Refreshing Data in Excel Reports
Excel workbooks can download data from DataSelf data warehouse databases.
ETL+ also extracts data from Excel files. Thus, with this framework, data can be both uploaded from and downloaded to, or refresh, Excel files and workbooks.
There are several ways to refresh (download) data into Excel reports within the DataSelf framework:
DataSelf API – new service in beta. Securely bridges your data in DataSelf’s data warehouse and Tableau extracts (Tableau data sources) into Excel workbooks.
Manual data download: Users can manually download their data from MS SQL data warehouse, Tableau, Power BI, or other reporting tools connected to DataSelf into their Excel Desktop files. For more on this see Excel Reports with Data from Tableau or DataSelf Data Warehouse
DataSelf Automatic Distribution Module: Excel AD is an add-on that can automatically refresh and email Excel reports on a schedule. This approach can also be used to refresh Excel Online reports on a schedule. Excel AD
Excel Desktop and Online: With some additional setup, options 1 to 3 above might support Excel Online reports as well.
Security concerns using Excel: Once the data is loaded into an Excel file, there’s no way to control what a user can do with that Excel file (for instance, accidentally sharing it with the wrong people). Please consider using Tableau or Power BI as a centralized way to secure your more private data.
Advantages of Excel
Seamless, secure, and centrally managed: Users just press the Refresh icon in Excel desktop reports to see their latest data. Excel reports will pull data directly from the SQL data warehouse or Power BI datasets. SQL or Power BI security controls what data each user has access to. Every user will need their own SQL or Power BI user license. Their secure access to the data might require additional IT setups.
⚒️ Work in progress: Click here to learn more.Seamless, easy, and inexpensive: Users just press the Refresh icon in Excel desktop reports to see their latest data. ETL+ can download report data into CSV files on a schedule, and these files can be used for Excel reporting. This usually requires users access to CSV files on shared network folders. Security can be built around Windows shared folders.
Related Pages
Excel Reports with Data from Tableau or DataSelf Data Warehouse – how to extract data from ETL+'s data warehouse into Excel as well as information on exporting from ETL+'s data warehouse or Tableau into CSV files.