Connect Spreadsheets Getting Started Guide

Connect Spreadsheets is the easiest way to get all your live data into Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets - no more downloading, wrangling, and uploading files again. Just connect to your data, select the dataset you'd like to see, and import it into your spreadsheet.

This article explains how to create a connection in Connect Spreadhseets and then view the data in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

It is important to note that although this article references the Salesforce as a data source, the same principles herein can be applied to any of the 250+ data sources that we support.

Sign up for Connect Spreadsheets

If you haven't already, sign up for free Connect Spreadsheets account: https://www.cdata.com/spreadsheets/signup/

Fill in the appropriate contact information.

Create a Connection

After signing up for our account, our next step is to create and configure a connection. For this article, we use Salesforce.

1. Log into Connect Spreadsheets, click Connections and click Add Connection
2. Select "Salesforce" from the Add Connection panel
3. Salesforce uses OAuth to authenticate, so you can click "Sign in" to authenticate. Other data sources may require specific connection properties. You can refer to the Help documentation for more information.

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to live data in Microsoft Excel or in Google Sheets.

• Jump to Accessing Live Data from Google Sheets
• Jump to Accessing Live Data from Microsoft Excel

Accessing Live Data from Google Sheets

To connect to data from Google Sheets, you need to first sign up for the dedicated Connect Spreadsheets Google Sheets Add-On.

Installing the Google Add-On to your Google account

1. After navigating to the Add-On's landing page, click "Install"
2. Authorize the Add-On

Using the Google Add-On to import data

After installing the Add-On to your Google account, you are ready to work with live data in Google Sheets.

1. Log into Google Sheets, create a new sheet (or open an existing one).
2. Click Add-ons and open the Connect Spreadsheets Add-On.
3. In the Add-On panel, click "Log in" to sign into and authenticate with your Connect Spreadsheets account
4. In the Connect Spreadsheets panel in Google Sheets, click Import
5. Choose a Connection (e.g. Salesforce1), Table (e.g. Account) and Columns to import
6. Optionally add Filters, Sorting, and a Limit
7. Click Execute to import the data and opt to overwrite the existing sheet or create a new one.

Now, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live data from your Google Sheets workbook. You can add more data to your workbook for calculations, aggregations, collaboration, and more.

Accessing Live Data from Microsoft Excel

To connect to data from Microsoft Excel, you need to first install the dedicated Connect Spreadsheets Excel Add-In. The Add-In is installed for both Excel for the web and Excel desktop, but this article will focus on Excel for the web.

Installing the Excel Add-In to your Microsoft account

1. After navigating to the Add-In's landing page, click "Get it now"
2. Click to open the Add-In in Excel (or Excel Online)

Using the Excel Add-In to import data

After installing the Add-In to your Microsoft account, you are ready to work with live data in Microsoft Excel.

1. In Microsoft Excel, follow the prompts after installation. Open the Data ribbon and click the Connect Spreadsheets "Get Data" button.
2. In the Add-In panel, click "Log in" to sign into and authenticate with your Connect Spreadsheets account
3. In the Connect Spreadsheets panel in Microsoft Excel, click Import
4. Choose a Connection (e.g. Salesforce1), Table (e.g. Account) and Columns to import
5. Optionally add Filters, Sorting, and a Limit
6. Click Execute to import the data and opt to overwrite the existing sheet or create a new one.

Now, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live data from your Google Sheets workbook. You can add more data to your workbook for calculations, aggregations, collaboration, and more.

Whether you're working in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, you can try Connect Spreadsheets and get real-time data access to 100+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your preferred spreadsheet app.