vscode-mssql

vscode-mssql is Microsoft's official extension for working with SQL Server inside VS Code. Connect to a database, browse and search objects, write T-SQL with IntelliSense, run queries, view execution plans, and edit table data inline, all without leaving the editor. MIT-licensed and free. If your day involves SQL Server and you've been bouncing out to SQL Server Management Studio, this pulls most of that work into the editor you already use.

It goes well past a basic query window: visual schema designers, schema comparison, DACPAC and BACPAC support, local SQL Server container workflows, and connections to Azure SQL and Microsoft Fabric. There's GitHub Copilot integration for writing and tuning queries if you carry a subscription. Setup is the usual VS Code routine: install from the marketplace, then point it at a connection string or browse your Azure tenant.

The extension costs nothing. What costs money is SQL Server, and there are free paths: Developer Edition, the Azure SQL free tier, or a local container. Solo developers and small teams on SQL Server should just install it. Larger teams standardized on the Microsoft stack get a consistent cross-platform client that behaves the same on Mac and Linux as on Windows, which SSMS never did.

The catch is that this only talks to SQL Server and Azure SQL. If your shop runs Postgres or MySQL, it does nothing for you, and you'll want a general client like DBeaver or the language-specific extensions instead. It's also still catching up to SSMS on the deepest admin features.