SQL Server Native Client (ODBC)

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics Analytics Platform System (PDW)

Important

SQL Server Native Client (SNAC) isn't shipped with:

• SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and later versions
• SQL Server Management Studio 19 and later versions

The SQL Server Native Client (SQLNCLI or SQLNCLI11) and the legacy Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB) aren't recommended for new application development.

For new projects, use one of the following drivers:

• Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server
• Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server

For SQLNCLI that ships as a component of SQL Server Database Engine (versions 2012 through 2019), see this Support Lifecycle exception.

ODBC is a standard definition of an application programming interface (API) used to access data in relational or indexed sequential access method (ISAM) databases. SQL Server supports ODBC, via the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver, as one of the native APIs for writing C and C++ applications that communicate with SQL Server.

SQL Server programs that are written using the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver communicate with SQL Server through C function calls. The SQL Server-specific versions of the ODBC functions are implemented in the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver. The driver passes SQL statements to SQL Server and returns the results of the statements to the application.

The SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver complies with the Microsoft Win32 ODBC 3.51 specification. The driver supports applications written using earlier versions of ODBC in the manner defined in the ODBC 3.51 specification.

In This Section

• Data Source Names and 64-Bit Operating Systems

• Creating a SQL Server Native Client ODBC Driver Application

• Communicating with SQL Server (ODBC)

• Executing Queries (ODBC)

• Processing Results (ODBC)

• Using Cursors (ODBC)

• Performing Transactions (ODBC)

• Handling Errors and Messages

• Running Stored Procedures

• Using Catalog Functions

• Performing Bulk Copy Operations (ODBC)

• Managing Text and Image Columns

• Profiling ODBC Driver Performance

• Table-Valued Parameters (ODBC)

• Date and Time Improvements (ODBC)

• Large CLR User-Defined Types (ODBC)

• FILESTREAM Support (ODBC)

• Service Principal Names (SPNs) in Client Connections (ODBC)

• Sparse Columns Support (ODBC)

• SQL Server Native Client (ODBC) Reference

• ODBC How-to Topics

See Also

SQL Server Native Client Programming
Installing SQL Server Native Client