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How to connect to SQL Server Data with Squirrel SQL client



Connect to SQL Server data and execute queries in the Squirrel SQL Client.

The CData JDBC Driver for SQL Server enables you to execute queries to SQL Server data in tools like Squirrel SQL Client. In this article, you will create a JDBC data source for SQL Server data and execute queries.

Add the JDBC Driver for SQL Server

Follow the steps below to add the driver JAR.

  1. In Squirrel SQL, click Windows -> View Drivers.
  2. Click the plus icon to open the Add Driver wizard.
  3. In the Name box, enter a user-friendly name for the driver; for example, CData JDBC Driver for SQL Server.
  4. In the Example URL box, enter jdbc:sql:
  5. In the Extra Class Path tab, click Add.
  6. In the file explorer dialog that opens, select the JAR file for the driver, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
  7. Click List Drivers to populate the Class Name menu with the class name for the driver, cdata.jdbc.sql.SQLDriver.

Define Connection Properties

Follow the steps below to save connection properties in the driver alias.

  1. Click Windows -> View Aliases.
  2. In the pane that lists the aliases, click the plus icon.
  3. In the Add Alias wizard that opens, the following fields are required for the JDBC driver:

    • Name: Enter a name for the alias; for example, CData SQL Server Source.
    • Driver: Select the CData JDBC Driver for SQL Server.
    • URL: Enter jdbc:sql:
  4. If you want to define any additional properties, click Properties.
  5. In the Driver properties tab of the dialog that appears, select the Use driver properties checkbox.
  6. In the Specify column, select the checkboxes for the required connection properties.

    Connecting to Microsoft SQL Server

    Connect to Microsoft SQL Server using the following properties:

    • Server: The name of the server running SQL Server.
    • User: The username provided for authentication with SQL Server.
    • Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.
    • Database: The name of the SQL Server database.

    Connecting to Azure SQL Server and Azure Data Warehouse

    You can authenticate to Azure SQL Server or Azure Data Warehouse by setting the following connection properties:

    • Server: The server running Azure. You can find this by logging into the Azure portal and navigating to "SQL databases" (or "SQL data warehouses") -> "Select your database" -> "Overview" -> "Server name."
    • User: The name of the user authenticating to Azure.
    • Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.
    • Database: The name of the database, as seen in the Azure portal on the SQL databases (or SQL warehouses) page.

    Below is a typical connection string:

    jdbc:sql:User=myUser;Password=myPassword;Database=NorthWind;Server=myServer;Port=1433;
  7. In the dialog that appears after you click OK, click connect to test the connection.

Discover Schemas and Query SQL Server Data

After the metadata has loaded, a new tab for the SQL Server data source is displayed. On the Objects subtab, you can discover schema information, such as the available tables and views.

To view table data, select the table on the Objects tab. The table data is then loaded in a grid on the Content tab.

To execute an SQL query, enter the query on the SQL tab and then click Run SQL (the runner icon). For example:

SELECT ShipName, Freight FROM Orders