Access Live Active Directory Data in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a web-based spreadsheet program provided by Google. When integrated with CData Connect Cloud, you can effortlessly gain access to Active Directory data directly within Google Sheets for tasks such as data analysis, collaboration, calculations, and more. This article offers a comprehensive guide on connecting to Active Directory within your Connect Cloud instance and accessing live Active Directory data seamlessly within Google Sheets.

CData Connect Cloud offers a seamless cloud-to-cloud interface designed for Active Directory, enabling effortless access to live Active Directory data directly within Google Sheets. Use the dedicated Connect Cloud Google Sheets Plug-In to connect with live Active Directory data. With built-in optimized data processing, CData Connect Cloud efficiently channels all supported query operations, including filters, JOINs, and more, directly to Active Directory. This leverages server-side processing to promptly retrieve the desired Active Directory data.

Configure Active Directory Connectivity for Google Sheets

Connectivity to Active Directory from Google Sheets is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with Active Directory data from Google Sheets, we start by creating and configuring a Active Directory connection.

1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Connections and click Add Connection
2. Select "Active Directory" from the Add Connection panel
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Active Directory.

   To establish a connection, set the following properties:

   • Valid User and Password credentials (e.g., Domain\BobF or cn=Bob F,ou=Employees,dc=Domain).
   • Server information, including the IP or host name of the Server, as well as the Port.

   • BaseDN: This will limit the scope of LDAP searches to the height of the distinguished name provided.

     Note: Specifying a narrow BaseDN may greatly increase performance; for example, cn=users,dc=domain will only return results contained within cn=users and its children.

4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Active Directory Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to Active Directory data from Google Sheets.

Access Live Active Directory Data from Google Sheets

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect Cloud from Google Sheets to access live Active Directory data.

1. Log into Google Sheets, create a new sheet (or open an existing one).
2. Click Add-ons and click Get Add-ons (if you have already installed the Add-on, jump to step 5).
3. Search for CData Connect Cloud Add-On and install the Add-on.
4. Authorize the Add-On.
5. Back in Google Sheets, click Add-ons and open the CData Connect Cloud Add-On.
6. In the Add-On panel, click Authorize to authenticate with your CData Connect Cloud instance
7. In the CData Connect Cloud panel in Google Sheets, click Import
8. Choose a Connection (e.g. ActiveDirectory1), Table (e.g. User, and Columns to import
9. Optionally add Filters, Sorting, and a Limit
10. Click Execute to import the data

Live Access to Active Directory Data from Cloud Applications

New, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live Active Directory data from your Google Sheets workbook. You can add more data to your workbook for calculations, aggregations, collaboration, and more.

Try CData Connect Cloud and get real-time data access to 100+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications.