How to Import Excel to MariaDB (4 Methods)

MariaDB doesn't read .xlsx files directly through standard SQL, but it does have a unique trick up its sleeve: the CONNECT storage engine can read Excel files as virtual tables. Beyond that, the methods are similar to MySQL. Here are four approaches.

Method 1: Convert to CSV, Then LOAD DATA INFILE

Save the Excel file as CSV (UTF-8) and load with MariaDB's bulk import:

CREATE TABLE orders (
  id INT,
  customer VARCHAR(200),
  total DECIMAL(10,2),
  order_date DATE
);
 
LOAD DATA INFILE '/var/lib/mysql/imports/orders.csv'
INTO TABLE orders
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
ENCLOSED BY '"'
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
IGNORE 1 ROWS
(id, customer, total, @order_date)
SET order_date = STR_TO_DATE(@order_date, '%m/%d/%Y');

This is identical to MySQL's syntax. The same secure_file_priv restriction applies -- the file must be in the permitted directory. Use LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE to read from the client machine instead.

For faster loading on large files, disable indexes during import:

ALTER TABLE orders DISABLE KEYS;
LOAD DATA INFILE '/path/orders.csv' INTO TABLE orders ...;
ALTER TABLE orders ENABLE KEYS;

Method 2: CONNECT Storage Engine (Read Excel Directly)

MariaDB's CONNECT engine can read Excel files as virtual tables without conversion. This is unique to MariaDB -- MySQL doesn't have this.

First, install the CONNECT engine plugin:

INSTALL SONAME 'ha_connect';

Then create a table that points to the Excel file:

CREATE TABLE excel_data
ENGINE=CONNECT TABLE_TYPE=XLSX FILE_NAME='/path/to/data.xlsx'
HEADER=1 ACCEPT=1;

Query it directly:

SELECT * FROM excel_data WHERE amount > 100;

To import into a regular InnoDB table:

CREATE TABLE orders ENGINE=InnoDB AS SELECT * FROM excel_data;

CONNECT Engine Caveats

• The CONNECT engine must be installed separately (not always available on managed MariaDB services)
• Performance is slower than LOAD DATA INFILE since it reads the file on each query
• Type detection is automatic but imperfect -- verify column types after creating the table
• The Excel file must be accessible to the MariaDB server process (file permissions matter)
• .xls (legacy format) and .xlsx are both supported

Method 3: Python with pandas

pandas reads Excel and writes to MariaDB through SQLAlchemy:

import pandas as pd
from sqlalchemy import create_engine
 
engine = create_engine("mysql+pymysql://user:pass@localhost/mydb?charset=utf8mb4")
 
df = pd.read_excel("sales.xlsx", sheet_name="Q1")
df.columns = [c.strip().lower().replace(" ", "_") for c in df.columns]
 
df.to_sql("q1_sales", engine, if_exists="replace", index=False)

MariaDB uses the same wire protocol as MySQL, so pymysql and mysql-connector-python both work. The mysql+pymysql:// connection string is correct for MariaDB.

For large files:

df.to_sql("big_table", engine, if_exists="append", index=False,
          chunksize=5000, method="multi")

For multi-sheet workbooks:

xls = pd.ExcelFile("workbook.xlsx")
for sheet in xls.sheet_names:
    df = pd.read_excel(xls, sheet_name=sheet)
    table_name = sheet.lower().replace(" ", "_")
    df.to_sql(table_name, engine, if_exists="replace", index=False)

Method 4: Mako

Mako imports Excel files into MariaDB without conversion:

1. Connect to your MariaDB instance in Mako
2. Click Import and select the .xlsx file
3. Choose the sheet and review the preview
4. Adjust column mappings and types if needed
5. Run the import

For one-off imports where you don't need the CONNECT engine or Python, this is the quickest path.

MariaDB vs MySQL: Import Differences

MariaDB is largely compatible with MySQL for data import, but a few things differ:

• CONNECT engine: MariaDB-only. Can read Excel files directly as virtual tables.
• LOAD DATA syntax: Identical to MySQL.
• pymysql compatibility: Works the same way with both databases.
• Default character set: MariaDB 10.6+ defaults to utf8mb3 for tables. Use utf8mb4 explicitly for full Unicode support (emoji, CJK characters).

Common Gotchas

Character set. If your Excel data contains special characters (accented letters, emoji, CJK), ensure the table uses utf8mb4:

CREATE TABLE t (
  name VARCHAR(200)
) CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Date parsing. Excel dates exported as text may use locale-specific formats. Use STR_TO_DATE with the correct format string during LOAD DATA, or parse in Python before insertion.

CONNECT engine availability. Managed MariaDB services (AWS RDS, Azure, etc.) may not include the CONNECT engine plugin. Check with SHOW PLUGINS before relying on it.

NULL vs empty string. LOAD DATA treats empty fields as empty strings by default. To convert to NULL:

LOAD DATA INFILE '/path/file.csv'
INTO TABLE t
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
(id, @name, @amount)
SET name = NULLIF(@name, ''),
    amount = NULLIF(@amount, '');

secure_file_priv. Same restriction as MySQL. Check the allowed directory:

SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'secure_file_priv';

If it's set to an empty string, file loading from arbitrary paths is disabled. Use LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE as a workaround.

Mako connects to MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, BigQuery, Snowflake, and ClickHouse with AI-powered autocomplete. Try it free at mako.ai.