How to Load Google Sheets Data to MySQL: 2 Easy Methods

While Google Sheets provides some impressive features, the capabilities for more advanced Data Visualization and Querying make the transfer from Google Sheets to MySQL Database useful.

Are you trying to move data from Google Sheets to MySQL to leverage the power of SQL for data analysis, or are you simply looking to back up data from Google Sheets? Whichever is the case, this blog can surely provide some help. 

The article will introduce you to 2 easy methods to move data from Google Sheets to MySQL in real-time. Read along to decide which method suits you the best!

Introduction to Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a free web-based spreadsheet program that Google provides. It allows users to create and edit spreadsheets, but more importantly, it allows multiple users to collaborate on a single document, seeing your collaborators ’ contributions in real-time simultaneously. It’s part of the Google suite of applications, a collection of free productivity apps owned and maintained by Google.

Despite being free, Google Sheets is a fully functional spreadsheet program, with most of the capabilities and features of more expensive spreadsheet software. Google Sheets is compatible with the most popular spreadsheet formats so that you can continue your work. With Google Sheets, like all Google Drive programs, your files are accessible via computer and/or mobile devices.

To learn more about Google Sheets.

Introduction to MySQL

MySQL is an open-source relational database management system or RDMS, and it is managed using Structured Query Language or SQL, hence its name. MySQL was originally developed and owned by Swedish company MySQL AB, but Sun Microsystems acquired MySQL AB in 2008. In turn, Sun Microsystems was then bought by Oracle two years later, making them the present owners of MySQL.

MySQL is a very popular database program that is used in several equally popular systems such as the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl/PHP/Python), Drupal, and WordPress, just to name a few, and is used by many of the largest and most popular websites, including Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Youtube. MySQL is also incredibly versatile as it works on various operating systems and system platforms, from Microsoft Windows to Apple MacOS.

Method 1: Connecting Google Sheets to MySQL Integration Using Hevo [Recommended]

The abovementioned methods could be time-consuming and difficult to implement for people with little or no technical knowledge. Hevo is a no-code data pipeline platform that can automate this process for you.

You can transfer your Google Sheet data to MySQL using just two steps:

Step 1: Configure the Source

1. Log into your Hevo Account
2. Go to Pipelines and select the ‘create’ option.
3. Select ‘Google Sheets’ as your source.
4. Fill in all the required fields and click on Test & Continue.

Step 2: Configure the Destination

1. Select MySQL as your destination.
2. Fill out the required fields and click on Save & Continue.

With these extremely simple steps, you have created a data pipeline to migrate your data seamlessly from Google Sheets to MySQL.

Advantages of Using Hevo to Connect Google Sheets to MySQL Database

The relative simplicity of using Hevo as a data pipeline platform, coupled with its reliability and consistency, takes the difficulty out of data projects.

You can also read our article about Google Sheets to Google Data Studio.

– Abhishek Gadela, Solutions Engineer, Curefit

It was great. All I had to do was do a one-time setup and the pipelines and models worked beautifully. Data was no more the bottleneck

Method 2: Connecting Google Sheets to MySQL Manually Using the Command Line

Moving data from Google Sheets to MySQL involves various steps. This example demonstrates how to connect to create a table for the product listing data in Google Sheets, assuming that the data should be in two columns:

• Id
• Name

To do this migration, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Prepare your Google Sheets Data

1. Firstly, you must ensure that the data in your Google Sheets is clean and formatted correctly.
2. Then, to export your Google Sheets data, click on File > Download and choose a suitable format for MySQL import. CSV (Comma-separated values) is a common choice for this purpose.
3. After this, your CSV file will get downloaded to your local machine. 

Step 2: Create a MySQL database and Table

1. Login to your MySQL server using the command prompt.
2. Create a database using the following command:

CREATE DATABASE your_database_name; 

3. Use that Database by running the command:

Use  your_database_name;

4. Now, create a table in your database using the following command:

CREATE TABLE your_table_name (

column1_name column1_datatype,

column2_name column2_datatype,

……

);

Step 3: Upload your CSV data to MySQL

Use the LOAD DATA INFILE command to import the CSV file. The command will look something like this:

LOAD DATA INFILE '/path/to/your/file.csv'

INTO TABLE your_table_name

FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','

LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'

IGNORE 1 ROWS;

Note: The file path should be the absolute path to where the CSV file is stored on the server. If you’re importing the file from your local machine to a remote server, you might need to use tools like PuTTY to download the pscp.exe file. Then, you can use that command to load your CSV file from your local machine to Ubuntu and then import that data to your MySQL database. 

After running the above command, your data will be migrated from Google Sheets to MySQL. To understand this better, have a look at an example:

Step 6: Clean Up and Validate

1. Review the data. Check for any anomalies or issues with the imported data.
2. Run some queries to validate the imported data.

Limitations and Challenges of Using the Command Line Method to Connect Google Sheets to MySQL

• Complex: It requires technical knowledge of SQL and command lines, so it could be difficult for people with no/less technical knowledge to implement.
• Error-prone: It provides limited feedback or error messages, making debugging challenging.
• Difficult to scale: Scaling command-line solutions for larger datasets or more frequent updates gets trickier and error-prone.

Why Connect Google Sheets to MySQL Database?

• Real-time Data Updates: By syncing Google Sheets with MySQL, you can keep your spreadsheets up to date without updating them manually.
• Centralized Data Management: In MySQL, large datasets are stored and managed centrally to facilitate a consistent view across the various Google Sheets.
• Historical Data Analysis: Google Sheets has limits on historical data. Syncing data to MySQL allows for long-term data retention and analysis of historical trends over time.
• Scalability: MySQL can handle enormous datasets efficiently, tolerating expansion and complicated data structures better than spreadsheets alone.
• Data Security: Control access rights and encryption mechanisms in MySQL to secure critical information

Additional Resources on Google Sheets to MYSQL

• More on Google Script Connect To MYSQL

Conclusion

• The blog provided a detailed explanation of 2 methods to set up your Google Sheets to MySQL integration.
• Although effective, the manual command line method is time-consuming and requires a lot of code. You can use Hevo to import data from Google Sheets to MySQL and handle the ETL process. To learn more about how to import data from various sources to your desired destination, sign up for Hevo’s 14-day free trial.

FAQ on Google Sheets to MySQL