SQL Server MDS Add-in Compatibility with Office 365 Excel

Question

SQL Server MDS Add-in Compatibility with Office 365 Excel

Shaibaaz Yunus Khoje 20

Is the SQL Server 2022 Master Data Services (MDS) Excel Add-in supported in Microsoft 365 (Office Excel)? If so, how can it be installed? If not, is the add-in still supported at all?

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

1 additional answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Dear @Shaibaaz Yunus Khoje,

Thank you so much for reaching out again and sharing your experience with us.

Based on your screenshot, the installer checks for specific MSI-based Office versions and does not recognize Microsoft 365 Click-to-Run in this case.

In the meantime, according to my research, I truly apologize for the inconvenience that Microsoft has not yet released an updated version for Microsoft 365 Excel Click to Run because Master Data Services is being deprecated in SQL Server 2025.

Note: Please reassured that I’ll continue to monitor this case and will reach out to you with any new updates as soon as possible.

Therefore, I recommend you try some workarounds while waiting for new updates:

Option 1: If possible:

Use a supported environment Install the add-in on a machine with Excel 2016 (MSI-based) or earlier.
Virtual Machine workaround: Install Office 2016 MSI in a Virtual Machine (Remote Desktop) and use the add-in there for publishing/validating data.

Option 2. Workaround for Microsoft 365 Excel: Use Power Query in Excel to connect directly to the MDS database (SQL Server connection). Here are some general instructions to set up this:

Step 1: Open Power Query in Excel

Launch Excel (Microsoft 365).

Go to Data tab → Get Data → From Database → From SQL Server Database.

Step 2. Enter SQL Server Details

In the SQL Server Database dialog:

Server: Enter your SQL Server name (e.g., SERVERNAME\INSTANCE or servername.domain.com).

Database: Enter MDS (or the name of your MDS database).

Click OK.

Step 3. Choose Authentication Method

Windows Authentication: If your account has access.

SQL Server Authentication: Enter username and password.

Click Connect.

Step 4. Select the MDS Tables

In the Navigator window, browse the list of tables.

Common tables:
- mdm.tblModel – Models
- mdm.tblEntity – Entities
- mdm.tblAttribute – Attributes
- mdm.tblAttributeMember – Data values
Select the tables you need and click Load (or Transform Data if you want to clean/filter first).

Step 5. Transform and Load Data

Use Power Query Editor to:

Filter columns.

Apply transformations.

Merge tables if needed.

Click Close & Load to bring the data into Excel.

Step 6. Refresh Data

To refresh, go to Data > Refresh All. This will pull the latest data from the MDS database.

Benefits of This Approach

Works with Microsoft 365 Excel (no add-in required).

Supports scheduled refresh if connected to Power BI or via Excel’s refresh options.

Allows you to combine MDS data with other sources easily.

Important Note:

This is read-only by default. You can’t publish changes back to MDS from Excel using Power Query.
For write-back, you’d need to use the MDS web interface or custom scripts.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

If my answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. User's image

Shaibaaz Yunus Khoje 20 Reputation points

2025-08-21T03:32:41.2266667+00:00

Keep us posted for any other installation available and Thank you for alternatives.
Vivian-HT 15,530 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-21T03:52:55.6966667+00:00

Dear @Shaibaaz Yunus Khoje,

Thank you for sharing your feedback about your recent interactions with our team.

We’ll continue to monitor for any new installation options or updates from Microsoft and will keep you informed if anything becomes available.

Thank you again for your understanding and for considering these alternatives. I'm glad that my suggestions were able to address your issue and help you found an alternative solution while waiting.

In the meantime, if you see my replies bring helpful information, please kindly accept it as an answer and vote it up by your original account, which raised this question. Once marked, it will automatically pin to top. As other users will also search information in this community, your valuable vote up will definitely also help other users who have similar queries easily to find the correct channel and useful information more quickly.

Your satisfaction is our priority, and Microsoft appreciates the opportunity to improve. If you have any further concerns or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

Again, I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or need clarification, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Answer 2

Dear @Shaibaaz Yunus Khoje,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

According to your question, Yes, The MDS Add-in for Excel is still supported for SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and works with Microsoft 365 Excel (formerly Office 365) on Windows. However, note that Master Data Services will be removed in SQL Server 2025 (17.x), so the add-in is only supported up to SQL Server 2022 and earlier versions.

Here are Installation Steps:

Download the Add-in Get the official installer from the Microsoft Download Center, visit: Microsoft® SQL Server® 2022 Master Data Services Add-in For Microsoft® Excel®
Match Excel Bitness
- If you install the 32-bit version of Excel, you must use the 32-bit version of the MDS Add-in.
- If you install the 64-bit version of Excel, you must use the 64-bit version of the Add-in.
Run the Installer Double-click the .msi file and follow the setup wizard.
- Click Next
- Accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
- Enter your name, and then click Next.
- Click Install.
- Click Finish.
Enable in Excel After installation, open Excel. You should see a Master Data tab on the ribbon. Use it to connect to your MDS server and manage data.
- For instructions on using the Add-in: Master Data Services Add-in for Microsoft Excel

Important Notes

The add-in only works on Windows (not Mac).
It integrates with Excel for importing, validating, and publishing data to the MDS repository.
Future Deprecation: Since MDS is being removed in SQL Server 2025, this add-in will not be supported beyond SQL Server 2022.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

If my answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. User's image

Shaibaaz Yunus Khoje 20 Reputation points

2025-08-21T02:40:45.4033333+00:00

I tried installing from link mentioned, however it doesn't work with Office 365 excel (we have only office 365 excel and SQL Server 2022 MDS), as it looks to have standalone office -2010,2013 or 2016 as prerequisite and when further clicked OK it says setup was interrupted, I have added screenshots for reference.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ie/download/details.aspx?id=104535

Share via

SQL Server MDS Add-in Compatibility with Office 365 Excel

1 additional answer

Your answer