How to Connect to SQL Server from a Mac (No SSMS Required)

Posted by Kyle Hankinson July 14, 2026

For years the stock answer to "how do I work with SQL Server?" was SQL Server Management Studio. That answer has never worked on a Mac: SSMS is Windows-only, and Microsoft has shown no sign of porting it. The usual fallback, Azure Data Studio, is gone too. Microsoft retired it on February 28, 2026, and it no longer receives updates or security fixes. We covered that retirement and the migration paths in an earlier post.

So what does a Mac developer actually use in 2026? There are three good options, and none of them involve a Windows VM. Everything below was tested from an Apple Silicon Mac against SQL Server 2022 (CU25).

Before you connect

Whichever tool you pick, you need the same four things:

• The server's hostname or IP address, and its port (1433 by default).
• Network reachability. Your Mac must be able to open a TCP connection to that port. If the server sits on a private network, that means a VPN or an SSH tunnel (covered below).
• Credentials: a SQL Server login and password, or Microsoft Entra ID for Azure SQL.
• One syntax quirk worth memorizing: SQL Server tools separate host and port with a comma, not a colon. It is db.example.com,1433, never db.example.com:1433.

Option 1: sqlcmd in Terminal

Microsoft ships a modern, Go-based rewrite of its classic command-line tool, and it installs cleanly through Homebrew:

brew install sqlcmd

Connecting takes a server (-S), a login (-U), and a password (-P):

sqlcmd -S db.example.com,1433 -U sa -P 'YourStrongPassword'

That opens an interactive prompt where you type T-SQL and execute it with GO. For one-off commands, -Q runs a query and exits:

sqlcmd -S localhost,1433 -U sa -P 'YourStrongPassword' -Q "SELECT @@VERSION;"

One encryption detail to know up front. Most SQL Server installs, and every Docker test container, present a self-signed certificate. In my tests, go-sqlcmd connected to such a server without complaint, because by default it negotiates without validating the certificate. The moment you request encryption with -N, validation kicks in and the connection fails unless you either install a trusted certificate or pass -C (trust server certificate). The older ODBC-based sqlcmd, and most current GUI drivers, validate by default, which is where the widespread "certificate chain was issued by an authority that is not trusted" error comes from. The sqlcmd utility documentation spells out the flag behavior, including a heads-up that SQL Server 2025's sqlcmd makes encryption mandatory by default.

sqlcmd is the right tool for scripts, health checks, and CI. It is a poor place to read a 40-column result set.

Option 2: VS Code with the mssql extension

Microsoft's official recommendation after the Azure Data Studio retirement is the mssql extension for Visual Studio Code. Per Microsoft's documentation it covers query execution with IntelliSense, a results grid with export, object browsing, schema tools, and backup/restore operations, and existing Azure Data Studio queries and projects open in it without conversion.

It is free, and if you already live in VS Code it adds no new application to your dock. The tradeoffs are the ones you would expect from a database tool grafted onto a text editor: connection management, results, and object exploration all live inside VS Code's panel system, and the experience leans toward developers who primarily write application code and sometimes touch the database.

Option 3: a native Mac client

If SQL Server is where you spend a large part of your day, a purpose-built client is worth the money. SQLPro for MSSQL is a native client for macOS (with iOS and Windows versions) built specifically around SQL Server: a connection editor that exposes the encryption and certificate trust settings mentioned above, an object browser for databases, tables, and views, a query editor that handles multiple result sets from a single batch, result export to CSV, JSON, or XML, and built-in SSH tunneling so remote servers work without a manual tunnel.

The honest comparison: sqlcmd and the VS Code extension are free and official; a native client is commercial and, in exchange, treats the database as the main event rather than a sidebar. Plenty of developers use both a GUI for exploration and sqlcmd for automation.

Reaching a remote server: the SSH tunnel

Production databases should not expose port 1433 to the internet, and mostly they don't. If you can SSH into any machine that can reach the database, you can forward a local port through it:

ssh -L 11433:database-host:1433 you@jump-host.example.com

While that session stays open, your Mac's localhost,11433 behaves like the remote server's port 1433, and any of the three tools above can connect to it. Note the tunnel carries the database protocol as-is; whether the connection is encrypted end to end is still decided by the SQL Server driver settings.

The first-connection errors you are most likely to meet

• "The certificate chain was issued by an authority that is not trusted." The driver defaulted to encryption and the server presented a self-signed certificate. You either trust the certificate explicitly (the -C flag, or a trust checkbox in a GUI client) or put a proper CA-issued certificate on the server.
• "Login failed for user" (error 18456). Wrong password, a login that doesn't exist, or a server configured for Windows authentication only. The client-side message is deliberately vague; the server's error log holds the specific reason.
• A long pause, then a timeout. TCP 1433 is not reachable: a firewall in the way, the wrong port, a named instance listening on a dynamic port, or a server with TCP/IP connections disabled. Test reachability first with nc -z db.example.com 1433.

Summary

A Mac has been a perfectly good SQL Server workstation for a while now; the retirement of Azure Data Studio just changed which tools fill the gap. Pick the one that matches how much of your day the database occupies, and keep the comma-not-colon port syntax in mind for your first connection.

Tags: Microsoft SQL Server

SQL Window Functions: SUM, AVG, LAG, and LEAD

Posted by Kyle Hankinson January 25, 2026

Window functions perform calculations across a set of rows related to the current row — without collapsing the result into groups like GROUP BY does. They are one of the most powerful features in modern SQL.

The OVER() Clause

Every window function uses OVER() to define which rows to include:

SELECT name, department, salary,
    SUM(salary) OVER () AS total_salary
FROM employees;

This adds a total_salary column with the sum of all salaries — without grouping. Every row still appears individually.

PARTITION BY

PARTITION BY divides rows into groups (like GROUP BY, but without collapsing):

SELECT name, department, salary,
    SUM(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department) AS dept_total,
    AVG(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department) AS dept_avg
FROM employees;

Each row shows the department total and average alongside the individual salary.

ORDER BY in OVER()

Adding ORDER BY creates a running calculation:

SELECT order_date, amount,
    SUM(amount) OVER (ORDER BY order_date) AS running_total
FROM orders;

LAG and LEAD

Compare the current row to previous or next rows:

SELECT
    month,
    revenue,
    LAG(revenue) OVER (ORDER BY month) AS prev_month,
    revenue - LAG(revenue) OVER (ORDER BY month) AS month_over_month
FROM monthly_revenue;

LAG(col, n) looks back n rows (default 1). LEAD(col, n) looks forward n rows.

Default Values

Avoid NULLs for the first/last row:

LAG(revenue, 1, 0) OVER (ORDER BY month)  -- returns 0 instead of NULL

FIRST_VALUE and LAST_VALUE

SELECT name, department, salary,
    FIRST_VALUE(name) OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary DESC) AS highest_paid
FROM employees;

Percent of Total

SELECT name, department, salary,
    ROUND(100.0 * salary / SUM(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department), 1) AS pct_of_dept
FROM employees;

Moving Average

Use a frame specification to average over a sliding window:

SELECT order_date, amount,
    AVG(amount) OVER (
        ORDER BY order_date
        ROWS BETWEEN 6 PRECEDING AND CURRENT ROW
    ) AS seven_day_avg
FROM daily_sales;

Frame Types

Combining Multiple Window Functions

SELECT
    name, department, salary,
    RANK() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary DESC) AS dept_rank,
    SUM(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department) AS dept_total,
    ROUND(100.0 * salary / SUM(salary) OVER (), 2) AS pct_of_company
FROM employees
ORDER BY department, salary DESC;

WINDOW Clause (Reusable Definitions)

Avoid repeating the same OVER clause:

SELECT
    order_date, amount,
    SUM(amount) OVER w AS running_total,
    AVG(amount) OVER w AS running_avg,
    COUNT(*) OVER w AS running_count
FROM orders
WINDOW w AS (ORDER BY order_date);

Supported in PostgreSQL, MySQL 8.0+, and SQLite 3.28+. Not supported in SQL Server or Oracle.

Database Compatibility

Tags: MySQL PostgreSQL Microsoft SQL Server

UNION vs UNION ALL in SQL

Posted by Kyle Hankinson November 15, 2025

UNION and UNION ALL both combine results from multiple SELECT statements, but they handle duplicate rows differently — and the performance difference can be significant.

The Difference

• UNION removes duplicate rows from the combined result (like an implicit DISTINCT)
• UNION ALL keeps all rows, including duplicates

-- Table A: 1, 2, 3
-- Table B: 2, 3, 4

SELECT id FROM table_a
UNION
SELECT id FROM table_b;
-- Result: 1, 2, 3, 4 (duplicates removed)

SELECT id FROM table_a
UNION ALL
SELECT id FROM table_b;
-- Result: 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4 (all rows kept)

Performance

UNION must sort or hash the entire result set to find and remove duplicates. On large datasets, this is expensive.

UNION ALL simply appends the results — no additional processing.

Rule of thumb: Use UNION ALL unless you specifically need duplicate removal. In practice, this is the majority of cases.

When UNION ALL is Correct

If the source queries cannot produce overlapping rows, deduplication is wasted work:

-- Orders from different months — no overlap possible
SELECT * FROM orders WHERE order_date >= '2025-01-01' AND order_date < '2025-02-01'
UNION ALL
SELECT * FROM orders WHERE order_date >= '2025-02-01' AND order_date < '2025-03-01';

-- Different tables entirely
SELECT 'customer' AS source, name, email FROM customers
UNION ALL
SELECT 'vendor' AS source, name, email FROM vendors;

When UNION is Correct

Use UNION when you genuinely need to deduplicate:

-- Find all cities where we have customers OR offices
SELECT city FROM customers
UNION
SELECT city FROM offices;

Rules for UNION / UNION ALL

Both require:

1. Same number of columns in each SELECT
2. Compatible data types (the database will attempt implicit conversion)

-- This works
SELECT name, email FROM customers
UNION ALL
SELECT company_name, contact_email FROM vendors;

-- This fails (different column counts)
SELECT name, email, phone FROM customers
UNION ALL
SELECT company_name, contact_email FROM vendors;

Column names in the result come from the first SELECT statement.

ORDER BY with UNION

ORDER BY applies to the final combined result. Place it after the last SELECT:

SELECT name, 'customer' AS type FROM customers
UNION ALL
SELECT name, 'vendor' AS type FROM vendors
ORDER BY name;

You cannot put ORDER BY inside individual SELECT statements (except in subqueries).

UNION ALL with Aggregation

A common pattern — combine data then aggregate:

WITH all_transactions AS (
    SELECT amount, transaction_date FROM sales
    UNION ALL
    SELECT -amount, transaction_date FROM refunds
)
SELECT
    DATE_TRUNC('month', transaction_date) AS month,
    SUM(amount) AS net_revenue
FROM all_transactions
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;

Combining More Than Two Queries

You can chain multiple UNIONs:

SELECT name FROM customers
UNION ALL
SELECT name FROM vendors
UNION ALL
SELECT name FROM employees
ORDER BY name;

INTERSECT and EXCEPT

Related set operations worth knowing:

-- Rows in both queries
SELECT city FROM customers
INTERSECT
SELECT city FROM offices;

-- Rows in the first query but not the second
SELECT city FROM customers
EXCEPT            -- SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite
SELECT city FROM offices;

-- Oracle uses MINUS instead of EXCEPT
SELECT city FROM customers
MINUS
SELECT city FROM offices;

MySQL 8.0.31+ supports INTERSECT and EXCEPT. Earlier versions do not.

Tags: MySQL PostgreSQL Microsoft SQL Server

Common Table Expressions (CTEs) in SQL

Posted by Kyle Hankinson July 10, 2025

A Common Table Expression (CTE) is a named temporary result set that exists for the duration of a single query. CTEs make complex queries easier to read, write, and debug.

Basic CTE Syntax

WITH active_users AS (
    SELECT id, name, email
    FROM users
    WHERE status = 'active'
)
SELECT * FROM active_users WHERE email LIKE '%@company.com';

The WITH clause defines the CTE, and the main query uses it like a table. The CTE only exists for that one statement.

Why Use CTEs?

Compare a nested subquery to a CTE:

-- Nested subquery (hard to read)
SELECT d.name, stats.avg_salary
FROM departments d
JOIN (
    SELECT department_id, AVG(salary) AS avg_salary
    FROM employees
    WHERE status = 'active'
    GROUP BY department_id
) stats ON d.id = stats.department_id
WHERE stats.avg_salary > 75000;

-- CTE (much clearer)
WITH dept_salaries AS (
    SELECT department_id, AVG(salary) AS avg_salary
    FROM employees
    WHERE status = 'active'
    GROUP BY department_id
)
SELECT d.name, ds.avg_salary
FROM departments d
JOIN dept_salaries ds ON d.id = ds.department_id
WHERE ds.avg_salary > 75000;

Multiple CTEs

Chain multiple CTEs with commas:

WITH
active_users AS (
    SELECT * FROM users WHERE status = 'active'
),
user_orders AS (
    SELECT user_id, COUNT(*) AS order_count, SUM(total) AS total_spent
    FROM orders
    GROUP BY user_id
)
SELECT au.name, uo.order_count, uo.total_spent
FROM active_users au
JOIN user_orders uo ON au.id = uo.user_id
ORDER BY uo.total_spent DESC;

Each CTE can reference the ones defined before it.

Recursive CTEs

Recursive CTEs solve hierarchical data problems like org charts, category trees, and bill-of-materials.

Employee Org Chart

WITH RECURSIVE org_chart AS (
    -- Anchor: start with the CEO (no manager)
    SELECT id, name, manager_id, 0 AS depth
    FROM employees
    WHERE manager_id IS NULL

    UNION ALL

    -- Recursive: find each employee's direct reports
    SELECT e.id, e.name, e.manager_id, oc.depth + 1
    FROM employees e
    JOIN org_chart oc ON e.manager_id = oc.id
)
SELECT REPEAT('  ', depth) || name AS org_tree, depth
FROM org_chart
ORDER BY depth, name;

Building a Path (Breadcrumbs)

WITH RECURSIVE category_path AS (
    SELECT id, name, parent_id, name AS path
    FROM categories
    WHERE parent_id IS NULL

    UNION ALL

    SELECT c.id, c.name, c.parent_id,
           cp.path || ' > ' || c.name
    FROM categories c
    JOIN category_path cp ON c.parent_id = cp.id
)
SELECT name, path FROM category_path ORDER BY path;

Result: Electronics > Computers > Laptops

Number Series

Generate a sequence of numbers without a table:

WITH RECURSIVE numbers AS (
    SELECT 1 AS n
    UNION ALL
    SELECT n + 1 FROM numbers WHERE n < 100
)
SELECT n FROM numbers;

Database Compatibility

SQL Server and Oracle do not use the RECURSIVE keyword — the database detects recursion automatically.

Preventing Infinite Loops

A bug in the recursive condition can cause infinite recursion. Protect against it:

-- PostgreSQL / MySQL: limit depth
WITH RECURSIVE tree AS (
    SELECT id, parent_id, 1 AS depth FROM nodes WHERE parent_id IS NULL
    UNION ALL
    SELECT n.id, n.parent_id, t.depth + 1
    FROM nodes n JOIN tree t ON n.parent_id = t.id
    WHERE t.depth < 50  -- safety limit
)
SELECT * FROM tree;

-- SQL Server: OPTION (MAXRECURSION)
WITH tree AS (...)
SELECT * FROM tree OPTION (MAXRECURSION 100);

CTE vs Subquery vs Temp Table

Tags: MySQL PostgreSQL Microsoft SQL Server

How to Drop a Database with Active Connections

Posted by Kyle Hankinson March 20, 2025

Trying to drop a database while other sessions are connected to it will fail. Here is how to terminate those connections and drop the database safely in each database system.

PostgreSQL

The Error

ERROR: database "mydb" is being accessed by other users
DETAIL: There are 3 other sessions using the database.

Solution: Terminate Connections, Then Drop

-- Step 1: Prevent new connections
REVOKE CONNECT ON DATABASE mydb FROM PUBLIC;

-- Step 2: Terminate existing connections
SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pid)
FROM pg_stat_activity
WHERE datname = 'mydb' AND pid <> pg_backend_pid();

-- Step 3: Drop the database
DROP DATABASE mydb;

PostgreSQL 13+: DROP DATABASE FORCE

PostgreSQL 13 added a FORCE option that terminates connections automatically:

DROP DATABASE mydb WITH (FORCE);

This is the simplest approach if you are on PostgreSQL 13 or later.

Checking Active Connections

SELECT pid, usename, application_name, state, query_start
FROM pg_stat_activity
WHERE datname = 'mydb';

SQL Server

The Error

Cannot drop database "mydb" because it is currently in use.

Solution: Set Single User Mode

-- Terminate all connections and switch to single-user mode
ALTER DATABASE mydb SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE;

-- Drop the database
DROP DATABASE mydb;

WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE rolls back any in-progress transactions and disconnects all users immediately.

Alternative: Kill Connections Manually

-- Find active sessions
SELECT session_id, login_name, status, last_request_start_time
FROM sys.dm_exec_sessions
WHERE database_id = DB_ID('mydb');

-- Kill each one
KILL 52;
KILL 53;

-- Then drop
DROP DATABASE mydb;

MySQL

MySQL is more lenient — DROP DATABASE does not require exclusive access. However, active queries will continue running against the dropped tables until they finish or error out.

To cleanly terminate connections first:

-- Find connections to the database
SELECT ID, USER, HOST, DB, COMMAND, TIME, STATE
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PROCESSLIST
WHERE DB = 'mydb';

-- Kill each connection
KILL 42;
KILL 43;

-- Drop the database
DROP DATABASE mydb;

Or in MySQL 8.0+:

SELECT CONCAT('KILL ', ID, ';')
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PROCESSLIST
WHERE DB = 'mydb';

Run the output to kill all connections at once.

Quick Reference

Safety Considerations

• Always double-check the database name before dropping. There is no undo.
• In production: Take a backup first. Use pg_dump, mysqldump, or SQL Server backup.
• In CI/CD: The PostgreSQL WITH (FORCE) option is ideal for tearing down test databases.
• Never run these commands against production databases unless you are absolutely certain. A typo in the database name can be catastrophic.

Tags: MySQL PostgreSQL Microsoft SQL Server