Graphical MS-SQL Clients for a Ubuntu Desktop

Question

I occasionally need to do minor edits to a MS-SQL database running on one of our servers...

I'm using an evaluation of DbVisualizer at the moment to do this (it's Java based and uses something called the jTDS JDBC driver to talk to MS-SQL)... trouble is it's expensive and I'm wondering if there is anything else I can use.

I'm preferably after something which is either a native application (or Java, Python, Perl etc...) but not Windows/Wine/Mono.

Something which has a similar UI to MySQL Workbench or DbVisualizer which I'm currently using.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

I use DBeaver. There is a Debian package (.deb) available on their website. It is similar to MySQL Workbench.

To install: download the .deb file from the download page, change to the directory you put the DBWeaver deb in and run sudo dpkg -i dbeaver-*.deb or run sudo snap install dbeaver-ce for snap users and run sudo flatpak install flathub io.dbeaver.DBeaverCommunity for flatpak users.

Answer 2

Sqlectron is an open-source, cross-platform SQL client with a clean, simple GUI that supports Microsoft SQL Server (along with PostgreSQL, MySQL, Cassandra, and SQLite).

Answer 3

For developers who are using Visual Studio Code on Ubuntu, another option would be to install the SQL Server extension:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-mssql.mssql

This extension allows you to access multiple SQL server databases, run queries and scripts directly from the IDE, as well as perform other operations and tasks.

For simple use cases, I've found this to be a quick and easy option for MS-SQL access on Ubuntu, without the need for installing separate software.

Answer 4

The simplest way to install dbeaver in Ubuntu:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:serge-rider/dbeaver-ce
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install dbeaver-ce

Run the dbeaver:

dbeaver-ce

After to install it, you can create a shortcut in desktop area using the option Create Laucher and typing the "dbeaver-ce" in command field.

Answer 5

SQL Operation Studio, runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. A great review is here on RedGate website. What is great is that now there is an extension for SQL Profiler, also the intellisense and document format are great.

I quote from their website:

SQLOPS is the new open source, multiplatform tool for working with SQL Server. We began by seeing how easy it is to install, then showed the interface. Next, we looked at some common tasks such as editing queries, then reviewed the cool snippets feature. Finally, we looked at how to ‘peek’ into your database. Although still in preview, SQLOPS already has many features that make it a worthy addition to your toolkit."

Answer 6

1. You can use SQLOps, now also called Azure Data Studio. You should be able to get it here : https://aka.ms/sqlopsstudio : and run it on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
2. Run SSMS on a completely different machine and connect to the machine and SQL Server instance that you want to control.
3. Install Oracle's Virtual Box on the server machine, install Windows inside VirtualBox, and SSMS within Windows. Then connect SSMS to your server instance ...

Answer 7

Looks like there are a few other too as well as DBeaver..

SQuirreL SQL Client

SQL Workbench/J

Got to say though I do prefer DBeaver as it downloads required drivers for you and has a .deb package ready made.

Answer 8

Emacs

If you just need to run queries, then Emacs has SQL-Mode built in. The outputs are as ugly as grabbing outputs from the terminal. However, that link also shows how to make Org-Mode make the output look reasonable.

Dacre Denny's suggestion of the vscode-mssql Visual Studio Code extension is a good one, if you like VS Code. You can find an Emacs port of it here, called "lsp-mssql". The readme incorrectly says that it's not on MELPA. In principle, you can install it from there just fine. However, I have never successfully got it working in Emacs. I always get stuck in the same place as this user. If you are able to get it to work, then it appears to be a good solution.