Build a PostgreSQL Interface for SharePoint Excel Services Data using the CData JDBC Driver

There are a vast number of PostgreSQL clients available on the Internet. From standard Drivers to BI and Analytics tools, PostgreSQL is a popular interface for data access. Using our JDBC Drivers, you can now create PostgreSQL entry-points that you can connect to from any standard client.

To access SharePoint Excel Services data as a PostgreSQL database, use the CData JDBC Driver for SharePoint Excel Services and a JDBC foreign data wrapper (FDW). In this article, we compile the FDW, install it, and query SharePoint Excel Services data from PostgreSQL Server.

Connect to SharePoint Excel Services Data as a JDBC Data Source

To connect to SharePoint Excel Services as a JDBC data source, you will need the following:

• Driver JAR path: The JAR is located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.

• Driver class:

  cdata.jdbc.excelservices.ExcelServicesDriver
  

• JDBC URL: The URL must start with "jdbc:excelservices:" and can include any of the connection properties in name-value pairs separated with semicolons.

  The URL, User, and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid credentials for SharePoint Online, SharePoint 2010, or SharePoint 2013. Additionally, the Library property must be set to a valid SharePoint Document Library and the File property must be set to a valid .xlsx file in the indicated Library.

  Built-in Connection String Designer

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

  java -jar cdata.jdbc.excelservices.jar
  

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

  👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
  

  A typical JDBC URL is below:

  jdbc:excelservices:URL=https://myorg.sharepoint.com;[email protected];Password=password;File=Book1.xlsx;
  

Build the JDBC Foreign Data Wrapper

The Foreign Data Wrapper can be installed as an extension to PostgreSQL, without recompiling PostgreSQL. The jdbc2_fdw extension is used as an example (downloadable here).

1. Add a symlink from the shared object for your version of the JRE to /usr/lib/libjvm.so. For example:

   ln -s /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so /usr/lib/libjvm.so
   

2. Start the build:

   make install USE_PGXS=1
   

Query SharePoint Excel Services Data as a PostgreSQL Database

After you have installed the extension, follow the steps below to start executing queries to SharePoint Excel Services data:

1. Log into your database.
2. Load the extension for the database:

   CREATE EXTENSION jdbc2_fdw;
   

3. Create a server object for SharePoint Excel Services:

   CREATE SERVER ExcelServices 
   FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER jdbc2_fdw OPTIONS (
   drivername 'cdata.jdbc.excelservices.ExcelServicesDriver',
   url 'jdbc:excelservices:URL=https://myorg.sharepoint.com;[email protected];Password=password;File=Book1.xlsx;',
   querytimeout '15',
   jarfile '/home/MyUser/CData/CData\ JDBC\ Driver\ for\ Salesforce MyDriverEdition/lib/cdata.jdbc.excelservices.jar'); 
   

4. Create a user mapping for the username and password of a user known to the MySQL daemon.

   CREATE USER MAPPING for postgres SERVER ExcelServices OPTIONS (
   username 'admin', 
   password 'test');
   

5. Create a foreign table in your local database:

   postgres=# CREATE FOREIGN TABLE account (
   account_id text,
   account_Name text,
   account_AnnualRevenue numeric) 
   SERVER ExcelServices OPTIONS (
   table_name 'account');
   

You can now execute read/write commands to SharePoint Excel Services:

postgres=# SELECT * FROM account;