Access Live FTP Data in Google Sheets through Connect Spreadsheets

Cameron Leblanc
Cameron Leblanc
Senior Technology Evangelist
Use Connect Spreadsheets by CData to gain access to live FTP data from your Google Sheets.

Looking for Connect AI instructions?

Your Connect AI account includes Connect Spreadsheets, so you can use the instructions below. You can expect minor differences when referencing the Connect Spreadsheet platform, but the principles still apply!


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

Connect Spreadsheets is the easiest way to get all your live data into Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets - no more downloading, wrangling, and uploading files again. Just connect to your data, select the dataset you'd like to see, and import it into your spreadsheet.

This setup requires a Connect Spreadsheets account and the Connect Spreadsheets Add-On for Google Sheets. To get started, sign up a free Connect Spreadsheets account and install the free Connect Spreadsheets Google Sheets Add-On.


Configure FTP Connectivity for Google Sheets

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

  1. Log into Connect Spreadsheets, click Sources and click Add Connection Adding a Connection
  2. Select "FTP" from the Add Connection panel Selecting a data source
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to FTP.

    To connect to FTP or SFTP servers, specify at least RemoteHost and FileProtocol. Specify the port with RemotePort.

    Set User and Password to perform Basic authentication. Set SSHAuthMode to use SSH authentication. See the Getting Started section of the data provider help documentation for more information on authenticating via SSH.

    Set SSLMode and SSLServerCert to secure connections with SSL.

    The data provider lists the tables based on the available folders in your FTP server. Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

    • RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
    • TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of folders to list as views.
    • FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve and list files recursively from the root table.

    Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See the Data Model chapter of the FTP data provider documentation for more information.

    Configuring a connection (OData is shown)
  4. Click Create & Test

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

Access Live FTP Data from Google Sheets

The steps below outline connecting to Connect Spreadsheets from Google Sheets to access live FTP 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 Connect Spreadsheets Add-On and install the Add-on. Install the Add-On
  4. Authorize the Add-On. Authorize the Add-On
  5. Back in Google Sheets, click Add-ons and open the Connect Spreadsheets Add-On. Opening the Add-On
  6. In the Add-On panel, click "Log in" to sign into and authenticate with your Connect Spreadsheets account Authenticating with Connect Spreadsheets
  7. In the Connect Spreadsheets panel in Google Sheets, click Import Connect Spreadsheets panel in Google Sheets
  8. Choose a Connection (e.g. FTP1), Table (e.g. MyDirectory, and Columns to import Choosing a Connection, Table, and Columns
  9. Optionally add Filters, Sorting, and a Limit Filters, Sorting, Limits
  10. Click Execute to import the data and opt to overwrite the existing sheet or create a new one. Opting where to import the data

Live Access to FTP Data from Cloud Applications

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

Imported data (Salesforce is shown)

Try Connect Spreadsheets and get real-time data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications.

Ready to get started?

Learn more about Connect Spreadsheets or sign up for free trial access:

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