How to Move Data from Excel to SQL Server

The Copy-Paste Approach

The most obvious method: copy cells in Excel, paste into SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). For small amounts of data with simple types, this can work.

But the problems start quickly:

• No table creation — you need an existing table with matching columns
• Type conversion issues — dates, numbers, and text don't always convert cleanly
• Row limits — SSMS can choke on large pastes
• No error handling — if something fails, good luck figuring out which row caused it

Copy-paste works for quick, one-off transfers of a few dozen rows. For anything more, you need a real solution.

The Import Wizard

SQL Server includes an Import and Export Wizard (accessible via right-click on a database in SSMS). In theory, it's designed exactly for this task.

In practice? The wizard is notorious for failing on Excel files. Common issues include:

• Driver problems — requires the correct ACE or JET driver, which may not be installed or may conflict with your Office version
• 32-bit vs 64-bit conflicts — if your SQL Server and Office installations don't match, the import fails
• Mixed data type columns — Excel guesses column types based on the first few rows, and guesses wrong constantly
• Truncation — text longer than expected gets cut off silently
• Date formatting — dates that look fine in Excel become NULL or wrong values in SQL

The wizard can work if you have perfect data, the right drivers, and matching architecture. That's a lot of “ifs.”

The CSV Middleman

A common workaround: save Excel as CSV, then use BULK INSERT or bcp to load the CSV into SQL Server.

This avoids the driver issues but introduces new ones:

• Encoding problems — special characters, accents, and Unicode can get mangled
• Delimiter conflicts — if your data contains commas, you're in trouble
• Quote handling — text with quotes requires careful escaping
• Format file requirements — BULK INSERT often needs a format file for anything non-trivial
• Two-step process — more opportunities for errors and more time spent

CSV export works, but it's adding complexity to solve problems that shouldn't exist in the first place.

Linked Servers and OPENROWSET

For recurring imports, some DBAs set up Excel as a linked server or use OPENROWSET to query Excel files directly from T-SQL.

This approach gives you SQL's flexibility — you can filter, join, and transform data during import. But the setup is painful:

• Server configuration — requires enabling ad hoc queries and configuring OLE DB providers
• Security concerns — opening these features has security implications
• Same driver issues — still depends on ACE/JET drivers with all their quirks
• File path accessibility — the SQL Server service account needs file system access

Linked servers are powerful for automated ETL processes but overkill for ad-hoc imports.

SSIS Packages

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) is Microsoft's enterprise ETL tool. It can absolutely handle Excel imports — with proper configuration, error handling, and logging.

The catch? SSIS has a steep learning curve. Building an SSIS package for a simple Excel import is like using a bulldozer to plant a flower. It works, but the setup time often exceeds the time you'd spend on manual workarounds.

SSIS makes sense for recurring, complex data pipelines. For “I need to get this spreadsheet into SQL Server today,” it's too heavyweight.

Why Is This So Hard?

The fundamental problem is that Excel and SQL Server have different philosophies about data.

Excel is flexible and forgiving. A column can contain numbers, dates, text, and errors all mixed together. SQL Server is strict — every column has a defined type, and data must conform to it.

The tools that connect them have to bridge this gap, and they often fail because:

• They rely on outdated drivers that haven't kept pace with Excel or Windows changes
• They make assumptions about data types that are frequently wrong
• They don't give you visibility into what's happening or what went wrong

Microsoft seems to assume that by 2025, everyone would be using cloud-native tools and data platforms. The reality is that Excel-to-SQL-Server transfers are still a daily task for millions of users.

What Actually Works

Based on years of doing this the hard way, here's what reliably works:

Clean your data first. Remove merged cells, fix data types, ensure consistent formatting. The cleaner your Excel data, the fewer problems you'll have.

Use explicit column types. Don't let any tool guess. Know your target types and format Excel to match.

Handle dates carefully. Format dates as text in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD) if you're having conversion issues.

Import to staging tables. Don't import directly to production tables. Use VARCHAR columns initially, then convert and validate.

Test with small batches. Try a few rows first, verify they imported correctly, then do the full load.

Official Resources

• Microsoft: Import from Excel to SQL — Official SQL Server import guide.
• Microsoft: SSIS Excel Import — Using Integration Services.