Can not refresh external data in Excel file which connected to Postgres via PowerQuery in Excel Web App

Question

We have an Excel file which is connected to a postgres database via PowerQuery.

PowerQuery needs npgsql provider for it. When I open file locally on my computer and try to update data - everything is ok.

When I open this excel file in Web App in SharePoint and try to do the same, an error occurs, which ehas no information in the SharePoint ULS logs about it.

I have tried to install npgsql provider on the SharePoint server and added it to Trusted data providers with no result.

So what should I do for resolve the issue? Is it possible?

Or maybe is there another way to connect an Excel file located in SharePoint to Postgres, which I do not know?

Answer 1

After weeks of googling and days of waiting for an answer I've wrote my own solution.

I've used C#, SharePoint.Client and Interoop libraries for Office and Excel.

If you need to update external connections in Excel files (not only PowerQuery) feel free to use it - I've published it on GitHub

Workflow:

1. Open local instance of Excel
2. Open workbook from SharePoint
3. Save it locally in temp file (otherwise file can not be changed, because it is in read only mode)
4. Refresh all connections in file
5. Save it again
6. Publish back to SharePoint site
7. Delete temporary file
8. Go to 2. if there are other files to update. Else 9
9. Close Instance of Excel

There are some issues with authentication, which I described in repository readme file. And it is not best approach, but it works.