---
title: Custom
description: See available data formats
documentId: ipaas-data-formats-custom
locale: en-US
---
The **Custom** option allows you to use **Excel** as a reference, enabling the integration flow to process files in `.xls` and `.xlsx` formats via **EIP marshal**.
In this case, the format converts the rows of the specified spreadsheet into a JSON array of objects, and the generated JSON object for each cell will contain, in addition to the value, metadata about the data type.
The visual styles of the spreadsheet (cell color, font color, bold, borders, etc.) are not imported.
You can customize the conversion behavior using the headers (setHeader) `SensediaExcelFormat` and `SensediaExcelSheetNames`:
| Header | Description | Required | Default value |
|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|------------------|
| `SensediaExcelFormat` | Defines the file format: `.xls` or `.xlsx`. Other values will result in an error. | No | `.xlsx` |
| `SensediaExcelSheetNames`| List of sheet names to be processed, separated by commas. | No | - |
* Only the sheets listed in `SensediaExcelSheetNames` will be processed.
* Non-existent sheet names in the spreadsheet will be ignored.
* If the `SensediaExcelSheetNames` header is provided but no name matches an existing sheet, the component will return an error.
* Formulas are supported, but invalid formulas will result in an error in the Excel cell.
## JSON Format
After converting an Excel file to JSON, the data is organized as shown in the following JSON Schema:
```json
{
"type": "object",
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"title": "Excel spreadsheet data schema",
"description": "Schema for a data structure representing one or more spreadsheets with rows and cells.",
"properties": {
"sheets": {
"description": "An array containing data for each sheet",
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {
"description": "The name of the sheet.",
"type": "string"
},
"rows": {
"description": "The rows within a single sheet",
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"cells": {
"description": "The rows within a single row",
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"v": {
"description": "The value of the cell. Can be a string, a number, or a boolean.",
"oneOf": [
{ "type": "string" },
{ "type": "number" },
{ "type": "boolean" }
]
},
"addr": {
"description": "The address of the cell (e.g., 'A1').",
"type": "string"
},
"type": {
"description": "The data type of the cell.",
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"str",
"num",
"bool",
"blank",
"formula"
],
"default": "str"
},
"fmt": {
"description": "The formatting string for the cell's value.",
"type": "string",
"default": "General"
}
},
"required": [
"addr"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}
}
},
"required": [
"cells"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}
}
},
"required": [
"name",
"rows"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}
}
},
"required": [
"sheets"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}
```
## Comparison between Excel and JSON
Now, compare an Excel spreadsheet with its JSON version:
**Excel**
**JSON**
```json
{
"sheets": [
{
"name": "Sheet1",
"rows": [
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Produto",
"addr": "A1"
},
{
"v": "Preço Unitário",
"addr": "B1"
},
{
"v": "Data/hora",
"addr": "C1"
},
{
"v": "Ativo",
"addr": "D1"
},
{
"v": "Quantidade",
"addr": "E1"
},
{
"v": "Desconto (%)",
"addr": "F1"
},
{
"v": "Preço Total",
"addr": "G1"
}
]
},
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Caneta",
"addr": "A2"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 2.5,
"addr": "B2"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 45915.4131373611,
"addr": "C2",
"fmt": "m/d/yyyy\\ h:mm:ss"
},
{
"type": "bool",
"v": true,
"addr": "D2",
"fmt": "\"TRUE\";\"TRUE\";\"FALSE\""
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 10,
"addr": "E2"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 0,
"addr": "F2"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 25,
"addr": "G2"
}
]
},
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Caderno",
"addr": "A3"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 15,
"addr": "B3"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 45915.4131373611,
"addr": "C3",
"fmt": "m/d/yyyy\\ h:mm:ss"
},
{
"type": "bool",
"v": true,
"addr": "D3",
"fmt": "\"TRUE\";\"TRUE\";\"FALSE\""
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 5,
"addr": "E3"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 10,
"addr": "F3"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 67.5,
"addr": "G3"
}
]
},
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Lápis",
"addr": "A4"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 1.5,
"addr": "B4"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 45915.4131373611,
"addr": "C4",
"fmt": "m/d/yyyy\\ h:mm:ss"
},
{
"type": "bool",
"v": true,
"addr": "D4",
"fmt": "\"TRUE\";\"TRUE\";\"FALSE\""
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 20,
"addr": "E4"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 5,
"addr": "F4"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 28.5,
"addr": "G4"
}
]
},
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Borracha",
"addr": "A5"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 3,
"addr": "B5"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 45915.4131373611,
"addr": "C5",
"fmt": "m/d/yyyy\\ h:mm:ss"
},
{
"type": "bool",
"v": true,
"addr": "D5",
"fmt": "\"TRUE\";\"TRUE\";\"FALSE\""
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 8,
"addr": "E5"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 0,
"addr": "F5"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 24,
"addr": "G5"
}
]
},
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Régua",
"addr": "A6"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 4.5,
"addr": "B6"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 45915.4131373611,
"addr": "C6",
"fmt": "m/d/yyyy\\ h:mm:ss"
},
{
"type": "bool",
"v": false,
"addr": "D6",
"fmt": "\"TRUE\";\"TRUE\";\"FALSE\""
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 3,
"addr": "E6"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 15,
"addr": "F6"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 11.475,
"addr": "G6"
}
]
},
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Total Geral",
"addr": "A7"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 156.475,
"addr": "G7"
}
]
},
{
"cells": [
{
"v": "Média Preço Unitário",
"addr": "A8"
},
{
"type": "num",
"v": 5.3,
"addr": "G8"
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
```
## Code Example
This flow exposes a REST endpoint (`GET /teste-excel`) that, when called, downloads an Excel file from an SFTP server, converts the content to JSON, and returns the result.
The processing occurs as follows:
Receives the GET request.
Logs the start of the file download via SFTP.
Downloads the file from the SFTP server.
Logs the completion of the download and the conversion to JSON.
Converts the content to `byte[]`.
Sets in *setHeader* the sheet names to be processed (`test1,test2`).
Uses `marshal` with the *data format* `excel` (*custom*) to transform the file into JSON.
Sets the *setHeader* `Content-Type` as `application/json` for the response.
```yaml
- from:
uri: rest:get:/teste-excel
steps:
- log:
message: "Starting file download via SFTP."
- pollEnrich:
expression:
simple: "sftp:eu-central-1.sftpcloud.io:22/download?username={{user}}&password={{pass}}&passiveMode=true&delete=false&fileName={{file}}&binary=true&knownHostsFile=/dev/null&strictHostKeyChecking=no"
- log:
message: "Download completed. Converting to JSON."
- convertBodyTo:
type: byte[]
- setHeader:
name: SensediaExcelSheetNames
expression:
constant:
expression: test1,test2
- marshal:
custom:
ref: excel
- setHeader:
name: Content-Type
constant: application/json
```
Excel can also be used in flows with **EIP unmarshal** (to transform JSON files into Excel).
* In this case, the **addr** field of the input JSON will not be considered.
* The assembly of rows and columns will be based only on the order of rows and cells.
* The result of the unmarshal will be a byte[].