In this blog post we are going to talk about one of the features included since MySQL for Excel 1.3.0, you can install the latest GA or maintenance version using the MySQL Installer or optionally you can download directly any GA or non-GA version from the MySQL Developer Zone.
If you are familiar with the Export Data feature in MySQL for Excel you know the Excel data being exported to MySQL is meant to be inserted into a new MySQL table. You can check the following article explaining in detail how that feature works: How To - Guide to exporting data from Excel to a new MySQL table.
When creating that table, MySQL for Excel shows options to set the properties of each of the table's columns, one of those options shows a list of MySQL data types so you can choose one for each column.
The combo box highlighted in the screenshot above displays a list of the most commonly used MySQL data types when expanded by clicking the down arrow. The combo box allows you to type in any of the valid MySQL data types even if it is not in the drop-down list. This is the default listing behavior in the Export Data dialog which helps non-technical users easily choose a data type for the data being exported. You can see that list of common data types in the screenshot below.
You can override the default listing behavior by opening the Export Data Advanced Options dialog, checking the Show all available MySQL data types in the Data Type drop-down list and clicking on Accept to apply the changes.
When that option is turned on, you will see the full list of available MySQL data types (even spatial ones) by expanding the data types drop-down list, as you can see in the screenshot below.
A you can see it is very simple to show all MySQL data types in case the list of commonly used ones does not suit your needs. We hope you give this and the other new features in the 1.3.x version family a try!
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