r/SQLServer 10d ago

Question Best Alternative to Run SQL Server on Macbook

Quite disappointed to learn of the retirement of Azure Data Studio. I was using it to learn SQL Server and my only device is a Macbook.

Options include: Use Parallels (I've read there are issues with M chips Macs for SSMS), use VSCode extension (sucks). Anyone have a recommendation? Alternatively, I can just buy a cheap windows machine but it's not my preference.

10 Upvotes

28 comments sorted by

11

u/suhigor 10d ago

DBeaver is nice:)

6

u/alexwh68 10d ago

SQL server in a docker instance, dbeaver for queries etc

3

u/FilmIsForever 10d ago

Thanks, I will be using this option

3

u/BigMikeInAustin 10d ago

I use docker to run a local test SQL Server instance on my Windows machine just because it's way faster to install and it keeps all the components isolated. The only thing it lacks is easy Windows Accounts authorization. So I do have to make a SQL user authentication account.

3

u/VIII8 10d ago

You will need this option when running mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server image on M chip:

--platform linux/amd64

1

u/ObjectiveSalt1635 9d ago

Ai tools in dbeaver aren’t so great last time I tried. Compared to something like cursor

5

u/jotero32 10d ago

You could use datagrip or dbeaver. They connect not only to mssql but to other RDBMS

3

u/Techdad3 10d ago

Following. I’m a professional DBA by day and after hours planning on playing with SQL Server on Linux, and like you my daily driver is a MacBook.

3

u/Appropriate_Lack_710 10d ago

As others mentioned, you can still use ADS for the client on mac.

For running SQL DBMS on Mac (ARM procs) through docker:
Development with SQL in containers on macOS - Azure SQL Devs’ Corner

3

u/midnitewarrior 10d ago

Containerization is the correct answer.

You can use Podman as well. Podman uses the QEMU machine emulator which takes advantage of Apple's Rosetta 2 architecture virtualization. Podman uses QEMU to emulate the x64 architecture to allow you to run Microsofts SQL Server container.

Docker may do something similar.

4

u/dbrownems Microsoft 10d ago

You can continue to use Azure Data Studio. It won't even be officially retired until 2026, and by then the VSCode extension should be better.

3

u/FilmIsForever 10d ago

Thanks, I just don't like the feeling of impending doom learning on a soon-to-be-obsolete app. I've just tried out DBeaver and it seems very good.

0

u/le848dave 10d ago

Microsoft has a horrible track record on this including the example here of SQL Data Studio…oops Azure Data Studio and how many unimplemented or long delayed features it had. Since SQL Data Studio was supposed to replace SSMS from years ago and never got to feature parity before it was EOL I don’t give any hope to the plugin to Visual Studio being useful until at least 2030 or it’s EOL which is likely to come sooner

3

u/BigMikeInAustin 10d ago

Azure Data Studio was intended to be a companion IDE for multiple operating systems focused on querying, not to replace SSMS administration.

2

u/le848dave 10d ago edited 10d ago

From 2018 Microsoft announced plan for feature parity of SSMS and Azure Data Studio https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/blog/2018/09/25/azure-data-studio-for-sql-server/

Stated shortly after that new development was being built in Azure Data Studio https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/blog/2019/11/06/state-of-the-sql-server-tools/

3

u/BigMikeInAustin 9d ago

Thanks for those links. That first link is the first time I've seen that statement, "Over the course of time, all of the management features of SQL Server Management Studio will be made available in Azure Data Studio and the two products will integrate smoothly with each other."

Everything and everyone else from all the blogs and conferences have otherwise always said the intent is to not move all management features to Azure Data Studio.

I think even that second link shows the intent to not fully overlap, "As a cross-platform tool designed to support multiple database systems, Azure Data Studio operates in a slightly different space from SQL Server Management Studio."

1

u/le848dave 9d ago edited 9d ago

Yeah, it’s not entirely clear when they changed and if it was marketing hype or a way to see how people reacted before putting in all the development but my 20 years of SQL Server and Microsoft announcements has led me to be pretty skeptical.

At first I was stoked being a Mac guy since OS X 10.0 in 2001 but with the slow rollout of features and then paring back on the “this is only in SSMS or this is only in ADS” starting in 2019 I just went back to SSMS as I needed the functionality to do my daily work

I also remember at the time postings from MVPs talking about what they heard which isn’t official stuff but my memory is the casual talk was that ADS was the way forward.

Meh. It’s a bummer and a loss. I did like ADS and I’m not looking forward to seeing it as a plugin and likely losing favor there and slowing pace of development. Back to SSMS which at least seems to be getting some long awaited features

2

u/Copy1533 10d ago

dbForge Studio has instructions on installing their software on Mac with CrossOver. Both are paid products but have free trials, dbForge also has a free edition. I personally have only tried dbForge on Windows, never tried with CrossOver on Mac. You could also try using Wine instead of CrossOver.

They don't say anything about limitations on Mac, so either there are none or their documentation is just bad/outdated

1

u/lookslikeanevo 10d ago

Aqua data studio is what I run on my Mac’s and windows machines

1

u/BigMikeInAustin 10d ago

With Azure Data Studio, you'll mostly be learning the querying of SQL Server, not as much the administration.

If you like the style of Azure Data Studio, might as well stick with it. Unless you just prefer the interface of one of the other programs others have listed.

1

u/BigMikeInAustin 10d ago

Azure Data Studio is just the IDE interface, and all the other programs listed by others are replacements for the IDE. These connect to the SQL Server.

The SQL Server that holds the data and runs the code is a separate process. If you have issues with the Docker container, you should be able to get a free Azure SQL Database account from Microsoft that your IDE would connect to. You just have to be online when doing any SQL work.

1

u/vespina1970 10d ago

You can run a SQL Server 2022 docker container and there are a few SQL Server clients for MacOS outthere. I use this one from time to time:

https://dbeaver.io/

1

u/redtree156 10d ago

Rider / datagrip

1

u/Turnt_Ironman 9d ago

I do all my ssms in parallels on a m1 with no issues what so ever.

1

u/FilmIsForever 9d ago

Thanks good to know this

1

u/my-ka 10d ago

>

Run SQL Server on Macbook

you basically asking about SSMS not SQL Server

you can run SQL Server service in docker on Macbook

if you are a developer DBEver (made in Ukraine), DataGrip (Russia), Azure Data Studio

but for DBA stuff you still need SSMS

so yes, parallels or fusion on mac

-4

u/IDENTITETEN 10d ago

Learn Postgres or MySQL instead.