Use the CData ODBC Driver for Dropbox in Microsoft Power Query

The CData ODBC Driver for Dropbox enables you to link to Dropbox data in Microsoft Power Query, ensuring that you see any updates. This article details how to use the ODBC driver to import Dropbox data into Microsoft Power Query.

Connect to Dropbox as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Dropbox uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you can use the embedded credentials or register an app with Dropbox.

See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for more information.

Import Dropbox Data

Follow the steps below to import Dropbox data using standard SQL:

1. From the ribbon in Excel, click Power Query -> From Other Data Sources -> From ODBC.

2. Enter the ODBC connection string. Below is a connection string using the default DSN created when you install the driver: Provider=MSDASQL.1;Persist Security Info=False;DSN=CData Dropbox Source

3. Enter the SELECT statement to import data with. For example:

   SELECT Id, Name FROM Files

4. Enter credentials, if required, and click Connect. The results of the query are displayed in the Query Editor Preview. You can combine queries from other data sources or refine the data with Power Query formulas. To load the query to the worksheet, click the Close and Load button.