Getting started with Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel

Quick start: Connect to Microsoft Excel with ODBC

To connect to Microsoft Excel using the Devart ODBC Driver:

1. Download and install the Driver for Windows, macOS, or Linux.
2. Activate the Driver using your activation key, or continue with the 30-day trial. On Windows and macOS this is a step in the installer; on Linux, run the activator afterwards.
3. Create an ODBC data source (DSN) and select Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel.
4. Configure the connection by specifying the path to the Excel workbook to which you need to connect.
5. Use the DSN in your ODBC-compatible application to connect to Microsoft Excel and work with its data.

The following sections provide detailed installation and configuration instructions for each supported operating system.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that your environment meets the requirements for connecting to Microsoft Excel through the Devart ODBC Driver.

• Operating system: Windows x86 and x64 (including Windows Terminal Server), macOS x64 or ARM (Apple silicon), Linux x86 and x64.
• ODBC driver manager: Included with Windows. On macOS, install iODBC. On Linux, install unixODBC.
• Connection details: Path to the Microsoft Excel workbook.
• DSN configuration tool (optional): On macOS and Linux, you can use Devart ODBC Administrator to create and manage data sources through a graphical interface. The tool is distributed separately from the Driver and is available on the Devart website. Alternatively, configure data sources manually in the odbc.ini file.
• Activation key: For a purchased version of the Driver or a full-featured 30-day trial, use the activation key you received in the registration email or through the Customer Portal.
• Administrator rights: Required to install the Driver on all supported operating systems.

For a complete list of supported versions, operating systems, and third-party tools, see the ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel compatibility page.

Install the ODBC Driver

Installing the Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel is straightforward. All you need to do is download the package for your operating system and follow the installation instructions.

Install the Driver on Windows

1. Download the ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel from the Devart website, open it, and click Next.

2. Read the License Agreement, select I accept the agreement, and click Next.

3. On the Select Destination Location page, keep the default folder or click Browse to choose another one, and click Next.

4. On the Select Components page, select the components to install, then click Next.

5. On the Select Start Menu Folder page, specify the folder for the Driver shortcuts. To skip creating a Start Menu folder, select Don't create a Start Menu folder. Click Next, then click Install.

6. On the License Information page, select Input activation key and enter your key. You can find it in the registration email or your Customer Portal. To open the Customer Portal, click Get Activation Key.

If the activation key is saved on your computer, click Load Activation Key and select the corresponding file.

To evaluate the Driver without a purchased key, select Trial evaluation.

7. Click Next, then click Finish to complete the installation.

Install the Driver on macOS

1. Download the ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel PKG file from the Devart website and double-click the package to run it.

Note

macOS may block the installation package because Apple cannot verify it. If this happens, allow the package manually:

1. Dismiss the warning.
2. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security. On macOS 12 and earlier, open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General.
3. Find the message about the blocked package, and click Open Anyway.
4. Confirm that you want to open the package, and enter your administrator password if prompted.

2. In the installer, click Continue.

3. Read the license agreement and click Agree.

4. On the Registration page, select Input activation key and enter your key, or click Load Activation Key and select the file that contains it. To evaluate the Driver without a purchased key, select Trial evaluation. Click Continue.

5. On the Installation Type page, click Install. To choose which components to install, click Customize first. When the installation finishes, click Close.

You can also activate the Driver later from the Terminal. Navigate to /Library/ODBC/Devart/Excel and run the activator with your key.

cd /Library/ODBC/Devart/Excel
sudo ./excelodbcactivator -a <your_activation_key>

Install the Driver on Linux

On Linux, the Driver requires the unixODBC driver manager, which must be installed separately. Follow the track that matches the package format of your distribution.

DEB-based distributions, such as Ubuntu and Debian

The commands below apply to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 22.04 LTS.

1. Install the unixODBC driver manager.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y unixodbc odbcinst

2. Download the DEB package from the Devart website.

3. Open a terminal, navigate to the folder that contains the package, and install the package and its required dependencies.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt-get install -y ./devartodbcexcel_amd64.deb

4. Activate the Driver. Navigate to the folder where it is installed, /usr/share/devart/odbcexcel, and run the activator with your key.

cd /usr/share/devart/odbcexcel
sudo ./excelodbcactivator -a <your_activation_key>

5. Verify that the Driver is registered.

odbcinst -q -d

The output should include [Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel].

Then verify that the DSN created during installation is registered.

odbcinst -q -s

The output should include the automatically created DSN.

RPM-based distributions, such as CentOS, RHEL, and Fedora

The commands below apply to CentOS Stream 9.

1. Install the unixODBC driver manager.

sudo dnf install unixODBC

2. Download the RPM package.

3. Open a terminal, navigate to the folder that contains the package, and install the package and its required dependencies.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo dnf install ./devart-odbc-excel.x86_64.rpm

4. Activate the Driver. Navigate to the installation folder and run the activator with your key.

cd /usr/local/devart/odbcexcel
sudo ./excelodbcactivator -a <your_activation_key>

5. Verify that the Driver is registered.

odbcinst -q -d

The output should include [Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel].

Then verify that the DSN created during installation is registered.

odbcinst -q -s

The output should include the automatically created DSN.

Configure an ODBC data source

In this guide, you create a Data Source Name (DSN) for the ODBC connection and verify the connection details. A DSN stores the path to the Microsoft Excel workbook that applications connect to. Applications can also connect without a DSN by passing the same parameters in a connection string.

Configure a DSN on Windows

1. In Windows Search, enter ODBC Data Sources, and open the ODBC Data Source Administrator that matches the bitness of your application.

2. Select the User DSN, System DSN, or File DSN tab, and click Add:

• User DSN — Available only to the user who creates it.
• System DSN — Available to all users on the computer.
• File DSN — Stores connection settings in a file that can be shared between computers where the required ODBC driver is installed.

3. In the Create New Data Source dialog, select Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel, and click Finish.

4. Enter a Data Source Name and an optional Description. In the Database field, enter the path to the Excel workbook to which you are going to connect.

5. Optional: Click Test Connection to verify the connection settings.

6. Click OK to save the DSN settings.

To fine-tune metadata and compatibility behavior, use the Advanced Settings tab of the same dialog.

Configure a DSN on macOS

DSNs are managed in Devart ODBC Administrator, a graphical tool that is distributed separately from the Driver. Download and install it before you continue.

1. Open Devart ODBC Administrator (root), select the System DSN tab (recommended), and click Add. Enter your password when prompted.

2. In the Choose a driver dialog, select Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel and click OK.

3. In the Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel Configuration dialog, enter a Data Source Name and an optional Description. In the Database field, enter the path to the Excel workbook to which you are going to connect.

4. Optional: Click Test Connection to verify the connection details.

5. Click OK to save the DSN settings.

Alternatively, edit the odbc.ini file directly. The installation creates a sample DSN named DEVART_Microsoft Excel that you can adjust. Use /Library/ODBC/odbc.ini for a system-wide DSN or ~/.odbc.ini for a user-specific one:

[DEVART_Microsoft Excel]
Driver=Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel
Database=full_path_to_your_workbook

Save and close the file.

Configure a DSN on Linux

As on macOS, Devart ODBC Administrator is distributed separately from the Driver. Download and install it from the Devart website before you continue.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt-get install -y ./devartodbcadministrator_amd64.deb

1. Open Devart ODBC Administrator (root), select the System DSN tab, and click Add.

2. In the Choose a driver dialog, select Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel and click OK.

3. Enter a Data Source Name, an optional Description, and the path to the Excel workbook to which you need to connect.

4. Optional: Click Test Connection to verify the connection settings.

5. Click OK to save the DSN settings.

Alternatively, define the DSN in /etc/odbc.ini. The installation creates a sample DSN named DEVART_Microsoft Excel that you can adjust:

[DEVART_Microsoft Excel]
Driver=Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel
Database=full_path_to_your_workbook

To verify the data source from a terminal, connect to it with isql, the command-line tool provided by unixODBC. Replace <your_dsn_name> with the name of your DSN:

isql -v <your_dsn_name>

Connect to Excel using a connection string

In addition to using a DSN, you can connect to Microsoft Excel by specifying the connection parameters directly in an ODBC connection string. This type of connection is known as a DSN-less connection.

The following table summarizes when to use each connection method:

To create a DSN-less connection, configure the connection string as follows.

DRIVER={Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel};Database=full_path_to_your_workbook

You can also specify advanced connection parameters to configure ODBC behavior, string types, and other Driver settings.

For the complete list of supported options, see Microsoft Excel ODBC connection string parameters.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot connect to Microsoft Excel through the Devart ODBC Driver, use the following solutions to resolve common connection issues.

"Product is not activated or has been deactivated" error

This error occurs when the Driver has not been activated or its activation is no longer valid. Activation is required for both purchased and trial versions.

• Windows: Open the DSN configuration dialog, go to the License tab, click Input Activation Key, and enter your activation key.
• macOS and Linux: In Devart ODBC Administrator, select the DSN and click Configure. On the License tab of the configuration dialog, click Input Activation Key and enter your activation key. Alternatively, run the excelodbcactivator utility from the Driver installation folder with your activation key.

After activation, test the connection again.

ODBC data source not found or Driver not available

If your application cannot find the DSN or the Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel, check the application and Driver bitness.

A 32-bit application cannot use a DSN created in the 64-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator, and a 64-bit application cannot use a DSN created in the 32-bit administrator.

Make sure that:

• The DSN is created in the ODBC administrator that matches your application's bitness.
• The corresponding 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Driver is installed.
• The application is configured to use the correct DSN.

Workbook connection fails

If you cannot connect to the specified workbook, check the connection settings:

• Verify the complete Excel file path and filename.
• Close other applications that may be using the same Excel file.
• Check that the target Excel file is in the supported format.
• Verify that the target file is not corrupted.

Additional resources

After you install and configure Devart ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel, use the following resources to continue setting up and working with your connections:

• Connection string parameters — Browse the complete list of connection options for configuring metadata retrieval parameters, string types, ODBC behavior, and other Driver settings.
• Microsoft Excel integrations — Find step-by-step guides for connecting BI, reporting, analytics, and other ODBC-compatible tools to Excel.
• Using in third-party tools — Connect to Excel from various tools and applications written in Python, C#, C/C++, Go, Node.js, PHP, R, Visual Basic, and other supported languages.
• ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel documentation — Explore installation, configuration, connectivity, and advanced Driver features.