In this blog post we are going to talk about one of the features included since MySQL for
Excel 1.2.0, you can install the latest GA or maintenance version using the MySQL Installer or optionally you can download directly any GA or non-GA version
from the MySQL Developer Zone.
Remember how easy is to dump data
from a MySQL table, view or stored procedure to an Excel worksheet? (If you don't you can check out this other post: How To - Guide to Importing Data
from a MySQL Database to
Excel using MySQL for Excel). In version 1.2.0 we introduced some advanced options for the
Import MySQL Data operation regarding
Excel tables.
The Advanced Options dialog shown above is accessible
from any
Import Data dialog. When the Create an
Excel table for the imported MySQL table data option is checked (which is by default), MySQL for
Excel will create an Excel table (also known in
Excel jargon as a ListObject)
from the
Excel range containing the imported MySQL data. This "little feature" enables the right-away usage of the
Excel table in data analysis, like including it for summarization on a PivotTable, including a summarization row at the end of the table's data, sorting or filtering the table's data by clicking the drop-down button next to each column's header, among other actions.
The
Excel tables that are created automatically
from imported MySQL data will have a name like [UserPrefix].<SchemaName>.<DbObjectName> for tables and views, and <Prefix>.<SchemaName>.<ProcedureName>.<ResultSetName> for stored procedures. Notice the first piece of the name is an optional [UserPrefix], the prefix is only used if the Prefix
Excel tables with the following text option is checked, notice that the suggested prefix is "MySQL" but it can be changed to whatever text is suitable for you.
Excel tables must have a table style so they are easily identified. There are a lot of predefined
Excel table styles, by default the MySqlDefault style is applied, which is the style you have seen applied to imported data for Edit Sessions, and which adds simple and elegant formatting to the table. If you wish to change it to any of the predefined
Excel table style you can do it through the drop-down list on the Use style [[styles drop-down]] for the new
Excel table option.
Excel tables are the basic construction blocks for building data analysis or self-service Business Intelligence using other more advanced Excel tools like Power Pivot, Power View or Power Map. This feature empowers imported MySQL data to use it in more advanced ways. We hope you give this and the other new features in the 1.2.x version family a try!
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