Query Excel Online Data in DataGrip

DataGrip is a database IDE that allows SQL developers to query, create, and manage databases. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Excel Online, DataGrip can work with live Excel Online data. This article shows how to establish a connection to Excel Online data in DataGrip and use the table editor to load Excel Online data.

Create a New Driver Definition for Excel Online

The steps below describe how to create a new Data Source in DataGrip for Excel Online.

1. In DataGrip, click File -> New > Project and name the project
2. In the Database Explorer, click the plus icon () and select Driver.
3. In the Driver tab:
   • Set Name to a user-friendly name (e.g. "CData Excel Online Driver")
   • Set Driver Files to the appropriate JAR file. To add the file, click the plus (), select "Add Files," navigate to the "lib" folder in the driver's installation directory and select the JAR file (e.g. cdata.jdbc.excelonline.jar).
   • Set Class to cdata.jdbc.excelonline.ExcelOnline.jar
   Additionally, in the advanced tab you can change driver properties and some other settings like VM Options, VM environment, VM home path, DBMS, etc
   • For most cases, change the DBMS type to "Unknown" in Expert options to avoid native SQL Server queries (Transact-SQL), which might result in an invalid function error
4. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save the Connection

Configure a Connection to Excel Online

1. Once the connection is saved, click the plus (), then "Data Source" then "CData Excel Online Driver" to create a new Excel Online Data Source.
2. In the new window, configure the connection to Excel Online with a JDBC URL.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Excel Online JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.excelonline.jar

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   You can connect to a workbook by providing authentication to Excel Online and then setting the following properties:

   • Workbook: Set this to the name or Id of the workbook.

     If you want to view a list of information about the available workbooks, execute a query to the Workbooks view after you authenticate.

   • UseSandbox: Set this to true if you are connecting to a workbook in a sandbox account. Otherwise, leave this blank to connect to a production account.

   You use the OAuth authentication standard to authenticate to Excel Online. See the Getting Started section in the help documentation for a guide. Getting Started also guides you through executing SQL to worksheets and ranges.

3. Set URL to the connection string, e.g., jdbc:excelonline:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH
4. Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the connection string

At this point, you will see the data source in the Data Explorer.

Execute SQL Queries Against Excel Online

To browse through the Excel Online entities (available as tables) accessible through the JDBC Driver, expand the Data Source.

To execute queries, right click on any table and select "New" -> "Query Console."

In the Console, write the SQL query you wish to execute. For example: SELECT Id, Column1 FROM Test_xlsx_Sheet1

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for Excel Online and start working with your live Excel Online data in DataGrip. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.