Getting Started with the CData Excel Add-In for Adobe Commerce

This guide explains everything you need to get started with the CData Excel Add-In for Adobe Commerce. You will learn how to install the add-in, understand licensing behavior, configure your first connection, and import real-time Adobe Commerce data directly into Excel for analysis, reporting, and automation.

Installation & Licensing

System Requirements

• Windows: Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2016+
• Microsoft Excel: Excel 2016 or later, Excel for Microsoft 365
• .NET Framework: .NET Framework 4.0 or later

Installing the Excel Add-In

Download and install the Excel Add-In from the CData website by visiting the Excel Add-In download page. Fill in the appropriate contact information when prompted.

Note: If you are downloading a licensed installer, use your company email address and license key.

1. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard
2. Once installation is complete, open Excel and verify that the CData tab appears in the Excel ribbon

Licensing the Excel Add-In

The Excel Add-In handles licensing during installation. When running the installer, you can choose to:

• Use the trial license, or
• Install a licensed build provided by CData

If you require a subscription license, contact the CData Orders Team at [email protected] to obtain your license key. Once the add-in is installed, it is ready for use.

Common Licensing Questions

Can I install the add-in on multiple machines?
Your subscription tier determines how many activations are included. Contact [email protected] for details.

I lost my license key. How do I retrieve it?
Email [email protected] with your order number, and we'll resend your license key.

How do I transfer my license?
To transfer the license to a different machine, you will need to submit a License Transfer Request on our site linked below:

https://www.cdata.com/lic/transfer/

After the License Transfer Request is submitted and successfully processed, an activation will be added to your Product Key and you will be able to activate the full license on the other machine. Once this process is finished, the license on the previous machine will be invalid.

For additional licensing questions, contact [email protected]. Viewing and upgrading your license can now be done through our self-service portal at portal.cdata.com.

Connection Configuration

Once the add-in is installed, you can configure a secure connection to Adobe Commerce directly from the Excel ribbon. The add-in stores connection settings inside the Excel environment and uses them to fetch live Adobe Commerce data.

Creating a New Connection

1. Open Excel and navigate to the CData tab in the ribbon
2. Click Get Data > From Adobe Commerce. Then, click New Adobe Commerce Connection to create a new connection

3. Provide a name for your connection and enable Update, Insert, or Delete operations as required
4. The CData Connection dialog opens. Enter the authentication details required for Adobe Commerce (OAuth, API token, credentials, etc.)

Configuring Connection Properties

Adobe Commerce uses the OAuth 1 authentication standard. To connect to the Adobe Commerce REST API, obtain values for the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties by registering an app with your Adobe Commerce system. See the "Getting Started" section in the help documentation for a guide to obtaining the OAuth values and connecting.

You will also need to provide the URL to your Adobe Commerce system. The URL depends on whether you are using the Adobe Commerce REST API as a customer or administrator.

• Customer: To use Adobe Commerce as a customer, make sure you have created a customer account in the Adobe Commerce homepage. To do so, click Account -> Register. You can then set the URL connection property to the endpoint of your Adobe Commerce system.

• Administrator: To access Adobe Commerce as an administrator, set CustomAdminPath instead. This value can be obtained in the Advanced settings in the Admin menu, which can be accessed by selecting System -> Configuration -> Advanced -> Admin -> Admin Base URL.

  If the Use Custom Admin Path setting on this page is set to YES, the value is inside the Custom Admin Path text box; otherwise, set the CustomAdminPath connection property to the default value, which is "admin".

Testing your Connection

1. Click Test Connection to validate your input

2. Click OK to save the connection

Importing Data into Excel

After creating a connection, you can import Adobe Commerce data into Excel using the built-in query interface.

Selecting Tables and Views

1. From the CData ribbon, click Get Data > From Adobe Commerce and choose the connection you just made
2. The CData Query window opens. Click Select to choose a table or view

3. Select your desired table and click OK

Running the Query

1. A SQL query is automatically generated for your selected table

2. Review the query (optional), then click OK to run it
3. The results populate directly into your Excel worksheet

You can now build pivot tables, charts, or use Excel formulas to analyze your Adobe Commerce data.

Common Connection Issues

Authentication Failed

Solution: Verify your credentials or OAuth configuration. Ensure that your Adobe Commerce account has the required API permissions.

Cannot Connect to Adobe Commerce

Solution: Check your internet connection, firewall settings, or proxy configuration. Contact [email protected] for specific port requirements.

Table Not Found

Solution: Confirm your account has access to the selected Adobe Commerce data object. Use the table selector in the Query window to browse available resources.

Query Returned No Results

Solution: Verify any filters or WHERE clauses in the generated SQL. Remove or adjust filters to broaden your query.

What's Next

Now that you have installed, licensed, and configured the Excel Add-In, explore how to automate reporting, refresh live dashboards, and build advanced queries using SQL or Excel functions.

Get Support

If you need assistance at any point:

• Technical Support: [email protected]
• Community Forum: CData Community Site
• Help Documentation: Installed locally and available online

FAQs

Installation & Licensing

• Does Excel require administrator rights to install the add-in?
  Administrative privileges are required for installation.
• How do I activate a license?
  Licensing occurs during installation. Licensed installers automatically apply subscription keys.

Connecting

• Can I use multiple Adobe Commerce accounts?
  Each time you click Get Data, you can configure a new connection.
• Can I connect through a proxy?
  You can configure proxy settings in the Connection dialog.

Performance & Troubleshooting

• Why is my query slow?
  Add filters using the query editor or narrow the selected fields.
• How do I enable logging?
  

  Add the following to your connection manager:

  • Logfile: /path/to/logfile.log
  • Verbosity: 3

  Be prepared to securely upload the log file upon request when reaching out to [email protected] for troubleshooting analysis.

• How do I refresh data?
  Select the imported table and click Refresh from the CData ribbon.

For questions not covered in this FAQ, contact [email protected].