Can I call a REST API from Excel without writing VBA code?

Yes. Query Streams provides 6 pre-built API connectors (Stripe, HubSpot, Shopify, GA4, Google Search Console, ShipStation) that normalize API data into SQL-queryable tables. You access the data through the Excel add-in by selecting a saved query and clicking run -- no VBA macros, no HTTP requests, no JSON parsing. Each connector also ships with 20-50 pre-built queries in the Query Library so you may not need to write SQL either.

How is Query Streams different from Power Query for REST APIs?

Power Query can call REST APIs via Web.Contents , but it requires M code for pagination, has limited OAuth 2.0 support, and provides no SQL layer. Query Streams handles authentication, pagination, and rate limiting automatically through pre-built connectors. You query the cached data with standard SQL -- JOINs, CTEs, window functions -- rather than M language transformations. Query Streams also works with Google Sheets, not just Excel.

Which REST APIs does Query Streams support as pre-built connectors?

Query Streams currently offers 6 pre-built API connectors: Stripe (payments, subscriptions, invoices), HubSpot (contacts, deals, companies), Shopify (orders, products, customers), Google Analytics 4 (traffic, events, conversions), Google Search Console (search queries, pages, click-through rates), and ShipStation (shipments, orders, carriers). Each connector normalizes API responses into SQL tables and includes pre-built queries ready to run from Excel.

Do I need to install anything to connect REST APIs to Excel?

Yes, two components: the Query Streams Network Agent (installs on any Windows, Linux, or macOS machine in your network -- takes about 5 minutes) and the Microsoft Excel add-in (installs from the Office Add-ins store). The Agent syncs API data into an encrypted local cache and the Excel add-in lets you run SQL queries against that data. You can also install the Google Sheets add-on for cross-platform access.

Can I write SQL JOINs across different API endpoints in Excel?

Yes. Each API connector normalizes its data into multiple SQL tables (e.g., Stripe has stripe_charges , stripe_customers , stripe_products , stripe_refunds , and more). You can write JOINs across those tables, use aggregations, window functions, CTEs, and subqueries -- the full DuckDB SQL dialect. You can also JOIN API connector tables with your traditional database tables if you have both connected through the same Agent.

Does Query Streams work with Google Sheets too, or just Excel?

Query Streams has native add-ins for both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. They share the same query library, the same API connectors, and the same saved queries. A query you create for your Excel dashboard can be run from Google Sheets by a teammate, and vice versa. VBA macros and Power Query are Excel-only solutions; Query Streams covers both spreadsheet platforms.

How does the encrypted DuckDB API cache work?

Each API connector syncs data from the REST API into a local DuckDB database on the Network Agent. This cache is encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM . You configure per-table sync intervals (how often the Agent pulls fresh data from the API) and per-table data retention (how long cached data is kept: 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, or forever). Your SQL queries execute against this local cache at database speed -- not against the live API -- which eliminates latency and rate limit concerns.

Can I share API queries with team members who don't know SQL?

Yes. Save any query -- whether it runs against a database or an API connector -- and share it with anyone in your organization. The recipient opens it in the Excel add-in or Google Sheets add-on, adjusts any available filter values, and clicks run. They get live results without seeing the SQL code, schema, or API credentials. This is something VBA macros and Power Query cannot offer: the ability to share the interactive capability to run a query, not just a static data export.

Is Query Streams a good alternative to Power Query for REST APIs?

If you use Power Query primarily as an API connector for Excel and find yourself struggling with OAuth flows, pagination logic, or M code complexity, Query Streams is a strong Power Query API alternative for the 6 supported APIs. It handles authentication, pagination, and rate limiting automatically, gives you SQL instead of M code, and adds AI query generation through Nova AI . Power Query remains excellent for connecting to databases and flat files directly within Excel; Query Streams extends your reach to both APIs and databases with a unified SQL interface.