How to connect to Excel Data with Squirrel SQL client

The CData JDBC Driver for Excel enables you to execute queries to Excel data in tools like Squirrel SQL Client. In this article, you will create a JDBC data source for Excel data and execute queries.

Add the JDBC Driver for Excel

Follow the steps below to add the driver JAR.

1. In Squirrel SQL, click Windows -> View Drivers.
2. Click the plus icon to open the Add Driver wizard.
3. In the Name box, enter a user-friendly name for the driver; for example, CData JDBC Driver for Excel.
4. In the Example URL box, enter jdbc:excel:
5. In the Extra Class Path tab, click Add.
6. In the file explorer dialog that opens, select the JAR file for the driver, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
7. Click List Drivers to populate the Class Name menu with the class name for the driver, cdata.jdbc.excel.ExcelDriver.

Define Connection Properties

Follow the steps below to save connection properties in the driver alias.

1. Click Windows -> View Aliases.
2. In the pane that lists the aliases, click the plus icon.

3. In the Add Alias wizard that opens, the following fields are required for the JDBC driver:

   • Name: Enter a name for the alias; for example, CData Excel Source.
   • Driver: Select the CData JDBC Driver for Excel.
   • URL: Enter jdbc:excel:
   👁 The alias definition, containing the connection parameters. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
4. If you want to define any additional properties, click Properties.
5. In the Driver properties tab of the dialog that appears, select the Use driver properties checkbox.
6. In the Specify column, select the checkboxes for the required connection properties.

   Connecting to Local or Cloud-Stored (Box, Google Drive, Amazon S3, SharePoint) Excel Files

   CData Drivers let you work with Excel files stored locally and stored in cloud storage services like Box, Amazon S3, Google Drive, or SharePoint, right where they are.

   Setting connection properties for local files

   Set the URI property to local folder path.

   Setting connection properties for files stored in Amazon S3

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Amazon S3, set the URI property to the URI of the Bucket and Folder where the intended Excel files exist. In addition, at least set these properties:

   • AWSAccessKey: AWS Access Key (username)
   • AWSSecretKey: AWS Secret Key

   Setting connection properties for files stored in Box

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Box, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended Excel file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Box.

   Dropbox

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Dropbox, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the folder that includes the intended Excel file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Dropbox. Either User Account or Service Account can be used to authenticate.

   SharePoint Online (SOAP)

   To connect to Excel file(s) within SharePoint with SOAP Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended Excel file. Set User, Password, and StorageBaseURL.

   SharePoint Online REST

   To connect to Excel file(s) within SharePoint with REST Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended Excel file. StorageBaseURL is optional. If not set, the driver will use the root drive. OAuth is used to authenticate.

   Google Drive

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Google Drive, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended Excel file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect and set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH.

   Below is a typical connection string:

   jdbc:excel:URI='C:/MyExcelWorkbooks/SampleWorkbook.xlsx';
   

   👁 Connection properties automatically detected by Squirrel SQL. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
7. In the dialog that appears after you click OK, click connect to test the connection.

Discover Schemas and Query Excel Data

After the metadata has loaded, a new tab for the Excel data source is displayed. On the Objects subtab, you can discover schema information, such as the available tables and views.

👁 Column metadata for a table. (Salesforce is shown.)

To view table data, select the table on the Objects tab. The table data is then loaded in a grid on the Content tab.

To execute an SQL query, enter the query on the SQL tab and then click Run SQL (the runner icon). For example:

SELECT Name, Revenue FROM Sheet