Use the CData ODBC Driver for Hacker News in Microsoft Power Query
The CData ODBC Driver for Hacker News enables you to link to Hacker News data in Microsoft Power Query, ensuring that you see any updates. This article details how to use the ODBC driver to import Hacker News data into Microsoft Power Query.
Connect to Hacker News 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.
Connecting to HackerNews
The HackerNews API (powered by Firebase) is a public API that requires no authentication. You can connect and query data immediately without any credentials.
After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:
- AuthScheme: Set this to None.
Example connection string:
Profile=C:\profiles\HackerNews.apip;AuthScheme=None
Import Hacker News Data
Follow the steps below to import Hacker News data using standard SQL:
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From the ribbon in Excel, click Power Query -> From Other Data Sources -> From ODBC.
- 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 API Source
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Enter the SELECT statement to import data with. For example:
SELECT , FROM TopStories WHERE = ''
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.
