How to update Dropbox from Excel

The CData Excel Add-In for Dropbox enables you to edit and save Dropbox data directly from Excel. This article explains how to transfer data from Excel to Dropbox. This technique is useful if you want to work on Dropbox data in Excel and update changes, or if you have a whole spreadsheet you want to import into Dropbox. In this example, you will use the Files table; however, the same process will work for any table that can be retrieved by the CData Excel Add-In.

Establish a Connection

If you have not already done so, create a new Dropbox connection by clicking From Dropbox on the ribbon.

Dropbox uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you can use the embedded credentials or register an app with Dropbox.

See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for more information.

Retrieve Data from Dropbox

To insert data into Dropbox, you will first need to retrieve data from the Dropbox table you want to add to. This links the Excel spreadsheet to the Dropbox table selected: After you retrieve data, any changes you make to the data are highlighted in red.

1. Click the From Dropbox button on the CData ribbon. The Data Selection wizard is displayed.
2. In the Table or View menu, select the Files table.
3. In the Maximum Rows menu, select the number of rows you want to retrieve. If you want to insert rows, you need to retrieve only one row. The Query box will then display the SQL query that corresponds to your request.
4. In the Sheet Name box, enter the name for the sheet that will be populated. By default the add-in will create a new sheet with the name of the table.

Insert Rows to Dropbox

After retrieving data, you can add data from an existing spreadsheet in Excel.

1. In a cell after the last row, enter a formula referencing the corresponding cell from the other spreadsheet; for example, =MyFilesSheetInExcel!A1.
2. After using a formula to reference the cells you want to add to Dropbox, select the cells that you are inserting data into and drag the formula down as far as needed. The referenced values you want to add will be displayed on the Files sheet.
3. Highlight the rows you want to insert and click the Update Rows button.

As each row is inserted, the Id value will appear in the Id column and the row's text will change to black, indicating that the record has been inserted.