Create Excel Connections
Connecting to an Excel file is easy. To create the connection, simply open the Excel file from the Create New Connection dialog 
To create an Excel connection
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Click
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Select Excel from the Group list.
- Browse to and select the Excel file.
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Complete the Create New Connection dialog. Review the following for additional information:
General Tab Description Category
Select a category if you want to color code your connection.
Tip: The color is applied in the Connection Manager and other connection dialogs. You can also create a new category for your connection.
Advanced Tab Description Enable import mode
Select this checkbox to set IMEX=1 in the connection string, which converts intermixed data to text.
Show system tables
Select to display worksheets as system tables. Toad uses the worksheet name suffixed with a dollar sign ($). Automatically create ranges
Select this option if you want Toad to automatically create named ranges. Toad creates one named range in each worksheet (unless the Toad name, AutoRange_<worksheet name>, already exists).
Note: Toad does not overwrite the user defined named ranges. The Toad-created named ranges and the user defined named ranges are both visible in the Object Explorer after connecting.
Deselect this option if the Excel file contains user defined named ranges and you do not want Toad to create additional named ranges.
Important: If you deselect this option, and your Excel file does not contain named ranges, Toad is unable to create tables from your data.
The feature is selected by default.
Hide named ranges
Select the named ranges to hide.
Note: Named ranges are not displayed until after a connection is created (in the Connections or Connection Properties dialog). In Excel 2007 files, named ranges are not displayed for active connections.
Open in Excel
Click to open the selected file in Excel. This is useful if you want to modify your file or define named ranges before connecting.
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Click Connect to connect immediately while saving the connection information. Optionally, click Save to save the connection without connecting.
Understand how Toad creates data tables from an Excel file
Toad uses Excel named ranges (regions) to define the data to include in a table. Therefore, any data that you want to display and easily query in Toad must be included in an Excel named range (region).
You can create named ranges using one of the following methods:
- Preferred method: You can ask Toad to automatically create named ranges when you create the connection to the Excel file. Toad creates one table from each worksheet and includes the contents of every formatted cell.
- If you do not want to include a worksheet's entire contents in one named range, or if a worksheet contains more than one table, then define the named ranges ahead of time in Excel.
To create a named range in Excel
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In the Excel file, select the data that you want to include in the table (including column headings). Then define a named range.
» In Excel 2003, select Insert | Name | Define. » In Excel 2007, right-click the data and select Name a Range. - Save your Excel file. In Toad, create a new connection to the file. In the New Connection dialog, deselect Automatically create ranges.
To allow Toad to automatically create named ranges
| » | When creating a new connection to the Excel file, in the New Connection dialog, select Automatically create ranges. Toad creates one named range for each worksheet and includes the contents of every formatted cell. |
Tip: For an Excel file with an existing connection, in the Navigation Manger, right-click the file and select Properties. On the Advanced tab, select Automatically create ranges. Toad creates the named ranges the next time you reconnect to this file.
To hide named ranges
You can hide an Excel file's named ranges so that they do not display as tables in the Object Explorer.
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In the Navigation Manager, right-click an Excel file connection and select Properties.
Note: In Excel 2007 files, the connection must be inactive for the named ranges to display.
- On the Advanced tab, select the named ranges to hide.
To view or modify connection properties
To view an Excel connection's properties, do one of the following:
- Right-click an Excel file connection in the Navigation or Connection Manager and select Properties.
- Select
on the Connections toolbar to open the Connections dialog. Select the Excel file connection in the left pane to view the connection properties in the right pane.
Considerations and Limitations
| Consideration/Limitation | Description |
|---|---|
|
Excel 2016 64-bit or Office 365 64-bit |
To successfully create a connection to an Excel file using Excel 2016 64-bit, the Microsoft Access Database Engine is required and might not have been included in the Excel installation. In addition, the architecture (bitness) of the engine must match the bitness of Toad. If using 64-bit Toad, the 64-bit version of Microsoft Access Database Engine is required. If using 32-bit Toad, the 32-bit version of Microsoft Access Database Engine is required.
Note: This requirement applies only to connections to Excel, not to the Toad functionality of importing/exporting to Excel. |
Troubleshoot Excel
To troubleshoot Excel issues, see the following:
- See Troubleshoot Excel® Issues for more information about troubleshooting Excel connection issues.
- For a list of Excel file limitations from Microsoft, see Microsoft Excel specifications and limits.
- For special considerations when using Excel macro-enabled files, especially in Automation scripts, see Using Macro-Enabled Excel Files.
Tip: Connections are stored in the connections.xml file and can be found by clicking the Application Data Directory link in Help | About.
Create SharePoint Connections
Toad allows you to connect to SharePoint via OData service to view and query SharePoint lists as tables. Toad supports SharePoint 2010 and 2013. You can also create a connection to SharePoint Online.
After creating a connection, see About SharePoint Data Sources for more information.
Note: This feature is available in the Toad Data Point Professional Edition only.
To create a SharePoint connection
- Click
- Select SharePoint from the Group list.
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Enter the connection information in the Create New Connection dialog. Review the following for additional information:
URL Enter the full URL address to the SharePoint OData service endpoint for the SharePoint site to which you want to connect.
The URL address should have the following format:
http://<servername>/_vti_bin/listdata.svc
Authentication Select the type of authentication to use for this connection. Toad offers two options:
- Basic Authentication
- Active Directory Universal with MFA
The required login fields will be enabled or disabled according to the authentication type that is chosen.
Username For SharePoint—Enter your Windows user name to use when connecting to this SharePoint site.
For SharePoint Online—Enter the user name to use when connecting to this instance of SharePoint Online.
Password Enter the password to use when connecting.
Tip: After connecting, you can set a master password to further secure your connection in Tools | Options| Environment | Security.
SharePoint Online Select this option if creating a connection to a SharePoint Online instance. Category (Optional) Select an existing category or create a new one. Note: In NoSQL and Business Intelligence connections, Toad automatically saves the password in the connections.xml file as obfuscated text, as well as in Toad. To add additional password security, use Toad's Master Password feature.
- Click Connect to connect immediately while saving the connection information. Optionally, click Save to save the connection without connecting.
- Upon creating an initial connection, Toad automatically maps the data source objects. This process runs in the background, and until it is finished, you may experience a delay when attempting to access these objects.
Tips:
- Connections are stored in the connections.xml file and can be found by clicking the Application Data Directory link in Help | About.
- You can specify a proxy server to use for Business Intelligence and NoSQL connections at Tools | Options | Database | Data Services.
SharePoint Connections with Multi-factor Authentication
To create this type of connection to SharePoint, Active Directory Universal with MFA needs to be selected from the Authentication field dropdown.
The next step is to enter a user name which has been configured for multi-factor authentication and click on Connect.
Toad Authentication Window will appear allowing you to select either Windows Authentication or AzureADTrust for the type of credentials which will be used for the connection.
The step that follows will enable you to select a user from the list or add another one by clicking on Use another account.
After that, you will be prompted to enter your credentials and depending on the type of authentication that the account has been configured with, you will undergo an additional authentication step, such as the one in the image below.
After completing the final authentication step, a successful connection to SharePoint will be made.
Limitations of SharePoint connections with Multi-factor Authentication
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Publishing Snapshots, Views, Automation scripts, and Workbooks to Toad Intelligence Central cannot be performed when using Active Directory Universal with MFA type of authentication.
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Setting a default SharePoint connection in Tools|Options|Environment is currently available only for Basic Authentication
Create Google Analytics Connections
Toad allows you to create connections to your Google Analytics data. A connection in Toad allows you to access the Google Analytics accounts and data that are available to you from your Google user account.
If you have multiple Google user accounts, you can create a separate Google Analytics connection in Toad for each account. For an explanation of Google accounts, see the following: https://developers.google.com/analytics/resources/concepts/gaConceptsAccounts
After creating a connection, see About Google Analytics Data Sources for more information about working with this data source.
Note: This feature is available in the Toad Data Point Professional Edition only.
About Google Analytics Connections
When you create a Google Analytics connection in Toad, you log in to Google using your Google account. During the connection creation process, you also grant Toad access to the Google Analytics data accessible from that Google account.
Toad provides you with an interface to the Google log-in and authorization pages and displays these pages within the Create New Connection (and Connection Properties) dialog. The Google pages displayed are independent of Toad. The log-in process is the same as you normally encounter with your other Web-based Google log-in procedures. The only difference is that by creating a connection in Toad, you are giving Toad permission to access your Google Analytics data. This is accomplished when you click Accept in the Google authorization page.
To create a Google Analytics connection
- Click
- In the Group list, select Google Analytics. The Google log-in page immediately displays within the Create New Connection dialog.
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Enter the credentials (email address and password) for your Google account and click Sign in.
Note: If you have multiple Google accounts and have previously logged in to Google (or connected through Toad), the Google log-in page may display the last Google account used. To specify a different Google account for the new connection, use the Google links/menu to select another account.
- (optional) You can enter a name for your new account and select a category. You can also make these modifications later using the Connection Properties dialog.
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In the Google authorization page that displays, click Accept to allow Toad access to your Google Analytics data. Toad then attempts to establish a connection to Google Analytics. If the connection is successful, the Create New Connection dialog closes.
- Upon creating an initial connection, Toad automatically maps the data source objects. This process runs in the background, and until it is finished, you may experience a delay when attempting to access these objects.
Reauthorizing a Connection
If you encounter an error message when attempting to connect using your Google Analytics connection, Toad's authorization (access) to the Google account for that connection may have been lost. Use the following procedure to re-establish authorization for the connection.
You can also use this procedure to specify a different Google log-in account for a connection.
To Reauthorize
- In the Navigation Manager, disconnect from the connection. You must disconnect before you can re-authorize.
- After disconnecting, right-click the connection and select Properties.
- In the Connection Properties dialog, click Reauthorize.
- If you are no longer logged in to Google, the Google log-in page displays.
- To reauthorize using the same Google account, re-enter your Google account credentials and click Sign-in. Then click Accept on the authorization page.
- To specify a different Google account for this connection, use the Google links to switch the account just as you normally would in the Google Web site. Once you specify a different account, this is the Google account associated with this connection in Toad. Click Sign-in. Then click Accept on the authorization page.
- If you are still logged in to Google, the Google page for granting Toad access to your Google Analytics data displays.
- To reauthorize using the same Google account, click Accept.
- To specify a different Google account for this connection, use the Google menu or links to switch the Google account just as you normally would in the Google Web site. Once you specify a different account, this is the Google account associated with this connection in Toad. Click Sign-in. Then click Accept on the authorization page.
- If you are no longer logged in to Google, the Google log-in page displays.
Notes:
- The instructions provided here are based on the Google Website's workflow for the account log-in and the application authorization procedures that were in place at the time of this Toad Data Point release.
- See Set Connection Categories for more information about creating connection categories.
- You can specify a proxy server to use for Business Intelligence and NoSQL connections at Tools | Options | Database | Data Services.
Create Hive Connections
Toad allows you to connect to a Hive data warehouse system. Apache Hive is one of the NoSQL data sources supported by Toad.
See also, About Apache Hive Data Sources.
Note: This feature is available in the Toad Data Point Professional Edition only.
To create a Hive connection
- Click
- Select Apache Hive from the Group list.
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Enter the connection information in the Create New Connection dialog. Review the following for additional information:
Server tab
Host
Enter the host name or IP address of the Hive data source. Port
Enter the port number. Schema
Enter a Hive schema to open upon connection.
(HiveServer2 only) After connecting, you can select a different available schema in the Object Explorer.
Server type
Select the version of HiveServer the host uses, HiveServer1 or HiveServer2. Use SSL
(HiveServer2 only) Select to use SSL to connect to Hive. HTTP mode
(HiveServer2 only) Select to connect to HiveServer2 running in HTTP mode. Then enter the service endpoint. The default is cliservice.
Session Initialization
(HiveServer1 only) Enter any Hive session initialization commands.
These commands will be executed once, at the start of each connection.
Category
(Optional) Select an existing category or create a new one. Authentication tab (HiveServer1) Connect with SSH
Select to use SSH to connect to Hive. Then enter a user name and select an authentication method (key file or password). SSH user
Enter the user name to log in when using SSH. SSH port
Select the SSH port number. The default is 22. Authenticate with a key file
Select if the host uses a key file to authenticate the SSH user field.
Private key path—Enter the absolute path (including file name) to the private key file on the host (not the client).
Pass phrase—Enter your passphrase.
Authenticate with a password Select if the host uses a password to authenticate the SSH user field.
Password—Enter the password to log in using SSH.
Authentication tab (HiveServer2) Authentication Select an authentication method.
To enter only a user name, select the Username and password method.
Username Enter the user name to use for this connection.
If using Kerberos authentication, enter your user name in the following format: user@REALM or domain\user.
Hive host realm (Kerberos only) Enter the Kerberos realm of the HiveServer2 host.
Note: If necessary, contact your IT department to obtain this information.
Before you can successfully connect to Hive using Kerberos authentication, the Toad client computer must have a Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) address entry for the Hive host realm. To define the KDC entry, use the following procedure.
Open a Windows Command Prompt as Administrator and enter the following command:
ksetup /addkdc <REALM> <KDC name>
You only need to run this command once for the given realm. To confirm the setting, enter the following command: ksetup. This command should return both the name of the Hive host realm and the KDC name you specified.
Hive host FQDN (Kerberos only) Enter the fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) of the HiveServer2 host.
Note: If necessary, contact your IT department to obtain this information.
Service name (Kerberos only) Enter the service name of the Hive server. The default is hive. Note: In NoSQL and Business Intelligence connections, Toad automatically saves the password in the connections.xml file as obfuscated text, as well as in Toad. To add additional password security, use Toad's Master Password feature.
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Click Connect to connect immediately while saving the connection information. Optionally, click Save to save the connection without connecting.
- Upon creating an initial connection, Toad automatically maps the data source objects. This process runs in the background, and until it is finished, you may experience a delay when attempting to access these objects.
Tips:
- Connections are stored in the connections.xml file and can be found by clicking the Application Data Directory link in Help | About.
- You can specify a proxy server to use for Business Intelligence and NoSQL connections at Tools | Options | Database | Data Services.