How to integrate OneDrive with Excel

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect OneDrive with Excel for smooth data access.

Read and write Microsoft OneDrive data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate files and folders — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance OneDrive ODBC Driver for Excel (often referred to as the OneDrive Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

OneDrive ODBC Driver Powering this integration

High performance
Bidirectional
Low-code / No-code
Easy to use

Built on the ZappySys API Driver, the OneDrive ODBC Driver is a high-performance, low-code / no-code solution. It enables you to connect to OneDrive data without any coding right in your SQL Server, or any ODBC/JDBC application. Part of the ODBC PowerPack.

Documentation

Create data source using OneDrive ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from OneDrive using Excel, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in Excel. Perform these steps:

Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).
Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):
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
When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "OneDrive" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "OneDrive" 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:

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

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 Credentials

OneDrive authentication

Use delegated access (User Credentials) whenever you want to let a signed-in user work with their own resources or resources they can access. Whether it's an admin setting up policies for their entire organization or a user deleting an email in their inbox, all scenarios involving user actions should use delegated access. [API reference]

Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with delegated access:

WARNING: To automate your company's processes, 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.

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - Use Accounts in this organizational directory only, if you need access to data in your organization only.
- Redirect URI:
  - Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
  - Use https://zappysys.com/oauth as the URL.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs to use later in the configuration:
Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in User Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Authorization URL field paste the OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Scope field use the default value or select individual scopes, e.g.:
  - email
  - offline_access
  - openid
  - profile
  - User.Read
  - Files.Read.All
  - Files.ReadWrite.All
Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
Optional step. Choose Default Drive Id from the drop down menu.
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
Done! Now you are ready to use the API Connector!

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

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

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

User Credentials [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Authorization URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Client Secret
Refresh Token File Path
Return URL	https://zappysys.com/oauth
Default Group or User Id (additional Scopes needed to list - If fails enter manually)
Default Drive Id (Select after clicking Generate Token)	me
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503\|423
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Login Prompt Option
Search Option For Non-Indexed Fields (Default=Blank - Search Only Indexed)
Extra Headers (e.g. Header1:AAA\|\|Header2:BBB)
IsAppCred	0

Application Credentials

OneDrive authentication

Application-only access is broader and more powerful than delegated access (User Credentials), so you should only use app-only access where needed. Use it when: 1. The application needs to run in an automated way, without user input (for example, a daily script that checks emails from certain contacts and sends automated responses). 2. The application needs to access resources belonging to multiple different users (for example, a backup or data loss prevention app might need to retrieve messages from many different chat channels, each with different participants). 3. You find yourself tempted to store credentials locally and allow the app to sign in 'as' the user or admin. [API reference]

Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with application access permissions. Using following steps, you can grant very granular app permissions to access File(s). Choose permission based on your need.

Create OAuth app

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - e.g. select Accounts in this organizational directory only if you need access to data in your organization only.
- Redirect URI:
  - Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
  - Leave the URL field empty.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs:
Continue and create Client secret:
Then copy the Client secret for later steps:
Continue by adding permissions for the app by going to the API permissions section, and clicking on Add a permission:
Select Microsoft Graph:
Then choose Application permissions option:
Continue by adding these Files (OneDrive) permissions (Just search for "Files" and then select desired permissions):
Finish by clicking Add permissions button:
Now it's time to Grant admin consent for your application:
Confirm all the permissions are granted:
Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in Application Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client Secret field paste the Client secret value you copied in the previous step.
- Optional step. Choose Default Drive Id from the drop down menu.
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to Application Credentials [OAuth]
Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
Finally, hit OK button:

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

Application Credentials [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Client Secret	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Group or User Id (additional Scopes needed to list - If fails enter manually)	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Drive Id	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Scope	https://graph.microsoft.com/.default
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503\|423
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Search Option For Non-Indexed Fields (Default=Blank - Search Only Indexed)
Extra Headers (e.g. Header1:AAA\|\|Header2:BBB)
IsAppCred	1

Application Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key)

OneDrive authentication

Similar to Assplication-only access but with JWT sign with Private Key [API reference]

Create OAuth app

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - e.g. select Accounts in this organizational directory only if you need access to data in your organization only.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs:

Configure App Permissions

Continue by adding permissions for the app by going to the API permissions section, and clicking on Add a permission:
Select Microsoft Graph:
Then choose Application permissions option:
Continue by adding these Files (OneDrive) permissions (Just search for "Files" and then select desired permissions):
Finish by clicking Add permissions button:
Now it's time to Grant admin consent for your application:
Confirm all the permissions are granted:

Generate a Self-Signed Certificate

Now let's go through setting up a certificate-based authentication flow for Microsoft Graph or other Azure AD protected APIs using client credentials and a JWT.

You can use OpenSSL or any other way to generate Certificate file but to make it simple we will use below example PowerShell script.

Open PowerShell and execute code listed in below steps.


# Run this in PowerShell
#Change .AddYears(1) to desired number. By default it expires certificate in one year as per below code.

$cert = New-SelfSignedCertificate `
  -Subject "CN=MyClientAppCert" `
  -KeySpec Signature `
  -KeyExportPolicy Exportable `
  -KeyLength 2048 `
  -CertStoreLocation "Cert:\CurrentUser\My" `
  -KeyAlgorithm RSA `
  -HashAlgorithm SHA256 `
  -NotAfter (Get-Date).AddYears(1) `
  -Provider "Microsoft Enhanced RSA and AES Cryptographic Provider"

# Export private key (.pfx)  - Keep this with you to make API calls (SECRET KEY - DONOT SHARE)
$pfxPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\private_key.pfx"
$pwd = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "yourStrongPassword123" -Force -AsPlainText
Export-PfxCertificate -Cert $cert -FilePath $pfxPath -Password $pwd

# Export public certificate (.cer) - UPLOAD this to Azure Portal
$cerPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\public_key.cer"
Export-Certificate -Cert $cert -FilePath $cerPath

Upload the Certificate (i.e. Public Key *.cer)

Once we have certificate file generated.

In your App Registration, go to Certificates & secrets
Under Certificates, click Upload certificate
Select the .cer file (public certificate)
Click Select a file (Browse button)
Select public key file (*.cer) from local machine and click OK to upload

Configure ZappySys Connection - Use private key (i.e. .pfx or .pem)

Now its time to use certificate pfx file (private key) generated in the previous step (NOTE: PFX file contains both private key and public key).

Go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in Application Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
Configure private key
- go to Certificate Tab
- Change Storage Mode to Disk File: *.pfx format (PKCS#12).
  
  NOTE: You can also use Stored In LocalMachine mode if PFX file already imported in the Local Certificate Storage Area - User Store OR Machine Store.
  If you used OpenSSL to generate key pair then use Disk File: *.pem format (PKCS#8 or PKCS#1) Mode for Cert Store Location.
- Supply the key file path
- Supply the certificate password (same password used in earlier PowerShell script)
Now go back to General Tab, choose Default Group / User Id and Default Drive Id from the drop down menu.
Click Test connection see everything is good

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to Application Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key) [OAuth]
Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
Finally, hit OK button:

OnedriveDSN

OneDrive

Application Credentials with Certificate (Sign JWT with Private Key) [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Certificate: * Configure [Client Certificate] Tab *	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Group or User Id (additional Scopes needed to list - If fails enter manually)	Fill-in the parameter...
Default Drive Id	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503\|423
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Search Option For Non-Indexed Fields (Default=Blank - Search Only Indexed)
Extra Headers (e.g. Header1:AAA\|\|Header2:BBB)
IsAppCred	1

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 - OneDrive

Read and write Microsoft OneDrive data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate files and folders — almost no coding required.

OnedriveDSN
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 Excel to retrieve data from OneDrive. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM Files
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the OneDrive 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 Excel:
ZappySys API Driver - OneDrive

Read and write Microsoft OneDrive data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate files and folders — almost no coding required.

OnedriveDSN
```
SELECT * FROM Files
```
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 OneDrive 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 OneDrive servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read data in Excel from the DSN

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

OnedriveDSN
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:

OnedriveDSN
Finally, you will be asked to select a table or view to get data from. Select one and load the data!
Finally, finally, use data extracted from OneDrive API in an Excel worksheet:

Refresh data source in Excel

When data updates in OneDrive, it is not automatically refreshed in Excel. To update the worksheet, go to Data or Table Design tab and click the Refresh button:

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide OneDrive 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 Excel (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create OneDrive data source in the gateway

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

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

ZappySys API Driver
When the ZappySys API Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the OneDrive 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 - OneDrive
  
  Read and write Microsoft OneDrive data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate files and folders — almost no coding required.
  
  OnedriveDSN
- 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:
  
  OnedriveDSN
  
  ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
  
  ZappySys API Driver - OneDrive
  
  Read and write Microsoft OneDrive data effortlessly. Integrate, manage, and automate files and folders — almost no coding required.
  
  OnedriveDSN
- Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.
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.
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 Excel. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):
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.
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.
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
Then set the default database property to OnedriveDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

OnedriveDSN

OnedriveDSN

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).
Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:
Once you do that, test the connection:
If the connection is successful, everything is good:
Done!

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

Access data in Excel via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from OneDrive in Excel via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

Go back to Excel.
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:
A small window opens, then simply select the data source you created in previous steps:

ZappySysGatewayDSN
Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.
That's it!

Now you can connect to OneDrive data in Excel via the Data Gateway.

If you are asked for authentication details, use Database authentication, SQL authentication or Basic authentication option and enter the credentials you used when configuring the Data Gateway, e.g. john and your password.

Supported OneDrive Connector actions

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

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to OneDrive in Excel and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by OneDrive 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):

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