How to read Google Sheets data in ODBC application?

In this section we will learn how to configure and use Google Sheets Connector in the API Driver to extract data from the Google Sheets.

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

Step-by-step instructions

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

Download and install ODBC PowerPack.
Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):
Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

ZappySys API Driver
- Create and use User DSN if the client application is run under a User Account. This is an ideal option in design-time, when developing a solution, e.g. in Visual Studio 2019. Use it for both type of applications - 64-bit and 32-bit.
- Create and use System DSN if the client application is launched under a System Account, e.g. as a Windows Service. Usually, this is an ideal option to use in a production environment. Use ODBC Data Source Administrator (32-bit), instead of 64-bit version, if Windows Service is a 32-bit application.
When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Google Sheets" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Google Sheets" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

GoogleSheetsDSN

Google Sheets

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). More info is available in the Authentication section.

User Account [OAuth]

User accounts represent a developer, administrator, or any other person who interacts with Google APIs and services. User accounts are managed as Google Accounts, either with Google Workspace or Cloud Identity. They can also be user accounts that are managed by a third-party identity provider and federated with Workforce Identity Federation. [API reference]

Steps how to get and use Google Sheets credentials

Follow these steps on how to create Client Credentials (User Account principle) to authenticate and access Google Sheets API in SSIS package or ODBC data source:

WARNING: If you are planning to automate processes, we recommend that you use a Service Account authentication method. In case, you still need to use User Account, then make sure you use a system/generic account (e.g. automation@my-company.com). When you use a personal account which is tied to a specific employee profile and that employee leaves the company, the token may become invalid and any automated processes using that token will start to fail.

Step-1: Create project

This step is optional, if you already have a project in Google Cloud and can use it. However, if you don't, proceed with these simple steps to create one:

First of all, go to Google API Console.
Then click Select a project button and then click NEW PROJECT button:
Name your project and click CREATE button:
Wait until the project is created:
Done! Let's proceed to the next step.

Step-2: Enable Google Cloud APIs

In this step we will enable Google Sheets API and Google Drive API:

Select your project on the top bar:
Then click the "hamburger" icon on the top left and access APIs & Services:
Now let's enable several APIs by clicking ENABLE APIS AND SERVICES button:
In the search bar search for sheets and then locate and select Google Sheets API:
Then enable Google Sheets API:
Again, repeat the step and enable Google Drive API as well:
Done! Let's proceed to the next step.

Step-3: Create OAuth application

First of all, click the "hamburger" icon on the top left and then hit VIEW ALL PRODUCTS:
Then access Google Auth Platform to start creating an OAuth application:
Start by pressing GET STARTED button:
Next, continue by filling in App name and User support email fields:
Choose Internal option, if it's enabled, otherwise select External:
Optional step if you used Internal option in the previous step. Nevertheless, if you had to use External option, then click ADD USERS to add a user:
Then add your contact Email address:
Finally, check the checkbox and click CREATE button:
Done! Let's create Client Credentials in the next step.

Step-4: Create Client Credentials

In Google Auth Platform, select Clients menu item and click CREATE CLIENT button:
Choose Desktop app as Application type and name your credentials:
Continue by opening the created credentials:
Finally, copy Client ID and Client secret for the later step:
Done! We have all the data needed for authentication, let's proceed to the last step!

Step-5: Configure connection

Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use previously copied values in User Account authentication configuration:
- In the ClientId field paste the Client ID value.
- In the ClientSecret field paste the Client secret value.
Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
Open your Google Sheets spreadsheet in the browser, e.g.: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU/edit.
Extract the spreadsheet Id from the URL and copy it to the clipboard, e.g. 1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU.
Go back to authentication configuration window and paste it into Default SpreadsheetId field.
Finally, click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
Done! Now you are ready to use Google Sheets Connector!

Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

GoogleSheetsDSN

Google Sheets

User Account [OAuth]

https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets

Required Parameters
UseCustomApp	Fill-in the parameter...
Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
Default SpreadSheetId	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
ClientId
ClientSecret
Default Tab Name (i.e. Sheet1)
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	403\|429
RetryCountMax	5
Redirect URL (Only for Web App)

Service Account [OAuth]

Service accounts are accounts that do not represent a human user. They provide a way to manage authentication and authorization when a human is not directly involved, such as when an application needs to access Google Cloud resources. Service accounts are managed by IAM. [API reference]

Steps how to get and use Google Sheets credentials

Follow these steps on how to create Service Account to authenticate and access Google Sheets API in SSIS package or ODBC data source:

Step-1: Create project

This step is optional, if you already have a project in Google Cloud and can use it. However, if you don't, proceed with these simple steps to create one:

First of all, go to Google API Console.
Then click Select a project button and then click NEW PROJECT button:
Name your project and click CREATE button:
Wait until the project is created:
Done! Let's proceed to the next step.

Step-2: Enable Google Cloud APIs

In this step we will enable Google Sheets API and Google Drive API:

Select your project on the top bar:
Then click the "hamburger" icon on the top left and access APIs & Services:
Now let's enable several APIs by clicking ENABLE APIS AND SERVICES button:
In the search bar search for sheets and then locate and select Google Sheets API:
Then enable Google Sheets API:
Again, repeat the step and enable Google Drive API as well:
Done! Let's proceed to the next step.

Step-3: Create Service Account

Use the steps below to create a Service Account in Google Cloud:

First of all, go to IAM & Admin in Google Cloud console:
Once you do that, click Service Accounts on the left side and click CREATE SERVICE ACCOUNT button:
Then name your service account and click CREATE AND CONTINUE button:
Continue by clicking Select a role dropdown and start granting service account Project Viewer roles:
Find Project group and select Viewer role:
Finish adding roles by clicking CONTINUE button:

You can always add or modify permissions later in IAM & Admin.
Finally, in the last step, just click button DONE:
Done! We are ready to add a Key to this service account in the next step.

Step-4: Add Key to Service Account

We are ready to add a Key (JSON or P12 key file) to the created Service Account:

In Service Accounts open newly created service account:
Next, copy email address of your service account for the later step:
Continue by selecting KEYS tab, then press ADD KEY dropdown, and click Create new key menu item:
Finally, select JSON (Engine v19+) or P12 option and hit CREATE button:
Key file downloads into your machine. We have all the data needed for authentication, let's proceed to the last step!

Step-5: Configure connection

Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use previously copied values in User Account authentication configuration:
- In the Service Account Email field paste the service account Email address value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Service Account Private Key Path (i.e. *.json OR *.p12) field use downloaded certificate's file path.
Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
Open your Google Sheets spreadsheet in the browser, e.g.: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU/edit.
Extract the spreadsheet Id from the URL and copy it to the clipboard, e.g. 1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU.
Go back to authentication configuration window and paste it into Default SpreadsheetId field.
Finally, click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
Done! Now you are ready to use Google Sheets Connector!

Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

GoogleSheetsDSN

Google Sheets

Service Account [OAuth]

https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets

Required Parameters
Service Account Email	Fill-in the parameter...
Service Account Private Key Path (i.e. .json OR .p12)	Fill-in the parameter...
Default SpreadSheetId	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Scope	https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets
Default Tab Name (i.e. Sheet1)
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	403\|429
RetryCountMax	5
Impersonate As (Enter Email Id)

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:

- Google Sheets

Read / write Google Sheets data inside your app, perform many Google Sheets operations without coding using easy to use high performance API Connector for Google Sheets

GoogleSheetsDSN
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 to retrieve data from Google Sheets. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM [Sheet1]
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Google Sheets 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.
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 :
- Google Sheets

Read / write Google Sheets data inside your app, perform many Google Sheets operations without coding using easy to use high performance API Connector for Google Sheets

GoogleSheetsDSN
```
SELECT * FROM [Sheet1]
```
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 Google Sheets 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 Google Sheets servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Watch this video on YouTube

Reading data from client application

Firstly, to get data from ODBC data source based on ZappySys ODBC driver, in your client application, you would need to connect to ODBC source and then from the list select the data source.
Finally, to read the data just read tables/views in your app or enter a SQL statement to extract data, e.g.:
SELECT * FROM Sheets

Google Sheets Connector Examples

The ZappySys API Driver is a user-friendly interface designed to facilitate the seamless integration of various applications with the Google Sheets API. With its intuitive design and robust functionality, the ZappySys API Driver simplifies the process of configuring specific API endpoints to efficiently read or write data from Google Sheets.

Click here to find more Google Sheets Connector examples designed for seamless integration with the ZappySys API ODBC Driver under ODBC Data Source (36/64) or ZappySys Data Gateway, enhancing your ability to connect and interact with Prebuilt Connectors effectively.

Consume Data inside your App / Programming Language

Once you know how to load data from Google Sheets Connector, you can click on one of the below links to learn the steps how to consume data inside your App / Programming Language from Google Sheets Connector.

ODBC inside ETL / Reporting / BI Tools

ODBC inside Programming Languages

Key features of the ZappySys API Driver include:

The API ODBC driver facilitates the reading and writing of data from numerous popular online services (refer to the complete list here) using familiar SQL language without learning complexity of REST API calls. The driver allows querying nested structure and output as a flat table. You can also create your own ODBC / Data Gateway API connector file and use it with this driver.

Intuitive Configuration: The interface is designed to be user-friendly, enabling users to easily set up the specific API endpoints within Google Sheets without requiring extensive technical expertise or programming knowledge.
Customizable Endpoint Setup: Users can conveniently configure the API endpoint settings, including the HTTP request method, endpoint URL, and any necessary parameters, to precisely target the desired data within Google Sheets.
Data Manipulation Capabilities: The ZappySys API Driver allows for seamless data retrieval and writing, enabling users to fetch data from Google Sheets and perform various data manipulation operations as needed, all through an intuitive and straightforward interface.
Secure Authentication Integration: The driver provides secure authentication integration, allowing users to securely connect to the Google Sheets API by inputting the necessary authentication credentials, such as API tokens or other authentication keys.
Error Handling Support: The interface is equipped with comprehensive error handling support, ensuring that any errors or exceptions encountered during the data retrieval or writing process are efficiently managed and appropriately communicated to users for prompt resolution.
Data Visualization and Reporting: The ZappySys API Driver facilitates the seamless processing and presentation of the retrieved data from Google Sheets, enabling users to generate comprehensive reports and visualizations for further analysis and decision-making purposes.

Overall, the ZappySys API Driver serves as a powerful tool for streamlining the integration of applications with Google Sheets, providing users with a convenient and efficient way to access and manage data, all through a user-friendly and intuitive interface.