Extend Google Sheets with AlloyDB Data

Make calls to the API Server from Google Apps Script.

Interact with AlloyDB data from Google Sheets through macros, custom functions, and add-ons. The CData API Server enables connectivity to AlloyDB data from cloud-based and mobile applications like Google Sheets. The API Server is a lightweight Web application that produces OData services for AlloyDB.

Google Apps Script can consume these OData services in the JSON format. This article shows how to create a simple add-on that populates a Google Spreadsheet with Orders data and, as you make changes, executes updates to AlloyDB data.

Set Up the API Server

Follow the steps below to begin producing secure AlloyDB OData services:

Deploy

The API Server runs on your own server. On Windows, you can deploy using the stand-alone server or IIS. On a Java servlet container, drop in the API Server WAR file. See the help documentation for more information and how-tos.

The API Server is also easy to deploy on Microsoft Azure, Amazon EC2, and Heroku.

Connect to AlloyDB

After you deploy the API Server, provide authentication values and other connection properties needed to connect to AlloyDB by clicking Settings -> Connections and adding a new connection in the API Server administration console.

The following connection properties are usually required in order to connect to AlloyDB.

Server: The host name or IP of the server hosting the AlloyDB database.
User: The user which will be used to authenticate with the AlloyDB server.
Password: The password which will be used to authenticate with the AlloyDB server.

You can also optionally set the following:

Database: The database to connect to when connecting to the AlloyDB Server. If this is not set, the user's default database will be used.
Port: The port of the server hosting the AlloyDB database. This property is set to 5432 by default.

Authenticating with Standard Authentication

Standard authentication (using the user/password combination supplied earlier) is the default form of authentication.

No further action is required to leverage Standard Authentication to connect.

Authenticating with pg_hba.conf Auth Schemes

There are additional methods of authentication available which must be enabled in the pg_hba.conf file on the AlloyDB server.

Find instructions about authentication setup on the AlloyDB Server here.

Authenticating with MD5 Authentication

This authentication method must be enabled by setting the auth-method in the pg_hba.conf file to md5.

Authenticating with SASL Authentication

This authentication method must be enabled by setting the auth-method in the pg_hba.conf file to scram-sha-256.

Authenticating with Kerberos

The authentication with Kerberos is initiated by AlloyDB Server when the ∏ is trying to connect to it. You should set up Kerberos on the AlloyDB Server to activate this authentication method. Once you have Kerberos authentication set up on the AlloyDB Server, see the Kerberos section of the help documentation for details on how to authenticate with Kerberos.

You can then choose the AlloyDB entities you want to allow the API Server to access by clicking Settings -> Resources.

Authorize API Server Users

After determining the OData services you want to produce, authorize users by clicking Settings -> Users. The API Server uses authtoken-based authentication and supports the major authentication schemes. Access can also be restricted based on IP address: Connections from all addresses except localhost are blocked by default, so you will need to allow connections from Google's servers for this article. You can authenticate as well as encrypt connections with SSL.

Retrieve AlloyDB Data

Open the Script Editor from your spreadsheet by clicking Tools -> Script Editor. In the Script Editor, add the following function to populate a spreadsheet with the results of an OData query:



function retrieve(){
  var url = "https://MyUrl/api.rsc/Orders?select=Id,ShipName,ShipCity,ShipCountry";
  var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
    headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
  }); 
  var json = response.getContentText();
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var a1 = sheet.getRange('a1');
  var index=1;
  var orders = JSON.parse(json).value;

  var cols = [["Id","ShipName","ShipCity","ShipCountry"]]; 
  sheet.getRange(1,1,1,4).setValues(cols);

  row=2;
  for(var i in orders){
    for (var j in orders[i]) {
      switch (j) {
        case "Id":
          a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "ShipName":
          a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "ShipCity":
          a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "ShipCountry":
          a1.offset(row,3).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
      }      
    }
    row++;
  }
}

Follow the steps below to add an installable trigger to populate the spreadsheet when opened:

Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers -> Add a New Trigger.
Select retrieve in the Run menu.
Select From Spreadsheet.
Select On open.

After closing the dialog, you are prompted to allow access to the application.

Post Changes to AlloyDB Data

Add the following function to post changes to cells back to the API Server:



function buildReq(e){
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var changes = e.range;
  var id = sheet.getRange(changes.getRow(),1).getValue();
  var col = sheet.getRange(1,changes.getColumn()).getValue();
  
  var url = "http://MyServer/api.rsc/Orders("+id+")";
  var putdata = "{\"@odata.type\" : \"CDataAPI.Orders\",  \""+col+"\": \""+changes.getValue()+"\"}";;
  UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
    method: "put",
    contentType: "application/json",
    payload: putdata,
    headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
  });

}

Follow the steps below to add the update trigger:

Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers.
Select buildReq in the Run menu.
Select From Spreadsheet.
Select On edit.

You can test the script by clicking Publish -> Test as Add-On. Select the version, installation type, and spreadsheet to create a test configuration. You can then select and run the test configuration.

As you make changes to cells, the API Server executes updates to AlloyDB data.

Ready to get started?

Learn more or sign up for a free trial:

CData API Server