Configure a Receive Location for the CData BizTalk Adapter for Excel

You can follow the procedure in this article to connect to Excel data, configure a static one-way receive location, and use it to perform a simple test: retrieving Excel data and writing it to an XML file.

A receive location can execute SQL commands and create BizTalk messages that contain the results. If you want to execute updategram commands, use a send port.

Create the Receive Port

To add a receive location to your application, you first need to add a receive port. Receive ports can receive data from multiple receive locations.

1. If you have not already done so, open your application in the BizTalk Administration Console.
2. In your application, right-click Receive Ports and click New -> Static One-Way Receive Port. The Receive Port Properties dialog is displayed.
3. In the Name menu, enter a name for the receive port.

Create the Receive Location

After you create the receive port, create the receive location and configure it to use the Excel adapter as its transport type.

1. Right-click Receive Locations and click New -> One-Way Receive Location.
2. Select the appropriate receive port of which the new receive location will be a member. The Receive Location Properties dialog is displayed.
3. In the Name menu, enter a name for the receive location.
4. In the Receive Location properties, select CData.Excel in the Transport Type menu.
5. In the Receive pipeline menu, select the default option, PassThruReceive.

Configure the Adapter

In the Transport Properties dialog, specify the command that the adapter will execute.

1. In the receive location properties, click Configure. The Transport Properties dialog for the adapter is displayed.
2. In the SQL Command property, enter the command. This example uses

   SELECT Name, Revenue FROM Sheet

Refer to the "Adapter Configuration" chapter for the available adapter configuration properties.

Configure the Connection String

Set credentials and other connection properties in the Connection String Options dialog.

1. In the receive location properties, click Configure. The adapter properties dialog is displayed.
2. Click the button in the Connection String property.
3. Click the box in the Connection String property. The Connection String Options dialog is displayed.
4. Enter connection properties. Below is a typical connection string:

   URI='C:/MyExcelWorkbooks/SampleWorkbook.xlsx';
   

   Connecting to Local or Cloud-Stored (Box, Google Drive, Amazon S3, SharePoint) Excel Files

   CData Drivers let you work with Excel files stored locally and stored in cloud storage services like Box, Amazon S3, Google Drive, or SharePoint, right where they are.

   Setting connection properties for local files

   Set the URI property to local folder path.

   Setting connection properties for files stored in Amazon S3

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Amazon S3, set the URI property to the URI of the Bucket and Folder where the intended Excel files exist. In addition, at least set these properties:

   • AWSAccessKey: AWS Access Key (username)
   • AWSSecretKey: AWS Secret Key

   Setting connection properties for files stored in Box

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Box, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended Excel file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Box.

   Dropbox

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Dropbox, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the folder that includes the intended Excel file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect to Dropbox. Either User Account or Service Account can be used to authenticate.

   SharePoint Online (SOAP)

   To connect to Excel file(s) within SharePoint with SOAP Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended Excel file. Set User, Password, and StorageBaseURL.

   SharePoint Online REST

   To connect to Excel file(s) within SharePoint with REST Schema, set the URI proprerty to the URI of the document library that includes the intended Excel file. StorageBaseURL is optional. If not set, the driver will use the root drive. OAuth is used to authenticate.

   Google Drive

   To connect to Excel file(s) within Google Drive, set the URI property to the URI of the folder that includes the intended Excel file(s). Use the OAuth authentication method to connect and set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH.

5. Click Test Connection to verify the connection values and test connectivity.

Refer to the help documentation for a description of the various properties and their functions.

Use a Send Port to Write Data to an XML File

The Static One-Way Receive Location is now ready for use with a send port: A send port must be associated with the BizTalk message that is created by the receive location. To write data to a file, create a file send port.

1. In the BizTalk Administration console, right-click Send Ports -> New -> Static One-Way Send Port.

2. Enter a name for the send port at the top of the configuration window and select FILE from the Type menu.

   
3. Configure a destination folder; this will be the location where the files are created on disk.

4. For the file name, a macro can be used to easily identify what day the file was created. By default, %MessageId%.xml is used. However, this is not a very user-friendly name, as it is a randomly generated BizTalk Id. To produce a file in the format Sheet_yyyy-MM-dd.xml, enter Sheet_%Date%.xml.

   Note: For additional information regarding macros, visit the BizTalk Configuration section in the help documentation.

   
5. Click OK. The URI field should now contain a value.
6. Click Filters in the left-hand side of the configuration screen for the send port.
7. Set the following properties:

   Property: Select "BTS.InboundTransportLocation" from the menu.

   Operator: Select "==" from the menu.

   Value: Enter the URI of the receive location. The URI is shown in the receive location properties.

You can now use the send port to write files that have been sent from the receive location.

Enlist and Enable the Locations and Ports

The final step is to enlist the send port and enable the receive location: Right-click the send port and click Enlist. Then right-click the receive location and click Enable.

Note: Enable the receive location last: This makes sure the file gets picked up for writing by the send port.

Troubleshooting

To check if errors are occurring, expand "Event Viewer (Local)" in the navigation tree in the Administration Console. Expand Windows Logs and click Applications.

The log will include error messages for all applications on the system, so it is important to check that the source of the error message is "CData BizTalk Excel Receive Adapter". Details of the error message should provide insight into why the error is occurring. For guidance on resolving the error, contact [email protected].