Building a Custom API Connector for MS Excel Read / write Custom API data in MS Excel without coding. In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Custom API data in MS Excel without coding. We will use high-performance Custom API Connector to easily connect to Custom API and then access the data inside MS Excel. Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that! Download Documentation Building a Custom API Connector for MS Excel is based on ZappySys API Driver which is part of ODBC PowerPack. It is a collection of high-performance ODBC drivers that enable you to integrate data in SQL Server, SSIS, a programming language, or any other ODBC-compatible application. ODBC PowerPack supports various file formats, sources and destinations, including REST/SOAP API, SFTP/FTP, storage services, and plain files, to mention a few.

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Create Custom API Connector

First of all, you will have to create your own API connector. For demonstration purposes, in this section we will create a simple Hello-World API connector that calls ZappySys Sandbox World API endpoint https://sandbox.zappysys.com/api/world/hello. When developing your Custom API Connector, just replace it with your real API method/endpoint. Let's dive in and follow these steps:

1. Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):

   

2. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ZappySys JSON Driver

   ZappySys JSON Driver

   

3. Once the data source configuration window opens, enter this URL into the text box:

   https://sandbox.zappysys.com/api/world/hello

   

4. Then go to the Preview tab and try to say "Hello!" to the World!

   

5. Since the test is successful, you are ready to create the Hello-World Connector:

   

6. The API Connector File Wizard opens, click Next:

   

7. Leave the default option, and click Next again:

   

8. Just click Next in the next window:

   

9. Let's give our new custom connector a name it deserves:

   

10. Then just click Next in the Connection Types window:

    

11. Let's name the hello endpoint (it deserves a name too!):

    

12. When the next window opens, delete the default table (we won't need it for now):

    

13. Finally, specify a path, where you want to save the newly created API Connector:

    

Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Custom API using MS Excel we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Custom API. We will later be able to read data using MS Excel. Perform these steps:

1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack.

2. Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):

   

3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

   ZappySys API Driver

   

4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already. Then set the path to your created Custom API Connector (in the example below, we use Hello-World Connector). Finally, click Continue >> to proceed:

   

5. Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). Check your Custom API reference for more information on how to authenticate.

   

6. Once the data source connection has been configured, it's time to configure the SQL query. Select the Preview tab and then click Query Builder button to configure the SQL query:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Custom API Connector

   Read / write Custom API data in MS Excel without coding.

   CustomApiConnectorDSN

   

7. Start by selecting the Table or Endpoint you are interested in and then configure the parameters. This will generate a query that we will use in MS Excel to retrieve data from Custom API Connector. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.

   SELECT * FROM Orders

   
   Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Custom API Connector API, e.g. filtering parameters. It means that filtering will be done on the server side (instead of the client side), enabling you to get only the meaningful data much faster.

8. Now hit Preview Data button to preview the data using the generated SQL query. If you are satisfied with the result, use this query in MS Excel:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Custom API Connector

   Read / write Custom API data in MS Excel without coding.

   CustomApiConnectorDSN

   SELECT * FROM Orders

   
   You can also access data quickly from the tables dropdown by selecting <Select table>.
   A WHERE clause, LIMIT keyword will be performed on the client side, meaning that the whole result set will be retrieved from the Custom API Connector API first, and only then the filtering will be applied to the data. If possible, it is recommended to use parameters in Query Builder to filter the data on the server side (in Custom API Connector servers).

9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read data in Excel from the DSN

1. In Excel click Data, then select Get Data, proceed with From Other Sources and choose From ODBC item. This will get data from ODBC data source we created:

   

2. A small window opens, then simply select the data source you created in previous steps:

   CustomApiConnectorDSN

   

3. Most likely, you will be asked to authenticate to a newly created DSN. Just select Windows authentication option together with Use my current credentials option:

   CustomApiConnectorDSN

   

4. Finally, you will be asked to select a table or view to get data from. Select one and load the data!

   

5. Finally, finally, use data extracted from Custom API Connector API in an Excel worksheet:

   

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Custom API in MS Excel and integrate data without any coding, saving you time and effort. It's worth noting that ZappySys API Driver allows you to connect not only to Custom API Connector, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download Custom API Connector for MS Excel and see how easy it is to use it for yourself or your team.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact ZappySys support team. You can also open a live chat immediately by clicking on the chat icon below.

Download Custom API Connector for MS Excel Documentation

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