Import Data from Excel Spreadsheet or CVS into MySQL

Question

I have a spreadsheet which really has only one complicated table. I basically convert the spreadsheet to a cvs and use a groovy script to generate the INSERT scripts.

However, I cannot do this with a table that has 28 fields with data within some of the fields on the spreadsheet that make importing into the CVS even more complicated. So the fields in the new CVS are not differentiated properly or my script has not accounted for it.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a better approach to do this? Thanks.

Answer 1

This is a recurrent question on stackoverflow. Here is an updated answer.

There are actually several ways to import an excel file in to a MySQL database with varying degrees of complexity and success.

1. Excel2MySQL or Navicat utilities. Full disclosure, I am the author of Excel2MySQL. These 2 utilities aren't free, but they are the easiest option and have the fewest limitations. They also include additional features to help with importing Excel data into MySQL. For example, Excel2MySQL automatically creates your table and automatically optimizes field data types like dates, times, floats, etc. If your in a hurry or can't get the other options to work with your data then these utilities may suit your needs.

   

2. LOAD DATA INFILE: This popular option is perhaps the most technical and requires some understanding of MySQL command execution. You must manually create your table before loading and use appropriately sized VARCHAR field types. Therefore, your field data types are not optimized. LOAD DATA INFILE has trouble importing large files that exceed 'max_allowed_packet' size. Special attention is required to avoid problems importing special characters and foreign unicode characters. Here is a recent example I used to import a csv file named test.csv.

   

3. phpMyAdmin: Select your database first, then select the Import tab. phpMyAdmin will automatically create your table and size your VARCHAR fields, but it won't optimize the field types. phpMyAdmin has trouble importing large files that exceed 'max_allowed_packet' size.

   

4. MySQL for Excel: This is a free Excel Add-in from Oracle. This option is a bit tedious because it uses a wizard and the import is slow and buggy with large files, but this may be a good option for small files with VARCHAR data. Fields are not optimized.