# RE: is Sql Server support built in?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-is-sql-server-support-built-in/61877>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 29, 2006, 8:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-is-sql-server-support-built-in/61877 "2006-05-29T08:08:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ross\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Ross\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ross_D)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 8:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-is-sql-server-support-built-in/61877/1 "2006-05-29T08:08:52Z")

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No but a quick google

[http://www.google.com.au/search?q=ruby+rails+MS+sql+server+adapter](http://www.google.com.au/search?q=ruby+rails+MS+sql+server+adapter)

produces this

[http://justinram.wordpress.com/tag/ruby/ruby-on-rails/](http://justinram.wordpress.com/tag/ruby/ruby-on-rails/)

Without looking I’m guessing it uses COM to talk to ADO which I suspect  
would add some overhead.

This [http://www.loudthinking.com/arc/000534.html](http://www.loudthinking.com/arc/000534.html) being the first article  
at the top of the search is interesting too.

Unless you have a specific need for MS SQL Server (Legacy DB etc.) then  
consider one of the open source alternatives (MySQL, Postgres etc.) and  
make your Rails app cross platform, opening up greater  
hosting/deployment options.

HTH

Ross

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ross\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Ross\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ross_D)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-is-sql-server-support-built-in/61877/2 "2006-05-30T07:06:10Z")

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Thanks, Ross.

Yes, this is partly a Legacy DB issue. Also, I haven’t found an  
equivalent  
for SS2000’s graphical relationship viewer, which helps me deal with  
schemas  
with large numbers of tables.

-Larry

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ross\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Ross\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ross_D)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 12:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-is-sql-server-support-built-in/61877/3 "2006-05-30T12:28:40Z")

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On 5/29/06, Ross D. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Without looking I’m guessing it uses COM to talk to ADO which I suspect would add some overhead.

The SQL Server adapter can connect in two ways; ADO (which as you  
guessed uses win32ole, only works on windows and requires the ADO dbi  
adapter to be installed), and ODBC (which works out of the box on  
windows but requires freetds on Linux/OS X)

To connect with ODBC (from windows) you need a database.yml entry like  
this:

production:  
adapter: sqlserver  
mode: ODBC  
dsn: Driver={SQL  
Server};Server=;Database=;Uid=;Pwd=

Tom