do a mult-page import for an ID document,
so you are stuck doing it a page at a time, unless you know of one I've
missed. In either case, the work to update is exactly the same -- you
just update the common file.
Firstly, I explained already they could make a PDF from InDesign CS2 and place that instead. They would still need to update the indesign file and then make a new pdf. No problem there is there?
No, that works, but it's more work to revise the file and make a new PDF than it is to just revise the file. Suppose the page count changes? The book takes care of that automatically, the placed file will need to have pages added or removed.
And you have urged the OP to upgrade not only to CS3 but to make the leap to CS4, so you contradict your first argument by saying the OP needs to upgrade at some expense. 
I think you misunderstood. My first choice was the no-expense method of using the Book feature (and I'd probably do that in CS4, as well). I simply meant that IF the OP chose to upgrade, he should go all the way to CS4 instead of trying to find a CS3 copy.
Why can't it have page numbering? You make an indesign file with all the data bar the master page items, running heads, footers, page numbers etc. 
You place that InDesign file/PDF into the current documents that have the same template as everything else, including page numbers and footers.
Indeed, you can do all of that, but those numbers are imported "as is" and bear no relationship to the current document numbering scheme. Suppose for one version the front part is 94 pages and for another it is 135? What numbers do you want in your placed file? If the template has duplicated master items (i.e. you use the same template to make both documents), I think the situation is even worse -- you'll get stacked elements from the placed document on top of the master elements on the document page (I did not check this for a placed .indd, but it would certainly be true for a PDF).
Just with my first experience using the Book it was a nightmare, especially for a beginner. There's options in there that can turn your numbering inside out and you don't know where to look to fix them. 
I still think the book option is a little extreme.
Well, what can I say to that? I've never had a problem with the book feature, but tables drive me crazy...
Every feaure requires some practice to get right, I think. The thing with numbering in books is that it takes control of the individual documents and resets the internal numbering, IF you set the book to do automatic numbering (which is the default, for pretty good reasons) and needs to be changed BEFORE adding documents if you want to turn it off.
I agree that isn't an obvious thing, especially to a new user. I would argue, though, that in this case it wouldn't have much impact. I don't see this as a problem except in the case where a document is to be both used separately and included in a book, in which case you would always need to reset the document numbering internally to use it as a standalone.
Peter