How to query data in Excel from Visual Studio 2013? - sql

Question

Background:
I am transferring data from one Excel document doc0 to a templated Excel document doc1 to speed up processes at work. My only real restriction is that I cannot modify the document's formatting, so regular VBA is not an option. I can only pull data out of doc0 modify it and place it in doc1. I am using Visual Studio 2013 for doing so.
What I need to do is:
Organize doc0 numerically by Col 1 first, then Col 3 second. Then place the top 10 results in a specific cell range in doc1.
Get a count for jobs assigned to each worker and return that result to Visual Studio. Worker names are listed in Col 4.
I know how to query using SQL, but am open to using other functions/languages that can perform the same task.
Question:
How can I query the data to perform the actions above?
A simple example can be seen with the link below. The blue represents doc0, the red the results to be displayed in doc1 and the green is the results that I need to have returned to corresponding textboxes in Visual Studio.

Answer 1

There are a few options. ADO.NET is able to connect to your excel sheet using OleDB to read data with simple query capability. Examples can be found in KB316934.
Connect to an Excel file to read and write data:
Connection String
To access an Excel workbook by using the Jet OLE DB Provider, use a connection string that has the following syntax:
Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Book1.xls;Extended Properties="Excel 8.0;HDR=YES;"
Depending on your excel version, the connection string may slightly differ. Look them up here. E.g. 2013 would look like:
Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=c:\myFolder\myExcel2007file.xlsx;
Extended Properties="Excel 12.0 Xml;HDR=YES";
Read and write data
Use the sheet name followed by a dollar sign (for example, [Sheet1$] or [My Worksheet$]). A workbook table that is referenced in this manner includes the whole used range of the worksheet.
select * from [Sheet1$]
Use a range with a defined name (for example, [MyNamedRange]):
Select * from [MyNamedRange]
Use a range with a specific address (for example, [Sheet1$A1:B10]):
Select * from [Sheet1$A1:B10]
Writing is done in a similar matter if you're using OleDB
INSERT INTO [Sheet1$] (F1, F2) values ('111', 'ABC')
UPDATE [Sheet1$] SET F2 = 'XYZ' WHERE F1 = '111'
You may need to create a temporary copy from which you can query data, as you may be reading and writing to the documents using different techniques.
Full example at the link (unfortunately in VB.NET).
Alternative solutions
If you really want full fidelity access to the Excel file, without depending on Excel being present or running, you could also investigate:
Excel Package Plus
NPIO
Aspose Cells.NET (commercial)
These packages do not support querying, so you'll need to extract the data into objects and use Linq-to-Objects to query/sort the data before writing it back to the files.