I am looking for a way to run the Oracle database client on a Mac running OS X. The server will be on a remote host. There used to be a Mac version of Oracle 10gR2 Client, but now I can't find it on Oracle's site, they only have the newer 11g Client which has not been ported to OS X. Presumably you would find a preferred database (server) and then the client. The client can also be dependent on the development platform (say, Java, Java script, etc.) There shouldn't be any shortage of database clients for all common databases for Mac. Client database free download - FileZilla Client, Vuze BitTorrent Client, Carracho Client, and many more programs.
This article lists 10 of the best free tools for managing, comparing, administering and developing databases. Even if you may have heard of some of these tools before, I’m confident that you’ll find a gem or two on this list.
Adminer is a database management tool that allows you to manage databases, tables, columns, relations, indexes, users, permissions, and more from a web-based user interface. It is packaged as a single PHP file (similar to phpMyAdmin) and has support for popular database management systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL, Oracle and MongoDB. Different UI designs are available for you to download as CSS files.
When you load the Adminer page, you are asked to choose a database management system to connect to, along with the server name, database name and user credentials. Once you successfully login you are shown the database tables and can begin managing the database.
DBComparer is a database comparison tool for analysing the differences in Microsoft SQL Server database structures from an easy-to-use UI. Amongst others, you can compare database objects such as tables, columns, indexes, foreign keys, users, roles, schemas and stored procedures.
When you launch DBComparer, you choose which database to display on the ‘left side’ and which database to display on the ‘right side’ of the comparison window. You can explicitly specify what objects and properties you’d like to compare from the Compare Options tab. Once the comparison process is complete you are shown both databases side-by-side (with the differences highlighted in red or blue). When you select an object, the data is shown on the Properties window and the SQL syntax is shown in the SQL Differences window at the bottom.
EMS SQL Manager Lite for SQL Server allows you to create and edit SQL Server database objects and create, edit, execute and save SQL queries. It has a user-friendly interface and a lot of the functionality is wizard driven. It makes a good alternative to Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
Note: EMS provide Lite versions for other RDBMS’ as well, so if you have Oracle or MySQL you can get the same tool to manage these databases.
When you run EMS SQL Manager Lite for SQL Server, you’ll first need to register a database to manage. Once you’ve done that, you begin by navigating through the DB Explorer window on the left hand side or by opening a SQL script.
Firebird is a powerful and lightweight open source SQL relational database management system for Windows and Linux. Features include full support for stored procedures and triggers, full ACID compliant transactions, incremental backups and multiple access methods (e.g. native/API, ODBC, OLEDB, .NET, Python, PHP, and Perl).
Note: Firebird doesn’t have a front-end UI for managing databases. You will have to use a 3rd party application like FlameRobin or TurboBird to handle database admin.
SQuirreL SQL Client is a JAVA-based database administration tool for JDBC compliant databases. It allows you to view the database structure and issue SQL commands. It supports databases such as Firebird, IBM DB2, InterBase, Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostreSQL, and Sybase.
When you launch the Squirrel SQL Client you will need to start by configuring the driver definition and the alias in order to connect to a database. The driver definition specifies the JDBC driver to use and the alias specifies the connection parameters.
SQLite Database Browser is an open source tool that allows you to create, design and edit SQLite database files. Features include the ability to create and modify databases, tables, indexes and records, search for records as well as import and export data. It also contains a log showing all the SQL commands that have been issued by the user and by the application itself.
When you open SQLite Database Browser, start by opening an existing database or creating a new database. Once you’ve loaded a database, you can view the database structure, browse data and execute SQL commands using the appropriate tabs.
DBeaver is an open source universal database tool for developers and database administrators that has a low memory footprint. It supports JDBC compliant databases such as MySQL, Oracle, IBM DB2, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Firebird, SQLite, and Sybase. Its main features include the ability to browse and edit databases, create and execute SQL scripts, export data, transaction management and ER diagrams. Additionally, DBeaver’s functionality can be extended by the use of plugins.
When you open DBeaver for the first time, go to Database > New Connection to setup a new connection to a backend DBMS and load a database. When connected, the database will appear in the Database Navigator tab on the left hand pane of the main window.
DbVisualizer Free is a universal database tool that allows you to manage a wide range of databases including Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, DB2, MySQL, Informix, H2, and SQLite. Features include a database browser to navigate through database objects, visual support for creating and editing database objects, the ability to import data from a file, a SQL Editor with auto-complete and visual query building support and database admin features like managing database storage and security. DbVisualizer Free runs on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.
When you launch DbVisualizer Free for the first time, a connection wizard pops up that guides you through the connection to a database. Once a connection has been established, the database appears in the Databases tab on the left hand pane of the main window. The right hand pane shows the properties and data related to the object you select from the left hand pane.
HeidiSQL is a database query tool that supports MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server and PostreSQL databases. It allows you to browse and edit data, create and edit tables, views, procedures, triggers and scheduled events. Features include managing multiple servers from one window, exporting from one database server into another, bulk editing, an advanced SQL syntax editor, and database optimization and repair functions.
When you launch HeidiSQL for the first time, you’ll need to set up a connection to the database server. Use the navigation pane on the left hand side to view database tables and the tab on the right hand pane to manage database options, indexes, foreign keys, as well as create database queries.
FlySpeed SQL Query is a database query tool that aims to make working with data easy. It supports popular database servers such as MySQL, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL as well as office file formats like CSV and Excel. Using FlySpeed SQL Query you can find, browse and edit data in your database in grid format or via the customizable form view. Best email client for linux.
When you first launch FlySpeed SQL Query you will need to create a connection to a database via the database connection wizard. Once you do this, navigate to the database tables and views on the left hand pane and use the Query Builder to create queries.
How can I connect to a remote SQL server using Mac OS X? I don't really need a GUI, but it would be nice to have for the color coding and resultset grid. I'd rather not have to use a VM.
Is there a SQL client for Mac OS X that works with MS SQL Server?
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Let's work together on a canonical answer.
(TODO: Add others mentioned below)
The Java-based Oracle SQL Developer has a plugin module that supports SQL Server. I use it regularly on my Mac. It's free, too.
Here's how to install the SQL Server plugin:
This will be the second question in a row I've answered with this, so I think it's worth pointing out that I have no affiliation with this product, but I use it and love it and think it's the right answer to this question too: DbVisualizer.
Best git gui for mac. But this old dog can be taught new tricks, and Git is the bright and shining star of the version control systems available now, and with some pretty good reason. When it comes to version control, I am a Subversion fan through and through.
I thought Sequel Pro for MySQL looked pretty interesting. It's hard to find one tool that works with all those databases (especially SQL Server 2005 . . . most people use SQL Server Management Studio and that's Windows only of course).
When this question was asked there were very few tools out there were worth much. I also ended up using Fusion and a Windows client. I have tried just about everything for MAC and Linux and never found anything worthwhile. That included dbvisualizer, squirrel (particularly bad, even though the windows haters in my office swear by it), the oracle SQL developer and a bunch of others. Nothing compared to DBArtizan on Windows as far as I was concerned and I was prepared to use it with Fusion or VirtualBox. I don't use the MS product because it is only limited to MS SQL.
Bottom line is nothing free is worthwhile, nor were most commercial non windows products
However, now (March 2010) I believe there are two serious contenders and worthwhile versions for the MAC and Linux which have a low cost associated with them. The first one is Aqua Data Studio which costs about $450 per user, which is a barely acceptable, but cheap compared to DBArtizan and others with similar functionality (but MS only). The other is RazorSQL which only costs $69 per user.Aqua data studio is good, but a resource hog and basically pretty sluggish and has non essential features such as the ER diagram tool, which is pretty bad at that. The Razor is lightning fast and is only a 16meg download and has everything an SQL developer needs including a TSQL editor.
So the big winner is RazorSQL and for $69, well worth it and feature ridden. Believe me, after several years of waiting to find a cheap non windows substitute for DBartizan, I have finally found one and I have been very picky.
My employer produces a simple, proof-of-concept HTML5-based SQL client which can be used against any ODBC data source on the web-browser host machine, through the HTML5 WebDB-to-ODBC Bridge we also produce. These components are free, for Mac, Windows, and more.
Applicable to many of the other answers here -- the Type 1 JDBC-to-ODBC Bridge that most are referring to is the one Sun built in to and bundled with the JVM. JVM/JRE/JDK documentation has always advised against using this built-in except in experimental scenarios, or when no other option exists, because this component was built as a proof-of-concept, and was never intended for production use.
My employer makes an enterprise-grade JDBC-to-ODBC Bridge, available as either a Single-Tier (installs entirely on the client application host) or a Multi-Tier (splits components over the client application host and the ODBC data source host, enabling JDBC client applications in any JVM to use ODBC data sources on Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.). This solution isn't free.
All of the above can be used with the ODBC Drivers for Sybase & Microsoft SQL Server (or other databases) we also produce ..
Squirrel SQL is a Java based SQL client, that I've had good experience with on Windows and Linux. Since it's Java, it should do the trick.
It's open source. You can run multiple sessions with multiple databases concurrently.
I vote for RazorSQL also. It's very powerful in many respects and practically supports most databases out there. I mostly use it for SQL Server, MySQL and PostgreSQL.
DbVisualizer supports many different databases. There is a free edition that I have used previously. Download from here
I have had good success over the last two years or so using Navicat for MySQL.The UI could use a little updating, but all of the tools and options they provide make the cost justifiable for me.
I like SQLGrinder.
It's built using Cocoa, so it looks a lot better and feels more like an Mac OS X application than all the Java-based application mentioned here.
It uses JDBC drivers to connect to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, FrontBase, MySQL, OpenBase, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and Sybase.
Free trial or $59.
I use the Navicat clients for MySQL and PostgreSQL and am happy with them. 'good' is obviously subjective.. how do you judge your DB clients?
I've been using Oracle SQL Developer since the Microsoft software for SQL Server is not currently available on Mac OS X. It works wonders. I would also recommend RazorSQL or SQLGrinder.
I use AquaFold at work on Windows, but it's based on Java and supports Mac OS X.
I've used (DB Solo) and I like it a lot. It's only $99 and comparable to many more expensive tools. It supports Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, MySQL, PostgreSQL and others.
Not sure about open-source, but I've heard good things about http://www.advenio.com/sqlgrinder/ (not tried it, I prefer to write Python scripts to try things out rather than use GUIs;-).
When this question was asked, Microsoft's Remote Desktop for OS X had been unsupported for years. It wasn't a Universal Binary, and I found it to be somewhat buggy (I recall that the application will just quit after a failed connection instead of allowing you to alter the connection info and try again).
At the time I recommended the Open Source CoRD, a good RDP client for Mac.
Since then Microsoft Remote Desktop Client for Mac 2 was released.
I use Eclipse's Database development plugins - like all Java based SQL editors, it works cross platform with any type 4 (ie pure Java) JDBC driver. It's ok for basic stuff (the main failing is it struggles to give transaction control -- auto-commit=true is always set it seems).
Microsoft have a decent JDBC type 4 driver: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6D483869-816A-44CB-9787-A866235EFC7C&displaylang=en this can be used with all Java clients / programs on Win/Mac/Lin/etc.
Those people struggling with Java/JDBC on a Mac are presumably trying to use native drivers instead of JDBC ones -- I haven't used (or practically heard of) the ODBC driver bridge in almost 10 years.
It may not be the best solution if you don't already have it, but FileMaker 11 with the Actual SQL Server ODBC driver (http://www.actualtech.com/product_sqlserver.php) worked nicely for a client of mine today. The ODBC driver is only $29, but FileMaker is $299, which is why you might only consider it if you already have it.
This doesn't specifically answer your question, because I'm not sure in any clients exist in Mac OS X, but I generally just Remote Desktop into the server and work through that. Another option is VMware Fusion (which is much better than Parallels in my opinion) + Windows XP + SQL Server Management Studio.
I've used Eclipse with the Quantum-DB plugins for that purpose since I was already using Eclipse anyway.
Ed: phpMyAdmin is for MySQL, but the asker needs something for Microsoft SQL Server.
Most solutions that I found involve using an ODBC Driver and then whatever client application you use. For example, Gorilla SQL claims to be able to do that, even though the project seems abandoned.
Most good solutions are either using Remote Desktop or VMware/Parallels.
Try CoRD and modify what you want directly from the server.
It's open source.
For MySQL, there is Querious and Sequel Pro. The former costs US$25, and the latter is free. You can find a comparison of them here, and a list of some other Mac OS X MySQL clients here.
Steve
Since there currently isn't a MS SQL client for Mac OS X, I would, as Modesty has suggested, use Remote Desktop for the Mac.