Create data source using Google Sheets ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Google Sheets using SAP Crystal Reports, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in SAP Crystal Reports. Perform these steps:

1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).

2. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

   

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

   ZappySys API Driver

   
   • Create and use a User DSN if the client application runs under a User Account. This is the ideal option at design time (e.g., when developing in Visual Studio). Use it for both types of applications (64-bit and 32-bit).
   • Create and use a System DSN if the client application runs under a System Account (e.g., as a Windows Service). This is usually the required option in a production environment. If your Windows Service is a 32-bit application, you must use the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure this

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

   Google Sheets authentication

   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]

   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!

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to User Account [OAuth]
   2. Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
   3. Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
   4. Press Generate Token button to generate the tokens.
   5. Finally, hit OK button:

   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 (Using *.json OR *.p12 key file)

   Google Sheets authentication

   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]

   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!

   API Connection Manager configuration

   Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

   1. Set Authentication Type to Service Account (Using *.json OR *.p12 key file) [OAuth]
   2. Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
   3. Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
   4. Finally, hit OK button:

   GoogleSheetsDSN

   Google Sheets

   Service Account (Using *.json OR *.p12 key file) [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 and write Google Sheets data effortlessly. Query, update, and manage spreadsheets, ranges, and cells — almost no coding required.

   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 SAP Crystal Reports 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 SAP Crystal Reports:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Google Sheets

   Read and write Google Sheets data effortlessly. Query, update, and manage spreadsheets, ranges, and cells — almost no coding required.

   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

Read data in SAP Crystal Reports from the ODBC data source

1. First of all, open SAP Crystal Reports and create the new Crystal Report.

   

2. And it will open the new data source selection window. Under ODBC(RDO) double click on the Make New Connection and Select the desired ODBC DSN, in our case we need to select GoogleSheetsDSN which we created in upper section. And Click on Next.

   GoogleSheetsDSN

   

3. Expand the Connection and under the data select the desired table(s) or view(s) and click Add > button and click on Next.

   GoogleSheetsDSN

   GoogleSheetsDSN

   

4. Add the desired Fields to Display in the Reports. Here we are adding all fields and click on Finish.

   

5. That's it and you will be able to load the data in the Report.

   

Using ZappySys Driver Custom Views and Stored Procedure in SAP Crystal Report

You can create parameterized Stored Procedure and Virtual Tables on the same Data Source (ODBC DSN or Data Gateway Data Source). Please refer to this article for the same. You can create procedures to encapsulate custom logic and then only pass handful parameters rather than long SQL to execute your API call.

Using Custom Views in the SAP Crystal Report

After establishing the connection with GoogleSheetsDSN Data Source you can use the custom view in SQL Crystal Report.

Using Custom Stored Procedure in the SAP Crystal Report

1. First of all, create the custom stored procedure in the ZappySys Driver. Please refer to this article to create the custom stored procedure.
   
2. After establishing the connection with GoogleSheetsDSN Data Source you can use the custom Stored Procedure in SQL Crystal Report. Same way you can write custom queries also in the query box.
   GoogleSheetsDSN

   

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Google Sheets data access to multiple users or services. Configuring the data source on a Data Gateway creates a single, centralized connection point for this purpose.

This configuration provides two primary advantages:

• Centralized data access
  The data source is configured once on the gateway, eliminating the need to set it up individually on each user's machine or application. This significantly simplifies the management process.
• Centralized access control
  Since all connections route through the gateway, access can be governed or revoked from a single location for all users.

	Data Gateway	Local ODBC data source
Simple configuration
Installation	Single machine	Per machine
Connectivity	Local and remote	Local only
Connections limit	Limited by License	Unlimited
Central data access
Central access control
More flexible cost

To achieve this, you must first create a data source in the Data Gateway (server-side) and then create an ODBC data source in SAP Crystal Reports (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create Google Sheets data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Google Sheets in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

1. Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:

   

2. Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:

   • Click the Add button
   • In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
   • Then enter a Password
   • Check the Is Administrator checkbox
   • Click OK to save
   

3. Now we are ready to add a data source:

   • Click the Add button
   • Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
   • Then select Native - ZappySys API Driver
   • Finally, click OK
   GoogleSheetsDSN

   ZappySys API Driver

   

4. When the ZappySys API Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the Google Sheets ODBC data source created and configured, and follow these steps on how to Import data source configuration into the Gateway:

   • Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
     

     ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]

     ZappySys API Driver - Google Sheets

     Read and write Google Sheets data effortlessly. Query, update, and manage spreadsheets, ranges, and cells — almost no coding required.

     GoogleSheetsDSN

     
   • The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard:

   • Then go to Data Gateway configuration and in data source configuration window click Load settings:

     GoogleSheetsDSN

     

     ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]

     ZappySys API Driver - Google Sheets

     Read and write Google Sheets data effortlessly. Query, update, and manage spreadsheets, ranges, and cells — almost no coding required.

     GoogleSheetsDSN

     
   • Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.

5. Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:

   
   • This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
   • Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.

6. Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:

   • Click the Save button to persist your changes.
   • Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.

   This ensures all changes are properly applied:

   
   Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Create ODBC data source to connect to the gateway

In this part we will create an ODBC data source to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway from SAP Crystal Reports. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

1. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

   

2. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver:

   ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server

   
   If you don't see the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version.

3. Then set a Name for the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

   ZappySysGatewayDSN

   localhost,5000

   
   Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.

4. Proceed with the authentication part:

   • Select SQL Server authentication
   • In the Login ID field enter the user name you created in the Data Gateway, e.g., john
   • Set Password to the one you configured in the Data Gateway
   

5. Then set the default database property to GoogleSheetsDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

   GoogleSheetsDSN

   GoogleSheetsDSN

   
   Make sure to type the data source name manually or copy/paste it directly into the field. Using the dropdown might fail because the Trust server certificate option is not enabled yet (next step).

6. Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:

   

7. Once you do that, test the connection:

   

8. If the connection is successful, everything is good:

   

9. Done!

We are ready to move to the final step. Let's do it!

Access data in SAP Crystal Reports via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Google Sheets in SAP Crystal Reports via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

1. Go back to SAP Crystal Reports.

2. First of all, open SAP Crystal Reports and create the new Crystal Report.

   

3. And it will open the new data source selection window. Under ODBC(RDO) double click on the Make New Connection and Select the desired ODBC DSN, in our case we need to select ZappySysGatewayDSN which we created in upper section. And Click on Next.

   ZappySysGatewayDSN

   

4. Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.

5. That's it!

Now you can connect to Google Sheets data in SAP Crystal Reports via the Data Gateway.

Supported Google Sheets Connector actions

Got a specific use case in mind? We've mapped out exactly how to perform a variety of essential Google Sheets operations directly in SAP Crystal Reports, so you don't have to figure out the setup from scratch. Check out the step-by-step guides below:

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

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Google Sheets in SAP Crystal Reports and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Google Sheets ODBC Driver.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

Explore SAP Crystal Reports connectors

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