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Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 7.0.1

Microsoft.Data.SqlClient

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Description

Microsoft.Data.SqlClient is the official .NET data provider for Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL databases. It provides access to SQL Server and encapsulates database-specific protocols, including Tabular Data Stream (TDS).

This library grew from a union of the two System.Data.SqlClient components which live independently in .NET and .NET Framework. Going forward, support for new SQL Server and Azure SQL features will only be implemented in Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.

Supportability

This package supports:

• .NET Framework 4.6.2+
• .NET 8.0+

Installation

Install the package via NuGet:

dotnet add package Microsoft.Data.SqlClient

Or via the Package Manager Console:

Install-Package Microsoft.Data.SqlClient

Getting Started

Basic Connection

using Microsoft.Data.SqlClient;

var connectionString = "Server=myserver;Database=mydb;Integrated Security=true;";

using var connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);
await connection.OpenAsync();

Console.WriteLine("Connected successfully!");

Connecting to Azure

Starting with v7.0, to use Entra ID authentication modes (such as Active Directory Default, Active Directory Managed Identity, Active Directory Interactive, etc.) via connection string keywords, install the Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure extension package via NuGet:

dotnet add package Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure

Or via the Package Manager Console:

Install-Package Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure

This package provides the ActiveDirectoryAuthenticationProvider, which integrates with Azure.Identity to handle token acquisition, caching, and credential management.

With this package reference, you can continue to use Entra ID authentication modes directly in your connection string:

// Active Directory Default — uses DefaultAzureCredential (Managed Identity, Azure CLI, Visual Studio, etc.)
var connectionString = "Server=myserver.database.windows.net;Database=mydb;Authentication=Active Directory Default;";

using var connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);
await connection.OpenAsync();

Execute a Query

using Microsoft.Data.SqlClient;

var connectionString = "Server=myserver;Database=mydb;Integrated Security=true;";

using var connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);
await connection.OpenAsync();

using var command = new SqlCommand("SELECT Id, Name FROM Customers", connection);
using var reader = await command.ExecuteReaderAsync();

while (await reader.ReadAsync())
{
 Console.WriteLine($"Id: {reader.GetInt32(0)}, Name: {reader.GetString(1)}");
}

Parameterized Query

using Microsoft.Data.SqlClient;

var connectionString = "Server=myserver;Database=mydb;Integrated Security=true;";

using var connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);
await connection.OpenAsync();

using var command = new SqlCommand("SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE Id = @id", connection);
command.Parameters.AddWithValue("@id", customerId);

using var reader = await command.ExecuteReaderAsync();
// Process results...

Using Transactions

using Microsoft.Data.SqlClient;

using var connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);
await connection.OpenAsync();

using var transaction = connection.BeginTransaction();

try
{
 using var command = new SqlCommand("INSERT INTO Orders (CustomerId, Total) VALUES (@customerId, @total)", connection, transaction);
 command.Parameters.AddWithValue("@customerId", customerId);
 command.Parameters.AddWithValue("@total", orderTotal);
 
 await command.ExecuteNonQueryAsync();
 await transaction.CommitAsync();
}
catch
{
 await transaction.RollbackAsync();
 throw;
}

Key Features

Commonly Used Types

Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlParameter
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlTransaction
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlException
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlParameterCollection
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlClientFactory
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlBulkCopy
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionStringBuilder

Authentication Methods

Note: To use Entra ID authentication modes (such as Active Directory Default, Active Directory Managed Identity, Active Directory Interactive, etc.) via connection string keywords, install the Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure extension package.

Encryption Modes

SNI (SQL Server Network Interface)

Two implementations are available:

• Native SNI: Windows-only, provided via Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI (.NET Framework) or Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI.runtime (.NET on Windows)
• Managed SNI: Cross-platform managed implementation, used by default on Unix platforms

Documentation

• Microsoft.Data.SqlClient Documentation
• Connection String Syntax
• Connection Pooling
• Always Encrypted
• Entra ID Authentication

Release Notes

Release notes are available at: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2090501

Migrating from System.Data.SqlClient

If you're migrating from System.Data.SqlClient, see the porting cheat sheet for guidance.

Key changes:

1. Change namespace from System.Data.SqlClient to Microsoft.Data.SqlClient
2. Update package reference to Microsoft.Data.SqlClient
3. Review connection string defaults (e.g., Encrypt=Mandatory is now the default)

License

This package is licensed under the MIT License.

Related Packages

• Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure - Entra ID authentication provider with Azure.Identity integration
• Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.AlwaysEncrypted.AzureKeyVaultProvider - Azure Key Vault integration for Always Encrypted
• Microsoft.SqlServer.Server - SQL CLR UDT support
• Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI - Native SNI for .NET Framework
• Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI.runtime - Native SNI runtime for .NET on Windows