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Connecting to PostgreSQL from Microsoft Excel using ODBC Driver for PostgreSQL

You can use Microsoft Excel to access data from a PostgreSQL database using ODBC connector. With ODBC Driver, you can import the data directly into an Excel Spreadsheet and present it as a table. Make sure that you use matching Excel and ODBC Driver, e.g. if you have installed a 64-bit ODBC Drive, you will need to use the 64-bit version of Excel.

When working with Microsoft Excel, there are different ways of retrieving data from various data sources using our ODBC drivers:

  • Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with Get & Transform (Power Query)
  • Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with Data Connection Wizard (Legacy Wizard)
  • Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with the Query Wizard
  • Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with Microsoft Query
  • Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with PowerPivot

  • Please see more information on connecting Excel to various data sources below.

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    Connecting to PostgreSQL from Microsoft Excel using ODBC Driver for PostgreSQL

    You can use Get & Transform (Power Query) to connect to PostgreSQL from Excel with ODBC. This method assumes that you've installed an ODBC driver for PostgreSQL.

    1. Click the Data in Excel, then expand the Get Data drop-down list. Click From Other Sources > From ODBC.
    2. Connect Excel to ODBC data source

    3. In the From ODBC dialog, choose your data source name (DSN). If you haven't configured your ODBC driver yet, you can expand the Advanced Options dialog box and enter the connection string for your data source (without credentials, which are defined in the credentials dialog box in the next step). Additionally, you can enter an SQL statement that will be executed right after establishing a connection to the data source. Click OK.
    4. Choose ODBC data source in Excel

    5. If you're using a database username or password, select Database and enter your credentials in the dialox bog, then click Connect.
    6. Enter Data Source Credentials

      If your database is not password-protected or you've already specified your credentials in the ODBC data source settings, select Default or Custom and press Connect

      Excel ODBC custom connection string

    7. In the window that appears, select the table you want to retrieve data from, and click Load.
    8. List of tables from ODBC data source

      The data from the table will be a displayed in an Excel spreadsheet where you can further work with it.

      View the table contents

    Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with Data Connection Wizard (Legacy Wizard)

    You can use this option to connect to OLE DB or ODBC external data source that has already been defined.

    1. In Excel, go to the Data tab. Click From Other Sources, and then click From Data Connection Wizard.
    2. In the opened dialog, select ODBC DSN and click Next to continue.

    3. Now select a data source you want to connect to, and click Next.

    4. To connect to the table containing the required data, select its name and click Next to enter and save information about your new file or click Finish.

    5. In the Import data dialog, you can select the way your data will be viewed in Excel and the place where to put it in the worksheet, and click OK.

    6. The required data is now displayed in the existing Excel worksheet.

    Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with the Query Wizard

    You can use this option to create a simple query for retrieving data from PostgreSQL to Excel via ODBC driver.

    1. Open Excel, in the main menu, click the Data tab.
    2. Click the From Other Sources dropdown menu, and then click From Microsoft Query.

    3. In the appeared dialog, you can choose the data source you want to connect to.

    4. After a successful connection, you can select the data you want to be displayed in Excel and click Next.

    5. The next two steps allow filtering and sorting the data. Click Next to skip these procedures.

    6. If you plan to further use the query, you can save it by clicking the Save button on the right.

    7. Select Return Data To Microsoft Excel and click Finish.

    8. In the Import data dialog, you can select the way your data will be viewed in Excel and the place where to put it in the worksheet, and click OK.

    9. The required data is successfully imported to Excel.

    Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with Microsoft Query

    You can use this option to create a more complex query for retrieving PostgreSQL data to Excel via ODBC driver.

    1. Start Excel, click the Data tab.
    2. In the appeared ribbon, click From Other Sources, and then click From Microsoft Query.

    3. In the next dialog, choose the data source you want to connect to (e.g., using data source name - Devart ODBC PostgreSQL). Uncheck Use the Query Wizard to Create/Edit Queries and click OK.

    4. Now you can select the tables you want to add to your query. When you finish, just click the Add button.

    5. In the graphical editor, you can filter rows or columns of data, sort data, join multiple tables, create a parameter query, etc.

    Connecting Excel to PostgreSQL with PowerPivot

    You can use PowerPivot - an Excel add-in to perform data analysis and create complex data models. To load the required data, do the following:

    1. In Excel, click the PowerPivot tab, then click Manage to go to the PowerPivot window.
    2. In the opened window, click From Other Sources.

    3. When the Table Import Wizard opens, select Others (OLEDB/ODBC) and click Next.

    4. In the Specify a Connection String window, click the Build button.

    5. In the Data Link Properties dialog, specify the data source you want to connect (e.g., using data source name - Devart ODBC PostgreSQL), and then click Next.

    6. Now you should choose how to import the data (either select a table from the list or write a query to specify the data to be imported).

    7. When the Import operation succeeded, click the Close button. The retrieved data is inserted in the active worksheet.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can Excel connect to PostgreSQL?

    You can directly access data from a PostgreSQL database and import it into a Microsoft Excel sheet using an ODBC connector. This method lets you display and manipulate the data within Excel, just like any other dataset. Note: Ensure that the versions of Excel and the DSN match, either 32-bit or 64-bit, to avoid compatibility issues.

    How to export Excel CSV files to PostgreSQL?

    If you've downloaded data from your PostgreSQL database into an Excel file using an ODBC driver and need to re-upload it, you can use the Microsoft Query option.

    First, download the data using the ODBC driver as previously described, selecting Microsoft Query as your data source. Then, choose View data or edit query in Microsoft Query to load the data into the table. Once you've made the necessary changes using SQL queries, these modifications will automatically be saved back to your PostgreSQL database.

    However, if your tasks frequently involve transferring data from the PostgreSQL database to Excel and then uploading edited data back to the database, you might find the Devart Excel Add-in for PostgreSQL a more suitable option. This tool is specifically designed to import data from various sources into Excel, perform in-Excel editing, and ensure seamless updates back to the data source.

    How to import data from Postgres to Excel?

    The ODBC driver enables direct data export from PostgreSQL databases to Microsoft Excel sheets.

    After installing the PostgreSQL driver, open your Excel sheet and navigate to the Data tab. Click Get External Data > From Other Sources, and choose the appropriate option.

    Once you select the source, choose the ODBC driver, specify the connection details, the database required, and the source table. The ODBC driver will then export the data from the specified table into your Excel file.

    ODBC Drivers

    Reliable and simple to use data connectors for ODBC data sources. Compatible with multiple third-party tools.