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Microsoft Excel MCP Server

This read-only MCP Server allows you to connect to Microsoft Excel data from Claude Desktop through CData JDBC Drivers. For full CRUD support, check out our MCP Server for Microsoft Excel (https://www.cdata.com/drivers/excel/download/mcp).

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cdatasoftware-microsoft-excel-mcp-server-by-cdata": {
      "command": "java",
      "args": [
        "-jar",
        "/PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
        "/PATH/TO/microsoft-excel.prp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

You can query live Microsoft Excel data through a read-only MCP server that wraps the CData JDBC Driver. This server exposes Excel data as relational models, so you can ask natural language questions and receive up-to-date results without writing SQL.

How to use

Once you have the MCP server running, you can use any MCP-enabled client to ask questions about your Excel data. Typical usage patterns include asking for table lists, examining column details, and running read-only queries to fetch results. The server is designed to work with clients on the same machine.

Key capabilities you can leverage include discovering available tables, inspecting columns, and performing read-only queries against your Excel workbooks. You can ask questions like which sheets are exposed as tables, which columns exist on a table, and what rows match specific criteria. The tools provide access patterns that return results in a portable, structured format that your client can render.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Java and Maven installed on your system to build and run the MCP server.

Step 1: Build the MCP server

mvn clean install

This produces the JAR file named CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar.

Step 2: Install the CData JDBC Driver for Microsoft Excel from the CData site and license it following the driver’s instructions.

Step 3: Create your JDBC connection file (example properties shown) and save it as microsoft-excel.prp. This file contains the server configuration and the JDBC connection string.

Step 4: Run the MCP server using the generated PRP file

java -jar /PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar /PATH/TO/microsoft-excel.prp

Additional configuration and notes

The MCP server runs in stdio mode, which means you interact with it through the same machine. If you plan to connect from a client on a different machine, you would need an HTTP-based MCP setup, but this server is designed for local, read-only access.

A typical Microsoft Excel MCP setup uses a .prp file that includes: - Prefix - ServerName - ServerVersion - DriverPath - DriverClass - JdbcUrl - Tables (optional)

Example snippet you would place in microsoft-excel.prp: ``Prefix=excel ServerName=CDataExcel ServerVersion=1.0 DriverPath=PATH\TO\cdata.jdbc.excel.jar DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.excel.ExcelDriver JdbcUrl=jdbc:excel:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH; Tables=`` For running, you reference this PRP file exactly as shown in the run command above.

Troubleshooting and tips

If you cannot see the MCP server in your client, fully exit the client and restart it so the server appears. Ensure the JDBC driver is licensed correctly and the connection string is valid. If you run into connection issues, re-create the connection string with the driver’s Connection String utility and copy it into microsoft-excel.prp.

Available tools

excel_get_tables

Retrieves a list of tables (sheets exposed as tables) available in the Microsoft Excel data source; output is CSV with headers.

excel_get_columns

Retrieves a list of columns for a specified table; output is CSV with headers.

excel_run_query

Executes a read-only SQL SELECT query against the exposed Excel tables and returns results.