How to Import from Excel to Oracle with SQL DeveloperThis question comes up about as frequently as the ‘how do I export data to XLS?’ question. It’s pretty simple once you’ve
ran through the process a few times. But you may be here because you’ve never ran through the process before.
This post will step you from beginning to end. You should be prepared to import data to an existing table from Excel with
confidence after reading this post. You can use SQL Developer to create a new table for your Excel data, but that will be
covered in a subsequent post.
Warning: This post has a LOT of pictures.
For our example I’ll be using HR.EMPLOYEES to build the XLS file. I have created a blank copy of the table in another
schema and want to import the data from my excel file over.
Step 0: The Empty Oracle Table and your Excel FileYou have an Oracle table and you have one or more Excel files.
Data here but not there!?!
You do know how to view multiple objects at once in SQL Developer, right?
Step 1: Mouse-right click – Import Data
Yes, it's that easy.
Step 2: Select your input (XLS) file
Yes, we also support XLSX, CSV, etc
Step 3: Verify the data being read
Mind the headers!
Does your Excel file have column headers? Do we want to treat those as a row to the table? Probably not. The default
options take care of this. You can also choose to preview more than 100 rows.
Here’s what it looks like if you uncheck the ‘Header’ box
Sometimes you may want the column headers as a row in the table?
Sometimes your Excel file has multiple headers, or you may need to only import a certain subset of the spreadsheet. Use
the ‘Skip Rows’ option to get the right data.
Step 4: Create a script or import automatically
Script or do it for me?
For this exercise the ‘Insert’ method will be used.
Step 5:
Choose the Excel columns to be imported
You may have an Excel file with 100 columns but your table only has 30. This is where you tell SQL Developer what
columns are to be used for the import. You can also change up the column order, which may make the next step a bit
easier.
Step 6:
If you’re not paying attention and just letting the wizard guide you home, then now is the time to wake up. There’s a good
chance the column order of the Excel file won’t match the definition of your table. This is where you will tell SQL Developer
what columns in the spreadsheet match up to what columns in the Oracle table.
Step 7: Verify your settingsHit the ‘verify’ button. Fix any mistakes.
Ruh roh raggy!
SQL Developer is telling you it doesn’t know how to reconcile the data for this DATE column. We need to know what the
DATE FORMAT is.
So we need to go back to the Column definition wizard and inspect the HIRE_DATE column settings.
You need to look at how the dates are stored in the spreadsheet and write them in terms that Oracle can understand. This
will be used on the INSERTs via a TO_DATE() function that will turn your Excel string into an actual DATE value.
After correcting this, go back to the Verification screen and see if that fixes the problem.
Step 8:
Everything looks right!
Click on the ‘Finish’ button.
Step 9: Verify the import look at your new table data
The data is there and the dates look right!
