Use ChatGPT to Talk to Your Excel Online Data via CData Connect AI

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, launched in November 2022. Based on large language models (LLMs), it enables users to refine and steer conversations through natural language processing. ChatGPT's developer mode, available to Plus and Pro subscribers, provides full Model Context Protocol (MCP) support for connecting to external data sources and tools.

CData Connect AI offers a dedicated cloud-to-cloud interface for connecting to Excel Online data. The CData Connect AI Remote MCP Server enables secure communication between ChatGPT and Excel Online. This allows you to ask questions and take actions on your Excel Online data using ChatGPT, all without the need for data replication to a natively supported database. With its inherent optimized data processing capabilities, CData Connect AI efficiently channels all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to Excel Online. This leverages server-side processing to swiftly deliver the requested Excel Online data.

Step 1: Configure Excel Online Connectivity for ChatGPT

Connectivity to Excel Online from ChatGPT is made possible through CData Connect AI Remote MCP. To interact with Excel Online data from ChatGPT, we start by creating and configuring a Excel Online connection in CData Connect AI.

1. Log into your Connect AI account, click Sources, and then click Add Connection.
👁 Adding a Connection

2. Select "Excel Online" from the Add Connection panel.
👁 Selecting a data source

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Excel Online.

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

   • : 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.

   • : 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.

   👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
   
4. Click Save & Test

With the connection configured, we are ready to connect to Excel Online data from ChatGPT.

Step 2: Connect ChatGPT to CData Connect AI

Follow these steps to add a CData Connect AI connection in ChatGPT:

1. Sign in to ChatGPT with a Plus or Pro subscription.
2. Navigate to Apps from the left panel.
3. Select the CData Connect AI app from the list.
. 👁 Search for CData Connect AI

4. Click Connect to authenticate to your Connect AI account.
👁 Click Connect to authenticate

5. Click Sign in with CData Connect AI to add Connect AI to your ChatGPT account.
👁 Sign in with CData Connect AI

6. After successful authorization, you will be redirected back to ChatGPT.
7. Click Start Chat to start a new conversation in ChatGPT with Connect AI connected at the background.
👁 Start Chat

Step 3: Explore Live Excel Online Data with ChatGPT

1. Start a new conversation in ChatGPT.
2. Connect AI should ideally be automatically enabled in the chat. If not, navigate to -> More -> CData Connect AI, under the chatbox, to enable the connector from the dropdown
👁 Enable CData Connect AI in the chat

3. You can now start exploring your data with natural language prompts. ChatGPT will use the Connect AI MCP server to query your live Excel Online data. Example prompts:
   • "Show me all customers from the last 30 days"
   • "What are my top performing products?"
   • "Analyze sales trends for this quarter"
   • "List all active projects and their current status"
   Refer to CData prompt library for more prompt ideas.
👁 Using natural language to explore your Excel Online data (Salesforce used here).

4. Permit ChatGPT to access your Excel Online data. Click Query Data to continue, or Deny to refuse.
👁 Give permissions to ChatGPT.

5. ChatGPT translates your natural language queries into SQL and execute them against your Excel Online data through the Connect AI MCP server.
👁 ChatGPT shows the desired results from your Excel Online data based on the prompts

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