Google Sheets Connector for Informatica 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 In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Google Sheets data in Informatica without coding. We will use high-performance Google Sheets Connector to easily connect to Google Sheets and then access the data inside Informatica. Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that! Download Documentation Google Sheets Connector for Informatica 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.

Connect to Google Sheets in other apps Connect to Google Sheets in SSIS Connect to Google Sheets in SQL Server Connect to Google Sheets in Power BI Connect to Google Sheets in SSRS Connect to Google Sheets in MS Access Connect to Google Sheets in MS Excel Connect to Google Sheets in SSAS Connect to Google Sheets in C# Connect to Google Sheets in Python Connect to Google Sheets in JAVA Connect to Google Sheets in Tableau Connect to Google Sheets in SAP Crystal Reports Connect to Google Sheets in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) Connect to Google Sheets in Azure Data Factory (SSIS) Connect to Google Sheets in Talend Studio Connect to Google Sheets in UiPath Connect to Google Sheets in PowerShell Connect to Google Sheets in ODBC

Introduction

JSON / REST API is becoming more and more popular each day as everyone embrace cloud-centric services. This article is primarily focused on Informatica users who want to access Google Sheets data or may be other API Integration in Informatica. However many tips and techniques described in this article will help you to understand how to integrate Google Sheets / XML SOAP / JSON / REST API in other ETL / Reporting apps such as Tableau, Power BI, SSRS, Talend, Excel and many more.

After going through this article you will learn how to Read Google Sheets / JSON / REST API data in Informatica and understand the concept of JSON / REST API. We will go through many screenshots and step-by-step examples to demonstrate  Google Sheets or REST API integration in Informatica PowerCenter.

XML / JSON can come from a local file or REST API service (internal or public) so we will include both examples in this article (i.e. Read JSON files in Informatica,  Import REST API in Informatica). So let’s get started. Next article will focus on how to write data to API in Informatica (POST / PUT data)

Requirements

This article assumes that you have full filled following basic requirements.

1. Download Install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack (API Driver for Google Sheets included)
2. Install Informatica PowerCenter Client Tools (e.g. Workflow and Mapping Designers)
3. Access to a Relational database such as SQL Server (or use any of your choice e.g. Oracle, MySQL, DB2 ). If nothing available then you can use flat file target.

High level Steps for Import Google Sheets data using Informatica (Read Google Sheets API data)

Before we dive deep to learn how to load Google Sheets data in Informatica (i.e. Google Sheets to SQL Table), Here the summary of high-level steps you need to perform to import Google Sheets in Informatica (same steps for Import JSON / XML / REST API).

1. Download and Install ZappySys API Driver (for connecting to Google Sheets)
2. Create ODBC DSN using ZappySys API driver and choose Google Sheets Connector during Wizard
3. Create Relational > ODBC Connection in Informatica Workflow designer (Point to DSN we created in the previous step)
4. Import Google Sheets Source Definition in the Informatica Mapping Designer > Sources Tab
5. Import Target Table Definition in the Informatica Mapping Designer > Targets Tab
6. Create source to target mapping in Mappings tab
7. Save mapping (name m_API_to_SQL_Load )
8. Create Session using the mapping we created in the previous step
9. Save Workflow and execute to load Google Sheets data into SQL Table. Verify your data and log.
   

   Loading Google Sheets data to SQL Table in Informatica (Import REST API or JSON Files)

Video Tutorial – Read any API / JSON data in Informatica (Load Google Sheets to SQL Table)

Getting Started – Import Google Sheets to SQL Server in Informatica

Now let’s get started. For example purpose, we will read data from Google Sheets and load data into SQL Server Table using Informatica Workflow.

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

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Google Sheets using Informatica we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Google Sheets. We will later be able to read data using Informatica. 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

   
   • 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.

4. 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

   

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). 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:

   1. First of all, go to Google API Console.

   2. Then click Select a project button and then click NEW PROJECT button:

      

   3. Name your project and click CREATE button:

      

   4. Wait until the project is created:

      
   5. 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:

   1. Select your project on the top bar:

      

   2. Then click the "hamburger" icon on the top left and access APIs & Services:

      

   3. Now let's enable several APIs by clicking ENABLE APIS AND SERVICES button:

      

   4. In the search bar search for sheets and then locate and select Google Sheets API:

      

   5. Then enable Google Sheets API:

      

   6. Again, repeat the step and enable Google Drive API as well:

      
   7. Done! Let's proceed to the next step.

   Step-3: Create OAuth application

   1. First of all, click the "hamburger" icon on the top left and then hit VIEW ALL PRODUCTS:

      

   2. Then access Google Auth Platform to start creating an OAuth application:

      

   3. Start by pressing GET STARTED button:

      

   4. Next, continue by filling in App name and User support email fields:

      

   5. Choose Internal option, if it's enabled, otherwise select External:

      

   6. 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:

      

   7. Then add your contact Email address:

      

   8. Finally, check the checkbox and click CREATE button:

      
   9. Done! Let's create Client Credentials in the next step.

   Step-4: Create Client Credentials

   1. In Google Auth Platform, select Clients menu item and click CREATE CLIENT button:

      

   2. Choose Desktop app as Application type and name your credentials:

      

   3. Continue by opening the created credentials:

      

   4. Finally, copy Client ID and Client secret for the later step:

      
   5. Done! We have all the data needed for authentication, let's proceed to the last step!

   Step-5: Configure connection

   1. 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.

   2. Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.

   3. Open your Google Sheets spreadsheet in the browser, e.g.: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU/edit.

   4. Extract the spreadsheet Id from the URL and copy it to the clipboard, e.g. 1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU.

   5. Go back to authentication configuration window and paste it into Default SpreadsheetId field.

   6. Finally, click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.

   7. 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:

   1. First of all, go to Google API Console.

   2. Then click Select a project button and then click NEW PROJECT button:

      

   3. Name your project and click CREATE button:

      

   4. Wait until the project is created:

      
   5. 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:

   1. Select your project on the top bar:

      

   2. Then click the "hamburger" icon on the top left and access APIs & Services:

      

   3. Now let's enable several APIs by clicking ENABLE APIS AND SERVICES button:

      

   4. In the search bar search for sheets and then locate and select Google Sheets API:

      

   5. Then enable Google Sheets API:

      

   6. Again, repeat the step and enable Google Drive API as well:

      
   7. 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:

   1. First of all, go to IAM & Admin in Google Cloud console:

      

   2. Once you do that, click Service Accounts on the left side and click CREATE SERVICE ACCOUNT button:

      

   3. Then name your service account and click CREATE AND CONTINUE button:

      

   4. Continue by clicking Select a role dropdown and start granting service account Project Viewer roles:

      

   5. Find Project group and select Viewer role:

      

   6. Finish adding roles by clicking CONTINUE button:

      
      You can always add or modify permissions later in IAM & Admin.

   7. Finally, in the last step, just click button DONE:

      

   8. 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:

   1. In Service Accounts open newly created service account:

      

   2. Next, copy email address of your service account for the later step:

      

   3. Continue by selecting KEYS tab, then press ADD KEY dropdown, and click Create new key menu item:

      

   4. Finally, select JSON (Engine v19+) or P12 option and hit CREATE button:

      
   5. 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

   1. 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.

   2. Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.

   3. Open your Google Sheets spreadsheet in the browser, e.g.: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU/edit.

   4. Extract the spreadsheet Id from the URL and copy it to the clipboard, e.g. 1QM6WmGloHeGCliCqV3nEj8P-R1RbS59t5xJutN99rU.

   5. Go back to authentication configuration window and paste it into Default SpreadsheetId field.

   6. Finally, click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.

   7. 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)

   

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 - 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

   

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 Informatica 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.

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 Informatica:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - 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).

9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Create Connection in Informatica Workflow Designer

Once you create DSN using API Driver our next step is to define a connection for Google Sheets source in Informatica PowerCenter Workflow designer.

1. Open Workflow designer [W] icon
2. Goto Connections > Relational
   

   Create a new connection for Google Sheets in Informatica

3. Click New and select ODBC
   

   Select ODBC connection type in Informatica (Using ZappySys API ODBC DSN)

4. Now on the ODBC connection setup enter connection name, some fake userid / password (this is a required field but its ignored by JSON Driver)
5. In the Connection String field enter the exact same name of DSN (Open ODBC Data Sources UI to confirm)
   

   Configure Google Sheets connection in Informatica for REST API – Using ZappySys API Driver

6. Click OK to close the connection properties.

That’s it. Now we ready to move to next step (define source and target in Mapping Designer).

Import Google Sheets Source Definition in Informatica Mapping Designer

Now let’s look at steps to import Google Sheets table definition.

1. Open Informatica Mapping Designer (Click [D] icon)
2. Click on Source Icon to switch to Sources designer
3. From the top menu > Click on Sources > Import from Database …
   

   Import Google Sheets Source definition in Informatica Mapping Designer (JSON file or REST API)

4. Select ODBC data source from the dropdown (Find out DSN we created earlier to use as JSON Source)
5. Click Connect button to get a list of tables. Any array node is listed as a table. Also, you will see array node with parent columns (e.g. value_with_parent). You may get some warning like below but they are harmless so just ignore by clicking OK.
   
   DLL name entry missing from C:\Informatica\PowerCenter8.6.1\client\bin\powrmart.ini Section = ODBCDLL Entry = ZappySys JSON Driver
   —————————————————-
   Using EXTODBC.DLL to support ZappySys JSON Driver. For native support of ZappySys JSON Driver make an entry in the .ini file.
   

   Select Google Sheets Source Table in Informatica Mapping Designer (JSON file or REST API)

6. Select Table you wish to get (You can filter rows by custom SQL query. We will see later in this article how to do)
7. Optionally once table structure is imported you can rename it
   

   Rename imported table definition in Informatica Source Designer

8. That’s it, we are now ready to perform similar steps to import Target table structure in the next section.

Import SQL Server Target Definition in Informatica Mapping Designer

Now let’s look at steps to import Target table definition (very similar to the previous section, the only difference is this time we will select DSN which points to SQL Server or any other Target Server).

Now lets look at steps to import target table definition in Informatica mapping designer.

1. In the Mapping Designer, Click on Target Icon to switch to Target designer
2. From the top menu > Click on Targets > Import from Database …
3. Select DSN for your Target server (if DSN doesn’t exist then create one by opening ODBC Sources just like we created one for JSON API source (see the previous section about creating DSN).
   

   Import target Table Definition in informatica

4. Enter your userid , password and Schema name and click Connect to see tables
5. Select Table name to and click OK import definition.
   

   Import Target SQL Table Definition in Informatica – Select table from the list

Create Source to Target Mapping in Informatica (Import JSON to SQL Server)

Once you have imported source and target table definition, we can create mapping and transformation to load data from JSON to SQL Table.

1. First open Mapping Designer (Click [D] icon)
2. Drag JSON Source from sources folder
3. Drag SQL Table from Targets folder
4. Map desired columns from Source to target
   

   Define Source to Target mapping for Google Sheets to SQL Table load in Informatica

5. For certain columns you may have to do datatype conversion. For example to convert OrderDate form nstring to DataTime you have to use Expression Transform like below and map it to target. In below example, our JSON has date format (e.g. 2018-01-31 12:00:00 AM ). To import this to DateTime field in SQL server we need to convert it using TO_DATE function. Use double quotes around T to make this format working.
   

   TO_DATE(OrderDate,'YYYY-MM-DD H12:MI:SS AM')
   
    --For ISO use below way
           TO_DATE(OrderDate,'YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI:SS')

   

   Informatica Google Sheets to SQL Table Mapping – Datatype conversion (nstring to datetime)

6. Once you done with mapping save your mapping and name it (i.e. m_Api_To_SQL)
7. Now lets move to next section to create workflow.

Create Workflow and Session in Informatica

Now the final step is to create a new workflow. Perform following steps to create workflow which with a session task to import JSON data into SQL table.

1. Open workflow designer by click [W] icon.
2. Launch new workflow creation wizard by click Workflow top menu >  Wizard
   name your workflow (e.g. wf_Api_Tp_Sql_Table_Import)
   

   Creating Informatica Workflow – Wizard UI (Import Google Sheets data to SQL Table)

3. Finish the wizard and double-click the Session to edit some default properties.
4. First change Error settings so we fail session on error (By default its always green)
   

   Fail Informatica Session on error (Google Sheets data to SQL Load)

5. Select JSON connection for Source
   

   Select Google Sheets Source Connection in Informatica – Load Google Sheets data to SQL Table

6. Change default Source query if needed. You can pass parameters to this query to make it dynamic.
   

   Modify Google Sheets Source SQL query – Pass parameters, change URL, set filter etc

7. Select Target connection of SQL Target Table
   

   Select SQL Target Connection in Informatica – Load Google Sheets data to SQL Table

8. Save workflow
9. That’s it. We ready to run our first workflow to load JSON data to SQL.

Execute Workflow and Validate Log in Informatica

Now once you are done with your workflow, execute it to see the log.

Loading Google Sheets data to SQL Table in Informatica (Import REST API or JSON Files)

POST data to Google Sheets in Informatica

There will be a time when you like to send Source data to REST API or SOAP Web Service. You can use below Query for example. For detailed explanation on how to POST data in Informatica check this article .

Video Tutorial – How to POST data to REST API in Informatica

Here is detailed step by step video on REST API POST in informatica PowerCenter

Keywords

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Actions supported by Google Sheets Connector

Learn how to perform common Google Sheets actions directly in Informatica with these how-to guides:

• Clear Sheet Values
• Create SpreadSheet Tab
• Delete Sheet Rows / Columns
• Delete SpreadSheet Tab
• Execute Command(s)
• Get Sheet Properties / Tab information
• Insert Sheet Data (Append at the end)
• Read Sheet Data
• Update Sheet Data (Overwrite Cells)
• Generic Request
• Generic Request (Bulk Write)

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Google Sheets in Informatica 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 Google Sheets, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download Google Sheets Connector for Informatica 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 Google Sheets Connector for Informatica Documentation

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