Database · native ODBC

SQL Server into Apache Arrow with ADBC

SQL Server 2022, read and written through adbcBridge — the ADBC driver that loads the database's ODBC driver — verified on Linux, macOS arm64 and Windows x64. Everything below is the compatibility matrix's record for this row.

Status

Linux✓ pass

PASS

macOS arm64✓ pass

PASS (SQL Server 2022)

Windows x64✓ pass

PASS (SQL Server 2022 16.00.4265, mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022 container; msodbcsql 18.6.2.1)

Driver and connection string

ODBC driver: msodbcsql 18
Wire: native ODBC
adbcBridge: 0.1.1 (release)

The connection string the matrix used, as the connection strings reference records it (SQL Server); {drv} is the driver library or its name from odbcinst.ini, and the host, port and credentials are the test server's.

Driver={drv};Server=127.0.0.1,14331;Database=master;Uid=sa;Pwd=Adbc!Bridge2026;TrustServerCertificate=yes;

Python

import adbcbridge

# {drv}: the ODBC driver library (path), or its name from odbcinst.ini
conn = adbcbridge.connect(uri="Driver={drv};Server=127.0.0.1,14331;Database=master;Uid=sa;Pwd=Adbc!Bridge2026;TrustServerCertificate=yes;")
with conn.cursor() as cur:
    cur.execute("SELECT * FROM my_table")
    table = cur.fetch_arrow_table()      # pyarrow.Table

Polars and pandas

import polars as pl, pandas as pd

df = pl.read_database("SELECT * FROM my_table", connection=conn)   # Polars, Arrow-native
pdf = pd.read_sql("SELECT * FROM my_table", conn)                   # pandas 2.2+, ADBC connection

pip install adbcbridge brings the driver library; the SQL Server ODBC driver is installed the way its vendor documents, then named in Driver=. Rust, Go, C# and Java use the same connection string through their ADBC driver managers — see the docs.

What the matrix recorded

incl.

What this stack needed

NVARCHAR(MAX) via chunked SQLGetData — the driver describes it as SQL_WVARCHAR with column size 0 and reports SQL_GETDATA_EXTENSIONS = SQL_GD_BLOCK only, so a value truncated in a *bound* column cannot be re-read (07009 on every route) and the wide column is left unbound; ingest DDL spells an Arrow string NVARCHAR(MAX), not the deprecated TEXT the driver's SQLGetTypeInfo(SQL_LONGVARCHAR) names (SQL Server will not sort, group or even compare it, IS NULL and LIKE excepted).
A rowset above 1 makes every SELECT return 01S02 Cursor type changed, benign