Connecting a Micorsoft Excel Sheet

​

Steps to Add or Modify a Microsoft Excel Connection

​

1. Start the Data Provider Wizard

• Open the Data Provider Wizard in PADS4.
• Follow the steps for Adding a Data Provider or Editing a Data Provider.
• Select Microsoft Excel as the provider type.

​

2. Configure Connection Settings

• Specify the Location of the Excel File
  • Option 1: Use PADS4 Content Library (Recommended)
    • The content library automatically synchronizes files across all computers in the PADS4 system.
  • Option 2: Use a File Outside the Content Library
    • If you select this option, you must manually distribute the Excel file to ensure it is available for all PADS4 Viewers.
• Select the File
  • Click Browse to locate the Excel file.
• Enable “First Row Contains Column Information”
  • If your Excel sheet includes column headers, turn on this option to remove the first row from your dataset.

​

3. Select the Excel Sheet to Connect To

• PADS4 automatically detects all available sheets in the Excel file.
• Click the drop-down box and select the desired sheet.

​

4. Complete the Setup

• Follow the remaining steps in the Data Provider Wizard.
• Click Finish to finalize the setup.

​

Additional Notes

• Using a PADS4 Data Server?
  • Ensure that Office System drivers are installed on the PADS4 Server.
  • The Excel file location must be accessible from the Data Server’s point of view.
• Not Using a PADS4 Data Server?
  • Make sure PADS4 Designer (for previewing) and all PADS4 Viewers have:
    • The Office System drivers installed.
    • Access to the specified Excel file location.
• Avoid Shared Network Folders
  • Referencing an Excel file in a shared network folder may cause:
    • High network traffic when refreshing data.
    • File locking issues if multiple users access the file simultaneously.
• Automatic File Copying
  • PADS4 creates an internal copy of the Excel file before reading the data.
  • This prevents file locking conflicts and ensures smooth data retrieval.