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Extend Google Sheets with SQL Analysis Services Data
Make calls to the API Server from Google Apps Script.
Interact with SQL Analysis Services data from Google Sheets through macros, custom functions, and add-ons. The CData API Server, when paired with the ADO.NET Provider for SQL Analysis Services (or any of 200+ other ADO.NET Providers), enables connectivity to SQL Analysis Services data from cloud-based and mobile applications like Google Sheets. The API Server is a lightweight Web application that produces OData services for SQL Analysis Services and any source supported by the CData ADO.NET Providers.
Google Apps Script can consume these OData services in the JSON format. This article shows how to create a simple add-on that populates a Google Spreadsheet with Adventure_Works data.
Set Up the API Server
Follow the steps below to begin producing secure SQL Analysis Services OData services:
Deploy
The API Server runs on your own server. On Windows, you can deploy using the stand-alone server or IIS. On a Java servlet container, drop in the API Server WAR file. See the help documentation for more information and how-tos.
The API Server is also easy to deploy on Microsoft Azure, Amazon EC2, and Heroku.
Connect to SQL Analysis Services
After you deploy the API Server and the ADO.NET Provider for SQL Analysis Services, provide authentication values and other connection properties needed to connect to SQL Analysis Services by clicking Settings -> Connections and adding a new connection in the API Server administration console.
To connect, provide authentication and set the Url property to a valid SQL Server Analysis Services endpoint. You can connect to SQL Server Analysis Services instances hosted over HTTP with XMLA access. See the Microsoft documentation to configure HTTP access to SQL Server Analysis Services.
To secure connections and authenticate, set the corresponding connection properties, below. The data provider supports the major authentication schemes, including HTTP and Windows, as well as SSL/TLS.
-
HTTP Authentication
Set AuthScheme to "Basic" or "Digest" and set User and Password. Specify other authentication values in CustomHeaders.
-
Windows (NTLM)
Set the Windows User and Password and set AuthScheme to "NTLM".
-
Kerberos and Kerberos Delegation
To authenticate with Kerberos, set AuthScheme to NEGOTIATE. To use Kerberos delegation, set AuthScheme to KERBEROSDELEGATION. If needed, provide the User, Password, and KerberosSPN. By default, the data provider attempts to communicate with the SPN at the specified Url.
-
SSL/TLS:
By default, the data provider attempts to negotiate SSL/TLS by checking the server's certificate against the system's trusted certificate store. To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert property for the available formats.
You can then access any cube as a relational table: When you connect the data provider retrieves SSAS metadata and dynamically updates the table schemas. Instead of retrieving metadata every connection, you can set the CacheLocation property to automatically cache to a simple file-based store.
See the Getting Started section of the CData documentation, under Retrieving Analysis Services Data, to execute SQL-92 queries to the cubes.
You can then choose the SQL Analysis Services entities you want to allow the API Server to access by clicking Settings -> Resources.
Authorize API Server Users
After determining the OData services you want to produce, authorize users by clicking Settings -> Users. The API Server uses authtoken-based authentication and supports the major authentication schemes. Access can also be restricted based on IP address: Connections from all addresses except localhost are blocked by default, so you will need to allow connections from Google's servers for this article. You can authenticate as well as encrypt connections with SSL.
Retrieve SQL Analysis Services Data
Open the Script Editor from your spreadsheet by clicking Tools -> Script Editor. In the Script Editor, add the following function to populate a spreadsheet with the results of an OData query:
function retrieve(){
var url = "https://MyUrl/api.rsc/Adventure_Works?select=Id,Fiscal_Year,Sales_Amount,Fiscal_Year";
var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
});
var json = response.getContentText();
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var a1 = sheet.getRange('a1');
var index=1;
var adventure_works = JSON.parse(json).value;
var cols = [["Id","Fiscal_Year","Sales_Amount","Fiscal_Year"]];
sheet.getRange(1,1,1,4).setValues(cols);
row=2;
for(var i in adventure_works){
for (var j in adventure_works[i]) {
switch (j) {
case "Id":
a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "Fiscal_Year":
a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "Sales_Amount":
a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "Fiscal_Year":
a1.offset(row,3).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
}
}
row++;
}
}
Follow the steps below to add an installable trigger to populate the spreadsheet when opened:
- Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers -> Add a New Trigger.
- Select retrieve in the Run menu.
- Select From Spreadsheet.
- Select On open.
After closing the dialog, you are prompted to allow access to the application.
You can test the script by clicking Publish -> Test as Add-On. Select the version, installation type, and spreadsheet to create a test configuration. You can then select and run the test configuration.
