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Create a simple JRuby app with access to live Excel data.
JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Excel makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Excel data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Excel data, executes a query, and displays the results.
Configure a JDBC Connection to Excel Data
Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Excel\lib).
JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Excel and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.
The ExcelFile, under the Authentication section, must be set to a valid Excel File.
Built-in Connection String Designer
For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Excel JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.
java -jar cdata.jdbc.excel.jar
Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Excel:
jdbc:excel:Excel File='C:/MyExcelWorkbooks/SampleWorkbook.xlsx';
Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Excel Data
Create a new Ruby file (for example: ExcelSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:
require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Excel 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.excel.jar'
url = "jdbc:excel:Excel File='C:/MyExcelWorkbooks/SampleWorkbook.xlsx';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Name, Revenue FROM Sheet")
while (rs.next) do
puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end
With the file completed, you are ready to display your Excel data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:
jruby -S ExcelSelect.rb
Writing SQL-92 queries to Excel allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Excel data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!