How-To: APIs Explained: Build and Consume REST APIs using Excel

How-To: APIs Explained — Build and Consume REST APIs using Excel

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are the invisible bridges that connect applications, websites, and systems in today’s digital world. Whether you’re analyzing stock data, pulling weather updates, or integrating CRM tools — APIs make data sharing seamless and dynamic. 🌐✨

But here’s the fun twist: you don’t always need to be a hardcore coder to work with APIs! Using Microsoft Excel, you can build and consume REST APIs for real-world automation, analysis, and reporting.

At AI Computer Classes – Indore, we simplify complex programming concepts into practical, hands-on exercises so that both beginners and professionals can master them quickly. By the end of this guide, you’ll understand how to use Excel to interact with APIs, fetch live data, and even visualize it using Power Query or Power BI. 🚀

🧩 What Exactly is an API?

An API (Application Programming Interface) is like a waiter in a restaurant — it takes your request to the kitchen (server) and brings back your order (data).

In technical terms, APIs allow software applications to communicate and exchange data securely over the internet.

🔍 Common API Types:

• REST (Representational State Transfer): Uses HTTP requests like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.
• SOAP: XML-based and used in enterprise systems.
• GraphQL: A modern approach for flexible data querying.

Most web APIs today follow the REST architecture because it’s simple, fast, and widely supported — including by Excel!

💡 Example: You can use an API to get live cryptocurrency prices or weather reports directly into Excel — no manual typing needed.

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Master real-world programming, Excel automation, and REST API integration.

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⚙️ How REST APIs Work (Simple Breakdown)

Every REST API revolves around four core actions:

MethodPurposeExampleGETRetrieve dataGet user info from a websitePOSTSend dataSubmit form or uploadPUTUpdate dataEdit a recordDELETERemove dataDelete user entry

Each API request has:

• Endpoint URL: The address where your request goes (https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather)
• Headers: Contain authentication keys or metadata
• Body (Optional): Data you send with POST or PUT requests

In return, you receive a response in JSON format — a structured data language Excel can easily read.

💻 Why Use Excel for APIs?

You might think APIs are only for coders. But with Excel Power Query and built-in Web connectors, you can:

• Connect to any REST API without code 🧠
• Automate data imports and refreshes
• Visualize data using charts and dashboards
• Combine API data with existing Excel sheets

🚀 Common Use Cases

• Finance: Pull stock prices or crypto data.
• Weather: Fetch temperature, humidity, and alerts.
• Marketing: Analyze YouTube or social media analytics.
• Business: Connect Excel with Google Sheets or CRM systems.

Excel transforms into a mini data engineering platform when combined with APIs.

🧱 Step-by-Step: Consuming REST APIs in Excel

Let’s go hands-on — just like students do in the Programming & IT Development course at AI Computer Classes, Indore.

🪜 Step 1: Identify an API

Pick a free, public API for testing. For example:

🌦️ https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=Indore&appid=YOUR_API_KEY

This API returns live weather data for Indore.

🪜 Step 2: Open Excel → Data Tab → Get Data → From Web

1. Go to Data → Get Data → From Other Sources → From Web
2. Paste your API URL
3. Click OK

Excel will connect to the web API and show the JSON structure in Power Query.

🪜 Step 3: Transform JSON Data

1. In Power Query Editor, expand fields like “main” or “weather”.
2. Choose relevant columns (temperature, humidity, etc.)
3. Load data into a table or chart.

✨ Now you have live weather data inside Excel!

🪜 Step 4: Refresh Automatically

Use Excel’s Data Refresh option to auto-update the API data every few minutes or upon file open.

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🔧 Sending Data with APIs (POST Request)

While GET retrieves data, POST requests let you send data to an API — for example, submitting a form or uploading a record.

You can use Power Automate, VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), or Python scripts with Excel to send POST requests.

🧠 Example: POST Request in VBA

Sub SendDataToAPI()
    Dim http As Object
    Set http = CreateObject("MSXML2.XMLHTTP")
    Dim url As String
    url = "https://example.com/api/addrecord"
    
    http.Open "POST", url, False
    http.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "application/json"
    http.send "{""name"":""Nidhi"",""score"":90}"
    
    MsgBox http.responseText
End Sub

✅ This VBA snippet demonstrates how Excel can send JSON data to an API endpoint — a powerful automation trick for IT professionals.

📊 Visualizing API Data in Excel or Power BI

Once you have connected Excel to an API, you can turn data into visual insights.

• Use PivotTables for data summaries
• Create Charts for trend visualization
• Connect Excel to Power BI for interactive dashboards

💡 Tip: Combine multiple APIs — e.g., fetch currency exchange rates and visualize profit margins across countries.

🧠 Real-World Example: COVID Data API in Excel

A practical example used at AI Computer Classes is fetching COVID-19 case data via API.

API URL:

https://api.covid19api.com/summary

Steps:

1. Fetch the API data using Power Query.
2. Expand “Countries” → Select “Country”, “TotalConfirmed”, “TotalDeaths”.
3. Load it into Excel and add conditional formatting.
4. Build a dynamic bar chart showing top 10 affected countries.

🎯 Outcome: Students learn real data analysis skills — using Excel + REST APIs — that apply to any industry.

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Get guided labs on Excel automation, API development, and Power BI dashboards.

🔥 Learn through real data projects designed for both students and working professionals.

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🧩 How to Build Your Own Simple API (Bonus Section)

At AI Computer Classes, learners don’t just consume APIs — they build them too!

🪜 Step 1: Create a Local API Using Python (Flask)

from flask import Flask, jsonify

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/data', methods=['GET'])
def get_data():
    return jsonify({"name": "AI Computer Classes", "city": "Indore", "students": 1200})

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run()

🪜 Step 2: Test the API

Run it locally and open http://127.0.0.1:5000/data in your browser.

Excel can now connect to this local API too!

This teaches full-stack understanding — how APIs send and receive data in real workflows.

📘 Bonus: Combining ChatGPT + Excel for Smart APIs

In 2025, combining ChatGPT APIs with Excel opens new automation horizons.

You can:

• Send Excel data to GPT for text summarization
• Generate automated insights or reports
• Use AI for error detection in datasets

💬 Example: A Python script that takes Excel sales data, sends it to GPT API, and receives summarized insights — all within minutes!

This blend of AI + Excel + APIs is what makes modern IT professionals highly valuable.

🧭 Conclusion

APIs are the digital glue of modern technology — connecting data, systems, and services effortlessly. By learning how to build and consume REST APIs using Excel, you gain a powerful skill set that combines programming, data analysis, and automation.

At AI Computer Classes – Indore, our step-by-step teaching method ensures you don’t just learn concepts — you apply them through real projects, tools like Python and Power BI, and Excel-based workflows.

So whether you’re a student, analyst, or IT professional, start your journey now.

🌟 Unlock the power of APIs and Excel — and level up your career with practical, hands-on learning.

📞 Contact AI Computer Classes – Indore ✉ Email: hello@aicomputerclasses.com 📱 Phone: +91 91113 33255 📍 Address: 208, Captain CS Naidu Building, near Greater Kailash Road, opposite School of Excellence For Eye, Opposite Grotto Arcade, Old Palasia, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452018 🌐 Website: www.aicomputerclasses.com

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