---
title: "Setup Import of SQL Data to Excel Manually"
slug: "manually-setup-an-import-of-data-from-sql-server-to-excel"
description: "Create a Database Import by hand to load SQL Server data into Excel, using the Advanced Setup rather than the SQL Spreads Designer."
updated: 2023-07-18T19:37:45Z
published: 2023-07-18T19:37:45Z
canonical: "sqlspreads.com/manually-setup-an-import-of-data-from-sql-server-to-excel"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sqlspreads.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manually setup an Import of data from SQL Server to Excel

## Create a new Database Import

          Note:

          

For a quick start, use the SQL Spreads Designer to create a setup and then modify the Database Import and Database Mapping that was created by the Designer.

1. In the SQL Spreads tab in Excel, open the **Advanced Setup** menu and click the **Database Import** button ![Advanced Setup Database Import 7.1](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/Advanced%20Setup%20Database%20Import%207.1.PNG)
2. This will bring up the **Database Imports** dialog where you can see your existing Database Imports
3. Click **New**, to create a new import ![New import.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/New%20import.png)
4. Click in a cell in the spreadsheet to select where the imported data should be inserted ![Cell.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/Cell.png)
5. Enter a SQL Query in the **Import SQL Query** textbox and click **Execute** to test run your query ![Import SQL Query.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/Import%20SQL%20Query.png)
6. When the SQL Query returns the desired results, click **OK**
7. In the **Manage Database Import** dialog, click **OK** again
8. Save your Excel document and press **Refresh from Database** to load the Import Data into your spreadsheet.

![Advanced Setup Refresh button 7.1](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/Advanced%20Setup%20Refresh%20button%207.1.PNG)

          Note:

          

You can create as many Database Imports as you like.

## Using parameters in a Database Import query

There are three types of parameters that you can use in your SQL query:

#### Current User's Windows Login

Insert the parameter @WindowsUser into your SQL query to insert the current user's Windows Login name.

The value of the @WindowsUser parameter will be in the format DOMAIN\WINDOWS_LOGIN_NAME

#### Insert cell values into your SQL query

Read more under the [Create a static Designer filter](/docs/filtering-rows-from-sql-server)

#### Selected item in a Tree Filter

Read more under the [Create a dynamic Tree Filter](https://sqlspreads.com/docs/tree-filters-a-way-for-end-users-to-select-the-data) section.

## Import Settings

#### Insert Header Row

If checked, SQL Spreads will insert the Column names from the table in SQL Server as header names above the first row with data in Excel.

#### Clear rows before import

To clear all old data before import, check this checkbox. All cells below the columns in the header row will be cleared.

#### Formula Rows

There are two ways to add formula rows into a SQL Spreads worksheet.

The first and easiest way is to add the formulas rows above the Excel table. Then the Formula rows will be independent of how many rows that are fetched from the table.

The second (and a bit more complex) way, is to add formula rows within a Data Mapping by specifying the row numbers in the corresponding Database Import dialog.

The row numbers are entered in a comma-separated list in the Formula Rows field at the bottom of the Database Import dialog. Row number 1 is the first row below the header row. To preserve the formulas in row 1, 10 and 15 enter the comma-separated list "1,10,15" without quotes.

Formulas in these rows are then kept and the values from the formula are inserted or updated in the database if there is a matching row key.

#### Minimum number of returned rows

If the returned rows from the database are fewer than the specified value, the imported data will be filled out with blank rows.