Getting Started with mssql-python for Data Developers

rogrammatic interaction with SQL Server or Azure SQL from a Python script is possible using a driver. A popular driver has been pyodbc that can be used standalone or with a SQLAlchemy wrapper. SQLAlchemy on its own is the Python SQL toolkit and Object Relational Mapper for developers. In the end of 2025 Microsoft released v1 of their own Python SQL driver called mssql-python. How do you get started using mssql-python for programmatic access to your SQL Server?

How Well Does the MSSQL Extension in VSCode Work?

A short look at the MSSQL extension for VS Code, getting started with connections and running queries.

A First Look at SSMS 21

This isn't really a first look, per se. I've seen Erin Stellato present on this a few times in MVP sessions and at the PASS Data Community Summit. However, this is a look on my machine, where I'm in control. The new version preview was announced recently, and this looks at the new process to […]

Using Registered Servers in SSMS

One of the features in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) that I find very useful is to have a list of registered servers and databases in SSMS. This lets me quickly pick from a number of servers rather than flipping the drop down in the connection dialog. This post looks at this feature and how […]

Working with SQL Server in Visual Studio Code

Learn how you can work with SQL Server in VS Code.

Managing SQL Agent in Azure Data Studio

This article continues my series on ADS and examines the SQL Agent extension.

Database Dashboards in Azure Data Studio

Azure Data Studio (ADS) is a lightweight IDE built on Visual Studio Code. I've written a few articles on how the tool works, and this one continues the series. In this article, I want to look at the database dashboards and how you can customize them. The other articles in this series on ADS works […]

Exporting and Importing Registered Servers in SSMS

This article shows how to import and export a list of registered servers from SSMS.

A First Look at SSMS 20

Recently Microsoft released SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) v20.0, which is a major release of the primary tool that many of us use to work with SQL Server. Over the last few years, the tools team at Microsoft has worked to separate the tools from the various editions, giving us separate SSMS downloads. There have […]

Building a BacPac