To start SQL Developer, go to the sqldeveloperdirectory under the directory, and do one of the following, as appropriate for your operating system: On Linux and Mac OS X systems, run sh sqldeveloper.sh. On Windows systems, double-click sqldeveloper.exe. Download sqldeveloper mac for free. Developer Tools downloads - SQLDeveloper by Oracle and many more programs are available for instant and free download. Operating Systems Mac OS X 10.11, Mac OS X 10.9, Mac OS X 10.10, Mac OS X 10.5, Macintosh, Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.4 Intel, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X. Download Sql Developer For Mac Os X Oracle SQL Developer is a free, development environment that simplifies the management of Oracle Database in both traditional and Cloud deployments. It offers development of your PL/SQL applications, query tools, a DBA console, a reports interface, and more.
Note:
This guide assumes that you plan to download SQL Developer and run it as a freestanding tool.
For information about operating system versions supported for Oracle JDK 8, see http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/certconfig-2095354.html
.
If you plan to use SQL Developer as part of an Oracle Database release installation, see the Oracle Database installation documentation.
Please read the information in this chapter before you install Oracle SQL Developer. This chapter contains the following major sections:
1.1 SQL Developer System Recommendations
This section describes the recommended minimum values for CPU, memory, display, disk storage, and other resources on the supported systems.
Note:
SQL Developer requires JDK 8 or later, which you can download from:
Table 1-1 Recommendations for Windows Systems
Resource | Recommended Minimum Value |
---|---|
Operating System | Windows Server 2008 Windows Server 2012 Windows 7 Windows 8 Windows 10 |
CPU Type and Speed | Pentium IV 2 GHz MHz or faster |
Memory | 2 GB RAM |
Display | 65536 colors, set to at least 1024 X 768 resolution |
Hard Drive Space | 500 MB if you already have JDK 8 or later 110 MB if you do not have JDK 8 or later |
Java SDK | JDK 8 or later for Windows, available at: |
Table 1-2 Recommendations for Linux Systems
Resource | Recommended Minimum Value |
---|---|
Operating System | Oracle Linux 5.5 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP2 Ubuntu Linux 10.04 |
CPU Type and Speed | Pentium IV 2 GHz or faster |
Memory | 2 GB RAM |
Display | 65536 colors, set to at least 1024 X 768 resolution |
Hard Drive Space | 110 MB |
Java SDK | JDK 8 or later for Linux, available at: |
Table 1-3 Recommendations for Mac OS X Systems
Resource | Recommended Minimum Value |
---|---|
Operating System | Apple Mac OS X Version 10.8.3 |
CPU Type and Speed | Dual 1.25 GHz G4/G5 (1 GHz G4 minimum) |
Memory | 2 GB RAM |
Display | 'Thousands' of colors |
Hard Drive Space | 110 MB |
Java SDK | JDK 8 or later |
1.2 Installing and Starting SQL Developer
This section contains subsections with instructions for installing SQL Developer on all supported systems.
SQL Developer does not require an installer. To install SQL Developer, you will need an unzip tool. You can download a free, cross-platform unzip tool, Info-Zip, available at http://www.info-zip.org/
.
Note:
Do not install SQL Developer into any existing ORACLE_HOME
. You will not be able to uninstall it using Oracle Universal Installer.
Also, do not install SQL Developer into an existing sqldeveloper
folder or directory. Either delete the existing sqldeveloper
folder or directory first, or ensure that the new SQL Developer version is installed into a different location.
Note:
If you are using a prerelease (Early Adopter) version of SQL Developer, and if you want to be able to continue to use this prerelease version after installing the official release kit, you must unzip the official release kit into a different directory than the one used for the prerelease version.
If Oracle Database (Release 11 or later) is also installed, a version of SQL Developer is also included and is accessible through the menu system under Oracle. This version of SQL Developer is separate from any SQL Developer kit that you download and unzip on your own, so do not confuse the two, and do not unzip a kit over the SQL Developer files that are included with Oracle Database. Suggestion: Create a shortcut for the SQL Developer executable file that you install, and always use it to start SQL Developer.
Before you install SQL Developer, look at the remaining sections of this guide to see if you need to know or do anything else first.
The steps for installing SQL Developer depend on whether or not you will be using it on a Windows system that does not have Java SDK (JDK) release 7 or later installed:
For a Windows system with JDK release 8 or later installed, follow the instructions in Windows Systems.
For all other systems (Linux and Mac OS X systems, and Windows systems with no JDK release 8 or later installed), follow the instructions in Linux and Mac OS X Systems.
1.2.1 Windows Systems
If a Windows 64-bit SQL Developer file that includes JDK 8 is available, you can download and install that on a Windows 64-bit system, and SQL Developer will use the embedded JDK that is provided.
However, if you want to use a JDK on your Windows 64-bit system, you can install the JDK (if it is not already installed) and the Windows 32/64-bit SQL Developer file, and SQL Developer will use the JDK that is installed on your system. The bit level (32-bit or 64-bit) of the JDK that you install will determine if SQL Developer runs as a 32-bit or 64-bit application.
Note:
Do not install SQL Developer into an existing sqldeveloper
folder. Either delete the existing sqldeveloper
folder first, or ensure that the new SQL Developer version is installed into a different location.
To install on a Windows system, follow these steps:
Go to the Oracle Technology Network page for SQL Developer at
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/
.If you do not need or want to install a suitable Java Development Kit (JDK 8 or later), go to step 3. Otherwise, download and install the JDK as follows:
On the Java SE Development Kit 8 Downloads page (
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk8-downloads-2133151.html
), in the table of Java SE Development Kits, accept the Oracle Binary Code License Agreement for Java SE.Click the link for the download that you need (for example, the Windows x64 link for a Windows 64-bit system).
Save the file anywhere on your system (such as a 'temp' folder).
Install the JDK (for example, on Windows, double-click the .exe file name and follow the displayed instructions).
On the Oracle Technology Network page for SQL Developer at
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/
, click the Downloads tab (next to Overview).Read and accept the license agreement.
Follow the instructions for downloading and installing SQL Developer.
If you are asked to enter the full pathname for the JDK, click Browse and find it. For example, on a Windows system the path might have a name similar to C:Program FilesJavajdk1.8.0_51
.
Unzip the SQL Developer file into a folder (directory) of your choice, which will be referred to as
<sqldeveloper_install>
. Ensure that the Use folder names option is checked when unzipping the file.Unzipping the SQL Developer file causes a folder named
sqldeveloper
to be created under the<sqldeveloper_install>
folder. For example, if you unzip the file intoC:
, the folderC:sqldeveloper
is created, along with several subfolders under it.To start SQL Developer, go to
<sqldeveloper_install>
sqldeveloper
, and double-clicksqldeveloper.exe
. On Linux systems, type sh sqldeveloper.sh.
If you are asked to enter the full pathname for the JDK, click Browse and find java.exe. For example, the path might have a name similar to C:Program FilesJavajdk1.8.0_51
.
After SQL Developer starts, you can connect to any database by right-clicking the Connections node in the Connections Navigator and selecting New Connection. Alternatively, if you have any exported connections (see Migrating Information from Previous Releases or Uninstalling SQL Developer), you can import these connections and use them.
You can learn about SQL Developer by clicking Help, then Table of Contents, and reading the help topics under SQL Developer Concepts and Usage.
1.2.2 Linux and Mac OS X Systems
SQL Developer requires that JDK 8 or later be installed on the system. If you need to install a JDK, go to http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk8-downloads-2133151.html
.
Note:
Do not install SQL Developer into an existing sqldeveloper
directory. Either delete the existing sqldeveloper
directory first, or ensure that the new SQL Developer version is installed into a different location.
Note:
On Macintosh systems, a native Macintosh application in the form sqldeveloper
xxx
.tar.gz
is provided. When it is expanded, it appears as a Macintosh application that can be put into the applications
folder. If you choose to expand this file, it will replace any older sqldeveloper
applications in that folder.
To install and start SQL Developer, follow these steps:
Unzip the SQL Developer kit into a directory (folder) of your choice. (Ensure that the Use folder names option is checked when unzipping the kit.) This directory location will be referred to as
<sqldeveloper_install>
.Unzipping the SQL Developer kit causes a directory named
sqldeveloper
to be created under the<sqldeveloper_install>
directory. It also causes many files and directories to be placed in and under that directory.To start SQL Developer, go to the
sqldeveloper
directory under the<sqldeveloper_install>
directory, and run sh sqldeveloper.sh.
After SQL Developer starts, you can connect to any database by right-clicking the Connections node in the Connections Navigator and selecting New Connection. Alternatively, if you have any exported connections (see Migrating Information from Previous Releases or Uninstalling SQL Developer), you can import these connections and use them.
You can learn about SQL Developer by clicking Help, then Table of Contents, and reading the help topics under SQL Developer Concepts and Usage.
1.3 Migrating User Settings from a Previous Release
The first time you start SQL Developer after installing it or after adding any extensions, you are asked if you want to migrate your user settings from a previous release. (This occurs regardless of whether there was a previous release on your system.)
If you choose not to migrate your user settings and then later want to do so, go to the SQL Developer user preferences location, which is C:Users<user name>AppDataRoamingSQL Developersystemn.n.n.n.n for Windows and ~/.sqldeveloper/systemn.n.n.n.n for Linux or Mac, and delete the system.n.n.n.n folder. Then restart SQL Developer, and you will be asked about migrating settings from the previous release.
These settings refer to database connections, reports, and certain SQL Developer user preferences that you set in a previous version by clicking Tools and then Preferences. However, some user preferences are not saved, and you must respecify these using the new release.
To migrate user settings from a previous SQL Developer release:
- Unzip the kit for the current release so as to create a new
sqldeveloper
directory. - When you start the SQL Developer current release, click Yes when asked if you want to migrate settings from a previous release.
- In the dialog box that is displayed, you can accept the default option to migrate the settings from the most recent SQL Developer installation. Or, if you want to migrate the settings from an earlier installation, you can click to show all builds and then select the desired one.
Related Topics
1.4 Migrating Information from Previous Releases
If you have used a previous release of SQL Developer, you may want to preserve database connections that you have been using. To preserve database connections, save your existing database connections in an XML file. To save the connections, right-click the Connections node in the Connections Navigator and select Export Connections. After you complete the installation described in this guide, you can use those connections by right-clicking the Connections node in the Connections Navigator and selecting Import Connections.
If you want to use any user-defined reports or the SQL history from a previous version, see Location of User-Related Information for information about where these are located. If you have user-defined reports and SQL history from Release 1.0, they are modified by any later SQL Developer release to a format that is different from and incompatible with Release 1.0.
To migrate the SQL Developer preferences (specified by clicking Tools and then Preferences) from a previous release, ensure that the previous installation of the software is available in the same system.
Note:
If you want to uninstall your prerelease version of SQL Developer before installing this release, see Uninstalling SQL Developer.
1.5 Location of User-Related Information
SQL Developer stores user-related information in several places, with the specific location depending on the operating system and certain environment specifications. User-related information includes user-defined reports, user-defined snippets, SQL Worksheet history, code templates, and SQL Developer user preferences. In most cases, your user-related information is stored outside the SQL Developer installation directory hierarchy, so that it is preserved if you delete that directory and install a new version.
The user-related information is stored in or under the IDE_USER_DIR
environment variable location, if defined; otherwise as indicated in Table 1-4, which shows the typical default locations (under a directory or in a file) for specific types of resources on different operating systems. (Note the period in the name of any directory named .sqldeveloper
.)
Table 1-4 Default Locations for User-Related Information
Resource Type | System (Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X) |
---|---|
User-defined reports | Windows: C:Users<user-name>AppDataRoamingSQL DeveloperUserReports.xml Linux or Mac OS X: ~/.sqldeveloper/UserReports.xml |
User-defined snippets | Windows: C:Users<user-name>AppDataRoamingSQL DeveloperUserSnippets.xml Linux: ~/.sqldeveloper/UserSnippets.xml Mac OS X: /Users/<Your user>/Library/Application Support/ SQLDeveloper/UserSnippets.xml |
SQL history | Windows: C:Users<user-name>AppDataRoamingSQL DeveloperSqlHistory.xml Linux: ~/.sqldeveloper/SqlHistory.xml Mac OS X: /Users/<Your user>/Library/Application Support/ SQLDeveloper/ SqlHistory.xml |
Code templates | Windows: C:Users<user-name>AppDataRoamingSQL Developer CodeTemplate.xml Linux: ~/.sqldeveloper/CodeTemplate.xml Mac OS X: /Users/<Your user>/Library/Application Support/ SQLDeveloper/ CodeTemplate.xml |
SQL Developer user preferences | Windows: C:Users<user-name>AppDataRoamingSQL Developersystemn.n.n.n.n Linux or Mac OS X: ~/.sqldeveloper/systemn.n.n.n.n |
If you want to prevent other users from accessing your user-specific SQL Developer information, you must ensure that the appropriate permissions are set on the directory where that information is stored or on a directory above it in the path hierarchy. For example, on a Windows system you may want to ensure that the SQL Developer
folder and the <user-name>AppDataSQL Developer
folder under Users
are not sharable; and on a Linux or Mac OS X system you may want to ensure that the ~/.sqldeveloper
directory is not world-readable.
1.6 Database Certification for SQL Developer (Oracle and Third-Party)
This section describes Oracle and non-Oracle (third-party) databases that are certified for use with SQL Developer.
Table 1-5 lists the Oracle database certifications.
Table 1-5 Oracle Database Certification for SQL Developer
Product | Releases |
---|---|
Oracle Database | Oracle10g Oracle11g Oracle12c |
Oracle Database Express Edition | Release 11.2 |
SQL Developer can be used to view metadata and data of several non-Oracle (third-party) databases. Table 1-6 lists the third-party database certifications.
Table 1-6 Non-Oracle (Third-Party) Database Certification for SQL Developer
Sql Developer Free Download For Mac Os
Database | Releases | Notes |
---|---|---|
IBM DB2 | DB2 UDB DB2 8.x DB2 9.x | For any DB2 release: db2jcc.jar and db2jcc_license_cu.jar files required; available from IBM. |
Microsoft SQL Server | SQL Server 7 SQL Server 2000 SQL Server 2005 SQL Server 2008 | For any Microsoft SQL Server release: JDBC driver jtds-1.2.jar required; included in jtds-1.2-dist.zip available from sourceforge.net; also available through Help, Check for Updates. |
MySQL | MySQL 3.x MySQL 4.x MySQL 5.x | For any MySQL release: JDBC driver required. For MySQL 5.x: mysql-connector-java-5.0.4-bin.jar, which is included in mysql-connector-java-5.0.4.zip; also available through Help, Check for Updates. (Do not use the latest MySQL driver 5.1.) |
Sybase Adaptive Server | Sybase 12 Sybase 15 | For any Sybase Adaptive Server release: JDBC driver jtds-1.2.jar required; included in jtds-1.2-dist.zip available from sourceforge.net; also available through Help, Check for Updates. |
Teradata | Teradata 12 Teradata 13 | JDBC driver files tdgssconfig.jar and terajdbc4.jar required; included (along with a readme.txt file) in the TeraJDBC__indep_indep.12.00.00.110.zip or TeraJDBC__indep_indep.12.00.00.110.tar download. |
Note:
If you need to use SQL Developer to migrate a Microsoft Access database. use the previous version of SQL Developer (4.0.3) and the 32-bit version of the Java 7 JDK.
For information about creating and using connections to third-party databases, see the information about database connections in the SQL Developer online help or Oracle SQL Developer User's Guide.
1.7 Advanced Security for JDBC Connection to the Database
You are encouraged to use Oracle Advanced Security to secure a JDBC connection to the database. Both the JDBC OCI and the JDBC Thin drivers support at least some of the Oracle Advanced Security features. If you are using the OCI driver, you can set relevant parameters in the same way that you would in any Oracle client setting. The JDBC Thin driver supports the Oracle Advanced Security features through a set of Java classes included with the JDBC classes in a Java Archive (JAR) file and supports security parameter settings through Java properties objects.
For more information about using Oracle Advanced Security, see Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide.
1.8 Finding SQL Developer Accessibility Information
For the latest configuration information or for information on addressing accessibility and assistive technology issues, see the Oracle Accessibility FAQ at http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/accessibility/faqs/
.
Also, check the SQL Developer release notes (readme.txt
file) to see if there are any currently known issues regarding accessibility.
1.9 Using a Screen Reader and Java Access Bridge with SQL Developer
Note:
Unless otherwise indicated, the information is this section also applies to Data Modeler and Data Miner.
To make the best use of our accessibility features, Oracle Corporation recommends the following minimum configuration:
Windows XP, Windows Vista
Java 7 Update 6
Java 7 Update 6 includes the Java Access Bridge. However, if you are using Java J2SE 1.6.0_24 or higher but before Java 7 Update 6, you must manually install Java Access Bridge 2.0.2 after you install the screen reader (if it is not already installed). Download Java Access Bridge for Windows version 2.0.2. The file you will download is
accessbridge-2_0_2-fcs-bin-b06.zip
. It is available from:http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/tech/index-jsp-136191.html
(Refer to the Java Access Bridge documentation available from this website for more information about installation and the Java Access Bridge.)JAWS 12.0.522
Follow these steps to set up a screen reader and Java Access Bridge.
Install the screen reader, if it is not already installed.
Refer to the documentation for your screen reader for more information about installation.
Install SQL Developer.
If you are using Java J2SE 1.6.0_24 or higher but before Java 7 Update 6, go to If You Need to Install Java Access Bridge and follow the instructions there.
Start your screen reader.
Start SQL Developer by running the file
sqldeveloper.exe
located in the folder<sqldev_home>
sqldevelopersqldevbin
.
The preceding steps assume you are running Windows and using a Windows-based screen reader. A console window that contains error information (if any) will open first and then the main SQL Developer window will appear, after SQL Developer has started. Any messages that appear will not affect the functionality of SQL Developer.
1.9.1 If You Need to Install Java Access Bridge
If you are using Java J2SE 1.6.0_24 or later but before Java 7 Update 6, you must manually install Java Access Bridge 2.0.2 after you install the screen reader (if it is not already installed).
- Download Java Access Bridge for Windows version 2.0.2. The file you will download is
accessbridge-2_0_2-fcs-bin-b06.zip
. It is available from:http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/tech/index-jsp-136191.html
.Refer to the Java Access Bridge documentation available from this website for more information about installation and the Java Access Bridge.
- Extract (unzip) the contents to a folder, for example,
accessbridge_home
. - Install Java Access Bridge by running
Install.exe
from the<accessbridge_home>installer
folder.The installer first checks the JDK version for compatibility, then the Available Java virtual machines dialog displays.
- Click Search Disks. Then select to search only the drive that contains the SQL Developer build and the JDK version in the program files directory (if it exists).
The search process can take a long time on a large disk with many instances of JDK or SQL Developer, or when searching multiple disks. However, unless you complete an exhaustive search of your disk, Access Bridge will not be optimally configured, and will not be correctly installed to all of the Java VMs on your system. After selecting the disk to search, click Search.
- Confirm that you want to install the Java Access Bridge into each of the Java virtual machines displayed in the dialog, by clicking Install in All.
- Click OK when you see the Installation Completed message.
- Confirm that the following files have been installed in the
WinntSystem32
directory (or the equivalent Windows XP or Vista directory), or copy them from<accessbridge_home>
installerfiles
because they must be in the system path in order to work with SQL Developer:Note that the system directory is required in the PATH system variable.
Note:
In the remaining steps in this section, if you are using the SQL Developer kit that does not include a JDK (that is, if the kit file name ends in
-no-jre-zip
), replace<sqldev_home>
with<jdev_home>
. - Confirm that the following files have been installed in the
<sqldev_home>
jdkjrelibext
directory, or copy them from<accessbridge_home>
installerfiles
:Note:
For Data Modeler, for this step and any remaining steps in this section that refer to
<sqldev_home>
, replace<sqldev_home>
with<datamodeler_home>
. - Confirm that the file
accessibility.properties
has been installed in the<sqldev_home>
jdkjrelib
directory, or copy it from<accessbridge_home>
installerfiles
. - Start your screen reader.
- Start SQL Developer by running the file
sqldeveloper.exe
located in the folder<sqldev_home>
sqldevelopersqldevbin
.
1.10 Uninstalling SQL Developer
Before you uninstall SQL Developer, if you plan to install SQL Developer (the same or an updated version) later, you may want to save your existing database connections; and if so, see Migrating Information from Previous Releases before uninstalling.
To uninstall SQL Developer, remove the entire SQL Developer installation directory (that is, the directory named sqldeveloper
and all directories and files under it in the hierarchy).
If you also want to remove all user-specific SQL Developer information, you should also delete the directory under which that information is stored (that is, the SQL Developer user information directory). For the location of this directory, see Location of User-Related Information.
If you have created a shortcut for SQL Developer, and if you do not plan to install SQL Developer into the same location again, you should remove that shortcut or modify the shortcut properties to reflect the new location.
Download Sql On Mac
1.11 SQL Developer Documentation
SQL Developer provides user documentation in the Oracle SQL Developer User's Guide and in the online help. To see the help, click the Help menu, or click the Help button or press the F1 key in relevant contexts while you are using SQL Developer.
1.12 Oracle on the Web
Oracle provides a number of resources on the web. These are some sites you may find helpful:
SQL Developer home page (OTN):
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/
SQL Developer discussion forum (OTN):
https://community.oracle.com/community/database/developer-tools/sql_developer
Oracle Technology Network (OTN):
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/index.html
PL/SQL page on OTN:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/plsql/
Oracle Accessibility Program:
http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/accessibility/
Oracle Corporate site:
http://www.oracle.com/
Here I’ll show you how to get SQL Server up and running on your Mac in less than half an hour. And the best part is, you’ll have SQL Server running locally without needing any virtualization software.
Prior to SQL Server 2017, if you wanted to run SQL Server on your Mac, you first had to create a virtual machine (using VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or Bootcamp), then install Windows onto that VM, then finally SQL Server. This is still a valid option depending on your requirements (here’s how to install SQL Server on a Mac with VirtualBox if you’d like to try that method).
Starting with SQL Server 2017, you can now install SQL Server directly on to a Linux machine. And because macOS is Unix based (and Linux is Unix based), you can run SQL Server for Linux on your Mac. The way to do this is to run SQL Server on Docker.
So let’s go ahead and install Docker. Then we’ll download and install SQL Server.
Install Docker
Download the (free) Docker Community Edition for Mac (unless you’ve already got it installed on your system). This will enable you to run SQL Server from within a Docker container.
To download, visit the Docker CE for Mac download page and click Get Docker.
To install, double-click on the .dmg file and then drag the Docker.app icon to your Application folder.
What is Docker?
Docker is a platform that enables software to run in its own isolated environment. SQL Server (from 2017) can be run on Docker in its own isolated container. Once Docker is installed, you simply download — or “pull” — the SQL Server on Linux Docker Image to your Mac, then run it as a Docker container. This container is an isolated environment that contains everything SQL Server needs to run.
Launch Docker
Launch Docker the same way you’d launch any other application (eg, via the Applications folder, the Launchpad, etc).
When you open Docker, you might be prompted for your password so that Docker can install its networking components and links to the Docker apps. Go ahead and provide your password, as Docker needs this to run.
Increase the Memory (optional)
By default, Docker will have 2GB of memory allocated to it. SQL Server needs at least 2GB. However, it won’t hurt to increase it if you can.
In my case, I increased it to 4GB.
To do this, select Preferences from the little Docker icon in the top menu:
Then finish off by clicking Apply & Restart
Download SQL Server
Now that Docker is installed, we can download and install SQL Server for Linux.
Open a Terminal window and run the following command.
This downloads the latest SQL Server 2019 for Linux Docker image to your computer.
You can also check for the latest container version on the Docker website if you wish.
Launch the Docker Image
Run the following command to launch an instance of the Docker image you just downloaded:
But of course, use your own name and password. Also, if you downloaded a different Docker image, replace
mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest
with the one you downloaded.Here’s an explanation of the parameters:
-d
This optional parameter launches the Docker container in daemon mode. This means that it runs in the background and doesn’t need its own Terminal window open. You can omit this parameter to have the container run in its own Terminal window. --name sql_server_demo
Another optional parameter. This parameter allows you to name the container. This can be handy when stopping and starting your container from the Terminal. -e 'ACCEPT_EULA=Y'
The Y
shows that you agree with the EULA (End User Licence Agreement). This is required in order to have SQL Server for Linux run on your Mac.-e 'SA_PASSWORD=reallyStrongPwd123'
Required parameter that sets the sa
database password.-p 1433:1433
This maps the local port 1433 to port 1433 on the container. This is the default TCP port that SQL Server uses to listen for connections. mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest
This tells Docker which image to use. If you downloaded a different one, use it instead. Password Strength
If you get the following error at this step, try again, but with a stronger password.
I received this error when using
reallyStrongPwd
as the password (but of course, it’s not a really strong password!). I was able to overcome this by adding some numbers to the end. However, if it wasn’t just a demo I’d definitely make it stronger than a few dictionary words and numbers.Check the Docker container (optional)
You can type the following command to check that the Docker container is running.
If it’s up and running, it should return something like this:
Install sql-cli (unless already installed)
Run the following command to install the sql-cli command line tool. This tool allows you to run queries and other commands against your SQL Server instance.
This assumes you have NodeJs installed. If you don’t, download it from Nodejs.org first. Installing NodeJs will automatically install npm which is what we use in this command to install sql-cli.
Permissions Error?
If you get an error, and part of it reads something like
Please try running this command again as root/Administrator
, try again, but this time prependsudo
to your command:Connect to SQL Server
Now that sql-cli is installed, we can start working with SQL Server via the Terminal window on our Mac.
Connect to SQL Server using the
mssql
command, followed by the username and password parameters.You should see something like this:
This means you’ve successfully connected to your instance of SQL Server.
Run a Quick Test
Run a quick test to check that SQL Server is up and running and you can query it.
For example, you can run the following command to see which version of SQL Server your running:
If it’s running, you should see something like this (but of course, this will depend on which version you’re running):
If you see a message like this, congratulations — SQL Server is now up and running on your Mac!
A SQL Server GUI for your Mac – Azure Data Studio
Azure Data Studio (formerly SQL Operations Studio) is a free GUI management tool that you can use to manage SQL Server on your Mac. You can use it to create and manage databases, write queries, backup and restore databases, and more.
Azure Data Studio is available on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Here are some articles/tutorials I’ve written for Azure Data Studio:
Sql Developer Mac Os Download Free
Another Free SQL Server GUI – DBeaver
Another SQL Server GUI tool that you can use on your Mac (and Windows/Linux/Solaris) is DBeaver.
DBeaver is a free, open source database management tool that can be used on most database management systems (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Sybase, Microsoft Access, Teradata, Firebird, Derby, and more).
I wrote a little introduction to DBeaver, or you can go straight to the DBeaver download page and try it out with your new SQL Server installation.
Limitations of SQL Server for Linux/Mac
SQL Server for Linux does have some limitations when compared to the Windows editions (although this could change over time). The Linux release doesn’t include many of the extra services that are available in the Windows release, such as Analysis Services, Reporting Services, etc. Here’s a list of what’s available and what’s not on SQL Server 2017 for Linux and here’s Microsoft’s list of Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2019 on Linux.
Another limitation is that SQL Server Management Studio is not available on Mac or Linux. SSMS a full-blown GUI management for SQL Server, and it provides many more features than Azure Data Studio and DBeaver (at least at the time of writing). You can still use SSMS on a Windows machine to connect to SQL Server on a Linux or Mac machine, but you just can’t install it locally on the Linux or Mac machine.
If you need any of the features not supported in SQL Server for Linux, you’ll need SQL Server for Windows. However, you can still run SQL Server for Windows on your Mac by using virtualization software. Here’s how to install SQL Server for Windows on a Mac using VirtualBox.