https://community.databricks.com/t5/technical-blog/partner-blog-access-databricks-data-natively-in-excel-using-the/ba-p/151969 <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000">Introduction</FONT></H1> <P>If you have spent any time working with enterprise data, you know the struggle: your Lakehouse holds the ground truth, but business stakeholders live in Excel. Until now, bridging that gap meant manual exports, scheduled jobs, or CSV files that drift out of sync the moment they land on someone's desktop. The Azure Databricks Excel Add-in solves this. Now in Public Preview, it connects your Databricks workspace directly to Excel, letting you browse Unity Catalog tables, run SQL queries, and pull live Lakehouse data into a spreadsheet without ever leaving Excel. No SQL knowledge is required for basic table imports, and full custom query support is available for power users. This guide covers everything you need: prerequisites, two installation paths, and how to start querying your data.</P> <P><STRONG><FONT size="5" color="#000000">Prerequisites</FONT></STRONG></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Databricks Requirements</FONT></H2> <UL> <LI>An Azure Databricks workspace with Unity Catalog enabled</LI> <LI>Access to a running SQL Warehouse — classic or serverless</LI> <LI>Read permissions on Unity Catalog tables in your workspace</LI> <LI>You are using one of the following versions of Excel: <UL> <LI>Excel 2019 or later on Mac</LI> <LI>Excel on Windows (Microsoft 365)</LI> <LI>Excel on the web</LI> <LI>Excel on Mac (Microsoft 365)</LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <UL> <LI>If you use a firewall or a cloud security platform, allowlist the Azure Databricks workspace URLs included in the add-in file.</LI> </UL> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Authentication</FONT></H2> <P>The add-in uses Single Sign-On (SSO) exclusively. Personal Access Tokens (PAT) and Service Principals are not supported in this release. You will sign in with your Azure Databricks credentials when you first open the add-in pane.</P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Excel Platform Support</FONT></H2> <UL> <LI>Excel for the Web — fully supported</LI> <LI>Excel Desktop on Windows — fully supported</LI> <LI>Excel Desktop on macOS — fully supported</LI> </UL> <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000"><STRONG>Step 1: Set up the add-in file</STRONG></FONT></H1> <P>The add-in requires a small XML manifest file. This file acts as the connector that tells Excel where Databricks lives and how to load the add-in securely every time Excel opens.<BR />Save the page as an&nbsp;.xml&nbsp;file to your local machine. In most browsers, right-click the page and select&nbsp;<STRONG>Save as</STRONG>, or press&nbsp;Ctrl+S&nbsp;(Windows) or&nbsp;Command+S&nbsp;(macOS).</P> <OL> <LI>You must download and set up the add-in file to use the Azure Databricks Excel Add-in.<BR />Download the&nbsp; add- in file by clicking the following link: <A href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databricks/_extras/documents/databricks-excel-manifest-azure.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Azure Databricks Excel add-in file</A></LI> <LI>Save the page as an&nbsp;.xml&nbsp;file to your local machine. In most browsers, right-click the page and select&nbsp;<STRONG>Save as</STRONG>, or press&nbsp;Ctrl+S&nbsp;(Windows) or&nbsp;Command+S&nbsp;(macOS).</LI> <LI>Once downloaded, open the file in any text editor and add your workspace URL inside the AppDomains section:</LI> </OL> <LI-CODE lang="markup">&lt;AppDomains&gt; &lt;!-- DO NOT CHANGE --&gt; &lt;AppDomain&gt;https://www.databricks.com&lt;/AppDomain&gt; &lt;AppDomain&gt;https://login.databricks.com&lt;/AppDomain&gt; &lt;!-- ADD WORKSPACE URLS AS SHOWN BELOW; PUT EACH WORKSPACE URL IN ITS OWN &lt;AppDomain&gt; TAG --&gt; &lt;!-- EXAMPLE --&gt; // highlight-next-line &lt;AppDomain&gt;https://adb-&lt;workspace1-id&gt;.&lt;random-number&gt;.azuredatabricks.net&lt;/AppDomain&gt; // highlight-next-line &lt;AppDomain&gt;https://adb-&lt;workspace2-id&gt;.&lt;random-number&gt;.azuredatabricks.net&lt;/AppDomain&gt; &lt;/AppDomains&gt; ​</LI-CODE> <P><FONT color="#000000"><STRONG>Tip: </STRONG></FONT>To connect to multiple workspaces, add each workspace URL as a separate AppDomain entry in the same file.Save the file and confirm it still carries the .xml extension before proceeding.<BR /><BR /></P> <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000">Option 1: Excel for the Web (Easiest)</FONT></H1> <P>Excel Web is the fastest path to get started. No folder configuration or system settings are required. These steps also work even if Add-ins have been disabled by your organization’s IT policy.</P> <OL> <LI>Open a workbook in Excel for the Web.</LI> <LI>Under the Home tab, click <STRONG>Add-ins</STRONG> (all the way on the right), then click <STRONG>Advanced…<BR /></STRONG><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_18-1774424237044.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25249iFCB9BEE304C81CD8/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_18-1774424237044.png" alt="VasaviKS_18-1774424237044.png" /></span></LI> <LI>Click on “upload My Add-in”</LI> </OL> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_19-1774424237046.png" style="width: 754px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25248iD38D35AA9D9ED152/image-dimensions/754x412?v=v2" width="754" height="412" role="button" title="VasaviKS_19-1774424237046.png" alt="VasaviKS_19-1774424237046.png" /></span></P> <OL> <LI>Upload the Add-On file (.xml) that was shared with you</LI> <LI>Open ‘Add-on’ -&gt; If you see an error make sure to enable pop-ups</LI> <LI>Find and click the Azure Databricks Add-in from the&nbsp;<STRONG>Add-ins</STRONG><SPAN>&nbsp;menu.</SPAN></LI> <LI>Sign in to your Azure Databricks account. If there is an error, make sure to enable pop-up dialogs.</LI> <LI>If you configured multiple workspace URLs, select the desired Azure Databricks account name. You only need to select a specific workspace if the URLs are within the same account.</LI> </OL> <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000">Option 2: Excel Desktop on Windows</FONT></H1> <P>On Windows Desktop, the add-in is installed by registering a shared folder as a trusted add-in catalog in Excel's Trust Center. This method works even when the Office Store is blocked by your organisation.</P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 1: Open Windows File Explorer</FONT></H2> <P>Press <STRONG>Win + E</STRONG> to open Windows File Explorer. You will see your Home view with Quick Access folders listed.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_20-1774424237058.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25250i89E1A7B1380C27FC/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_20-1774424237058.png" alt="VasaviKS_20-1774424237058.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 2:&nbsp; Navigate to This PC</FONT></H2> <P>In the left sidebar, click <STRONG>This PC</STRONG>. You will see your local drives and any network locations.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_21-1774424237075.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25252iA65B6ABD3D758CF8/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_21-1774424237075.png" alt="VasaviKS_21-1774424237075.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 3: Open Local Disk (C:)</FONT></H2> <P>Double-click <STRONG>Local Disk (C:)</STRONG> to navigate into your C drive root.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_22-1774424237081.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25251i79881DF123A34AFD/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_22-1774424237081.png" alt="VasaviKS_22-1774424237081.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 4: Create the Manifest folder and add the XML file</FONT></H2> <P>Inside the C: drive, create a new folder named <STRONG>Manifest</STRONG>. Then copy or move your .xml manifest file (prepared in Step 1) into this folder.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_23-1774424237092.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25253i605E5562E98DF266/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_23-1774424237092.png" alt="VasaviKS_23-1774424237092.png" /></span></P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_24-1774424237098.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25256i3564021CE2DD5694/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_24-1774424237098.png" alt="VasaviKS_24-1774424237098.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 5: Open Folder Properties and enable Sharing</FONT></H2> <P>Right-click the <STRONG>Manifest</STRONG> folder and select <STRONG>Properties</STRONG>. The Properties dialog will open showing file details.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_25-1774424237100.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25254i68F07D7E4220113E/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_25-1774424237100.png" alt="VasaviKS_25-1774424237100.png" /></span></P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_26-1774424237105.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25255i63EF2C027B687C0F/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_26-1774424237105.png" alt="VasaviKS_26-1774424237105.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 6 : Share the folder and copy the network path</FONT></H2> <P>Click the <STRONG>Sharing</STRONG> tab, then click <STRONG>Share</STRONG>. In the sharing dialog, add yourself as a user and grant <STRONG>Read/Write</STRONG> permissions. Click <STRONG>Share</STRONG> to confirm.After sharing completes, a confirmation screen will show the network path for the folder (e.g. \\YourComputerName\Manifest). <STRONG>Copy this path — you will need it in the next step.</STRONG></P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_27-1774424237107.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25257iF6D0EB733E53F612/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_27-1774424237107.png" alt="VasaviKS_27-1774424237107.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 7: Open Excel Trust Center Settings</FONT></H2> <P>Open Excel Desktop. Go to <STRONG>File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings</STRONG>.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_28-1774424237117.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25259i90BBB38B17B3D5B3/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_28-1774424237117.png" alt="VasaviKS_28-1774424237117.png" /></span></P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_29-1774424237126.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25258iAE5E4F86396A101C/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_29-1774424237126.png" alt="VasaviKS_29-1774424237126.png" /></span></P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_30-1774424237133.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25262iE72FB9A5124C785F/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_30-1774424237133.png" alt="VasaviKS_30-1774424237133.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 8:&nbsp; Select Trusted Add-in Catalogs</FONT></H2> <P>In the Trust Center sidebar, click <STRONG>Trusted Add-in Catalogs</STRONG>.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_31-1774424237135.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25260iFACC68D63B5AED96/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_31-1774424237135.png" alt="VasaviKS_31-1774424237135.png" /></span></P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_32-1774424237137.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25261iB66CE0D545881D66/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_32-1774424237137.png" alt="VasaviKS_32-1774424237137.png" /></span></P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_33-1774424237138.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25263i458C992C6145E3D4/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_33-1774424237138.png" alt="VasaviKS_33-1774424237138.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 9:&nbsp; Enter the network path and add the catalog</FONT></H2> <P>In the <STRONG>Catalog Url</STRONG> field, paste the network path you copied in Step 6 (e.g. \\YourComputerName\Manifest). Then click <STRONG>Add catalog</STRONG>.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_34-1774424237140.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25264iF51D8147C89193E7/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_34-1774424237140.png" alt="VasaviKS_34-1774424237140.png" /></span></P> <H2><FONT color="#000000">s<FONT size="4">tep 10: Check "Show in Menu" and click OK</FONT></FONT></H2> <P>Once the catalog appears in the Trusted Catalogs Table, check the <STRONG>Show in Menu</STRONG> checkbox for your catalog entry. Click <STRONG>OK</STRONG> to save all Trust Center settings.</P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 11: Close and reopen Excel</FONT></H2> <P>Close Excel completely and reopen it. The Trust Center changes do not take effect until Excel is restarted.</P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 12: Load the Databricks connector from Shared Folder</FONT></H2> <P>After restarting Excel, click <STRONG>Add-ins → More Add-ins → Shared Folder</STRONG>. You will see the Databricks connector listed under your shared folder.</P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center" image-alt="VasaviKS_35-1774424237146.png" style="width: 999px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/25265iC66955F7F9E0347E/image-size/large?v=v2&amp;px=999" role="button" title="VasaviKS_35-1774424237146.png" alt="VasaviKS_35-1774424237146.png" /></span></P> <P>Select the <STRONG>Databricks connector</STRONG> and click <STRONG>Add</STRONG>. The add-in pane will open on the right side of your workbook.</P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Step 13: Sign in to your Databricks account</FONT></H2> <P>With the add-in pane open, click sign in. Authenticate using your Azure Databricks SSO credentials. Once signed in, you will be connected to your workspace and ready to query data.</P> <P><STRONG>Note: </STRONG>If a dialog appears saying "The security settings in your browser prevent us from creating a dialog box", click OK and try a different browser, or configure the browser so that the Databricks staging domain and your Excel domain are in the same security zone.</P> <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000">Option 3: Admin managed</FONT></H1> <P>As a global admin, you can download and configure the Azure Databricks Excel Add-in and deploy it to other users in your organization. Download and set up the add-in file provided in the&nbsp;<A href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databricks/integrations/excel-setup#xml-prereqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prerequisites</A>.</P> <P>To install the Azure Databricks Excel Add-in as a Microsoft 365 Admin, you must have the&nbsp;global admin&nbsp;permission. As an admin, you can determine which users in your organization can use add-ins. For more about global admins on Microsoft 365, see the&nbsp;<A href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/role-based-access-control/permissions-reference#global-administrator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft documentation</A>.</P> <OL> <LI>In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to&nbsp;<STRONG>Settings &gt; Integrated apps</STRONG>&nbsp;and click the&nbsp;<STRONG>Add-ins</STRONG>&nbsp;link.</LI> <LI>Click&nbsp;<STRONG>Deploy Add-in</STRONG>&nbsp;and click&nbsp;<STRONG>Next</STRONG>.</LI> <LI>Select&nbsp;<STRONG>Upload custom apps</STRONG>&nbsp;as the option to deploy a new add-in.</LI> <LI>Select the option to upload a manifest. Click&nbsp;<STRONG>Choose File</STRONG>&nbsp;and upload the add-in file.</LI> <LI>Choose which users should have access to the add-in.</LI> <LI>Click&nbsp;<STRONG>Deploy</STRONG>.</LI> </OL> <P>For detailed steps about uploading the Azure Databricks Excel Add-in, see the&nbsp;<A href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/manage/manage-deployment-of-add-ins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft documentation</A>.</P> <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000">What You Can Do with the Add-in</FONT></H1> <P>Once connected, the add-in gives you several ways to pull Lakehouse data into your spreadsheet.</P> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Import a Table Directly</FONT></H2> <OL> <LI>Open the add-in pane and specify a Unity Catalog table (catalog.schema.table).</LI> <LI>Optionally select specific columns and set a row limit.</LI> <LI>Click Import Table. Data lands in your active sheet immediately.</LI> </OL> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Pivot Data</FONT></H2> <OL> <LI>Specify a table or UC Metric View in the add-in.</LI> <LI>Select Pivot Data.</LI> <LI>Configure rows, columns, values, and filters.</LI> <LI>Click Import.</LI> </OL> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Write a Custom SQL Query</FONT></H2> <OL> <LI>Click Write SQL Query in the add-in pane.</LI> <LI>Browse the catalog to find your table paths, then write your SQL.</LI> <LI>Run and preview, then click Import Data into the sheet.</LI> </OL> <H2><FONT size="4" color="#000000">Custom Excel Functions</FONT></H2> <P>The add-in registers two Excel functions you can type directly into cells:</P> <P>Table import:</P> <LI-CODE lang="markup">=DATABRICKS.Table("catalog.schema.table", [columns], [limit])</LI-CODE> <P>SQL query with optional parameters:</P> <LI-CODE lang="markup">=DATABRICKS.SQL("SELECT * FROM table WHERE id=:id", {"id", 123})</LI-CODE> <P>Parameters can also be supplied as a cell range (e.g. A1:B2), where column A holds parameter names and column B holds values.</P> <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000">Known Limitations</FONT></H1> <UL> <LI>Workspace switching (selecting between multiple workspaces at runtime) is not yet available in self-service mode — it is planned as a future feature.</LI> <LI>Scheduled refresh is not yet available.</LI> <LI>Genie (AI-powered query assistance) integration is not yet available.</LI> </UL> <H1><FONT size="5" color="#000000">Summary</FONT></H1> <P>The Databricks Excel Add-in is a clean, low-friction way to bring governed Lakehouse data into the tool your business stakeholders use every day. Installation is lightweight, authentication is handled entirely via SSO, and the feature set covers everything from simple table imports to parameterized SQL queries and custom cell functions.For teams already running Unity Catalog, this is a direct path to surfacing trusted data in Excel — without manual exports, file copies, or pipelines that drift out of sync.</P> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:57:34 GMT VasaviKS 2026-04-28T08:57:34Z https://community.databricks.com/t5/technical-blog/partner-blog-access-databricks-data-natively-in-excel-using-the/ba-p/151969 <P class=""><STRONG>Access Databricks Data Natively in Excel Using the New Excel Add-in</STRONG></P> <P class="">Business stakeholders live in Excel, but your ground truth lives in the Lakehouse. Databricks Excel Add-in (now in Public Preview) bridges that gap directly. Browse Unity Catalog tables, run SQL queries and load live data into Excel without manual exports or CSV files that go stale. This&nbsp;Article covers prerequisites, installation, and how to start querying your data using Excel Add-ins.</P> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:57:34 GMT https://community.databricks.com/t5/technical-blog/partner-blog-access-databricks-data-natively-in-excel-using-the/ba-p/151969 VasaviKS 2026-04-28T08:57:34Z https://community.databricks.com/t5/technical-blog/partner-blog-access-databricks-data-natively-in-excel-using-the/bc-p/157952#M1084 <P>Thanks for this guidance. This is so specific and useful. I setup successfully, but I got the error message as below:</P><P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-inline" image-alt="Screenshot 2026-05-27 130722.png" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://community.databricks.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/27404iF015F6DB3A38152A/image-size/medium?v=v2&amp;px=400" role="button" title="Screenshot 2026-05-27 130722.png" alt="Screenshot 2026-05-27 130722.png" /></span></P><P>I connected to my workspace and see all tables in catalog successfully, the only thing left is the failure when run the query. How can I fix this? Gemini said that maybe it was blocked by firewall security of IT department&nbsp;<span class="lia-unicode-emoji" title=":disappointed_face:">😞</span></P> Sat, 30 May 2026 01:56:17 GMT https://community.databricks.com/t5/technical-blog/partner-blog-access-databricks-data-natively-in-excel-using-the/bc-p/157952#M1084 QVietHoang 2026-05-30T01:56:17Z https://community.databricks.com/t5/technical-blog/partner-blog-access-databricks-data-natively-in-excel-using-the/bc-p/158136#M1089 <P>It works fine but table fields with data type numeric are imported into excel as text formatted fields. It is cumbersome to change formatting for every numeric column. Date fields are imported correctly.</P> Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:13:26 GMT https://community.databricks.com/t5/technical-blog/partner-blog-access-databricks-data-natively-in-excel-using-the/bc-p/158136#M1089 SA_MOV 2026-06-02T13:13:26Z