Question: Interface with Excel, or other data reference formats

Good Morning,

Can anyone help on an Excel linking problem (and in general DB, non-SQL data sets)  for data lookup.   

I have several static data sets stored in flat files like Excel (xls) format. 

I understand Maples connectivity via the import function to an array.  I also understand the export and use of Maple from within Excel vi the add-in..

When doing data lookups it is not convienet to import the entire database and is memory intensive for large data sets.  As such it is much more convienenit to open/attach like the old ODBC connectivity schemes.   The goal is to open/attach to the data file (xls), search a column and return other column's data as a subset for further analysis in maple.  An example would be a steel properties xls file.

My Maple worksheet is calculating the dynamic loads and stresses of an object.  With that answer of say stress, I want to link to my excel data file and search the Yield strength and return the material name and props for those grades of steel that have yield strength greater than 1.5 times my caclulated answer.

This can then be returned into a smaller array for further analysis using Maple with different properties of my retrieved subset.  The link would be closed after getting the subset.

I have read all the Maple document Excel help info and the excel add-in info which is the wrong direction.   I can easily code this search into a vlookup within excel - but completely defeats the purpose for using Maple in the first place.   Again, importing is not a method as these data sets are static and come from various sources like "AMS" which need to live outside maple.

I have looked into FileTools pakcage and old C type fopen, scanf, etc. without much luck on Maple implementation.   The fopen seems to be for text or csv data sets?   according to the documentation.  But, I'll keep looking while waiting any replies.

Any assistance very appreciated.

Bill