<h1>How to Download ODBC for Mac</h1>
<p>If you want to access data from a database management system (DBMS) such as SQL Server on your Mac, you need an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver installed on your machine. ODBC is a standard application programming interface (API) that allows applications to communicate with different DBMS using Structured Query Language (SQL) as a common language. In this article, you will learn how to download, install, configure, and use ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac.</p>
download odbc for mac
<h2>What is ODBC and why it is useful for Mac users</h2>
<p>ODBC is a technology that enables applications to access data from various sources, such as relational databases, spreadsheets, text files, and more. ODBC drivers are software components that implement the ODBC API and provide a bridge between the application and the data source. By using ODBC drivers, applications can access data from different DBMS without needing to know the specific details of each system.</p>
<p>ODBC is useful for Mac users because it allows them to connect to various data sources that may not have native drivers or support for Mac. For example, if you want to import data from SQL Server into Excel for Mac, you need an ODBC driver installed on your Mac. With an ODBC driver, you can also connect to SQL Server from other applications that support ODBC, such as FileMaker Pro, R, Python, and more.</p>
<h2>What are the prerequisites and supported versions of ODBC for Mac</h2>
<p>Before you download and install ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac, you need to have the following prerequisites:</p>
<ul>
<li>A supported version of macOS. The Microsoft ODBC driver for SQL Server on macOS supports macOS High Sierra (10.13), Mojave (10.14), Catalina (10.15), Big Sur (11), and Monterey (12).</li>
<li>A supported version of SQL Server. The Microsoft ODBC driver for SQL Server on macOS supports SQL Server 2008 R2 or later, Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Analytics (formerly Azure SQL Data Warehouse), Parallel Data Warehouse, Azure Active Directory authentication, Always Encrypted feature, Azure Key Vault integration, and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.</li>
<li>iODBC Driver Manager. This is a software library that manages the communication between the application and the ODBC driver. You can download it from .</li>
<li>ODBC Manager. This is an optional but recommended graphical user interface (GUI) tool that helps you create and manage data source names (DSNs). DSNs are configuration files that store information about the connection to a data source. You can download it from .</li>
</ul>
<h2>How to download ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac</h2>
<p>To download ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac, you have two options: you can either download the packages directly from or you can use Homebrew to install the latest version of the driver. Homebrew is a popular package manager for macOS that simplifies the installation of software. Here are the steps for both methods:</p>
<h3>How to install Homebrew and Microsoft ODBC driver 18 for SQL Server</h3>
<p>To install Homebrew and Microsoft ODBC driver 18 for SQL Server, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open a terminal window and enter the following command to install Homebrew: <code>/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL
<li>Enter your password when prompted and wait for the installation to complete.</li>
<li>Enter the following command to update Homebrew: <code>brew update</code></li>
<li>Enter the following command to install Microsoft ODBC driver 18 for SQL Server: <code>brew install msodbcsql@18.0.0 mssql-tools@18.0.0</code></li>
<li>Enter the following command to accept the license terms: <code>ACCEPT_EULA=Y brew link --overwrite msodbcsql@18.0.0 mssql-tools@18.0.0</code></li>
<li>Verify that the driver is installed by entering the following command: <code>odbcinst -q -d -n "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server"</code>. You should see the output similar to this: <code>[ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server] Description=Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server Driver=/usr/local/lib/libmsodbcsql.18.dylib UsageCount=1</code></li>
</ol>
<h3>How to install previous versions of Microsoft ODBC driver for SQL Server</h3>
<p>If you need to install previous versions of Microsoft ODBC driver for SQL Server, such as 17, 13, or 11, you can download the packages directly from . You will need to choose the appropriate version and architecture (x64 or x86) for your system. After downloading the package, double-click on it and follow the instructions to install the driver. You will also need to accept the license terms during the installation.</p>
<h2>How to configure ODBC driver for Mac</h2>
<p>After installing ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac, you need to configure it to connect to your data source. You can do this by creating and managing data source names (DSNs) using ODBC Manager or odbc.ini file. You also need to set some environment variables and troubleshoot connection problems if they occur.</p>
<h3>How to create and manage data source names (DSNs) using ODBC Manager or odbc.ini file</h3>
<p>Data source names (DSNs) are configuration files that store information about the connection to a data source, such as server name, database name, authentication method, and other options. You can create and manage DSNs using ODBC Manager or odbc.ini file.</p>
<p>How to install Microsoft ODBC driver for SQL Server on macOS<br />
ODBC drivers compatible with Excel for Mac<br />
Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server download<br />
Connect to SQL Server database from Excel for Mac using ODBC<br />
Actual Technologies ODBC drivers for Mac<br />
OpenLink Software ODBC drivers for Mac<br />
Install Microsoft ODBC driver 17 for SQL Server on macOS<br />
Install Microsoft ODBC driver 13.1 for SQL Server on OS X<br />
ODBC driver for FileMaker Pro on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for MySQL on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Oracle on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for PostgreSQL on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for SQLite on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for MongoDB on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Apache Hive on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Apache Spark on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Amazon Redshift on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Google BigQuery on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Snowflake on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Salesforce on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Microsoft Access on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Microsoft Azure SQL Database on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for SAP HANA on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for SAP Sybase ASE on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for SAP Sybase IQ on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for IBM Db2 on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for IBM Informix on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for IBM Netezza on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Teradata on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Vertica on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Cassandra on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Couchbase on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for DynamoDB on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Elasticsearch on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Neo4j on Mac<br />
ODBC driver for Redis on Mac<br />
Troubleshoot Microsoft ODBC driver installation issues on macOS<br />
Update Microsoft ODBC driver to the latest version on macOS<br />
Uninstall Microsoft ODBC driver from macOS<br />
Configure Microsoft ODBC driver settings and options on macOS<br />
Test Microsoft ODBC driver connection to SQL Server on macOS<br />
Use Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager (iodbc) to manage data sources on macOS <br />
Use unixODBC development headers to compile applications with Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 or 17 <br />
Use bcp and sqlcmd command-line tools with Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 or 17 <br />
Use pyodbc module to connect to SQL Server from Python code on macOS <br />
Use RODBC package to connect to SQL Server from R code on macOS <br />
Use JDBC Driver instead of ODBC Driver to connect to SQL Server from Java code </p>
<h4>How to use ODBC Manager</h4>
<p>ODBC Manager is a graphical user interface (GUI) tool that helps you create and manage DSNs. You can download it from . After installing it, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Launch ODBC Manager from your Applications folder or Spotlight search.</li>
<li>Select either User DSNs or System DSNs from the left pane. User DSNs are available only to the current user, while System DSNs are available to all users on the system.</li>
<li>Click on the Add button at the bottom of the window.</li>
<li>Select "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server" from the list of drivers and click OK.</li>
<li>Enter a name and a description for your DSN in the General tab.</li>
<li>Enter the server name and optionally the port number of your SQL Server instance in the Connection tab. For example, if your server name is sqlserver.example.com and your port number is 1433, enter sqlserver.example.com,1433.</li>
<li>Select either Windows Authentication or SQL Server Authentication from the Authentication drop-down menu. If you choose SQL Server Authentication, enter your user name and password in the fields below.</li>
<li>Select a database from the Database drop-down menu or enter a database name in the field below.</li>
<li>Optionally, adjust other settings in the Advanced and SSL tabs according to your preferences and requirements.</li>
<li>Click on Test to test your connection. If successful, you will see a message saying "Connection successful". Click OK to save your DSN.</li>
</ol>
<h4>How to use odbc.ini file</h4>
<p>odbc.ini is a text file that stores the information about the DSNs. You can edit it manually using a text editor or a command-line tool. The default location of the odbc.ini file is /usr/local/etc/odbc.ini. To create and manage DSNs using odbc.ini file, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open a terminal window and enter the following command to open the odbc.ini file using nano editor: <code>sudo nano /usr/local/etc/odbc.ini</code></li>
<li>Enter your password when prompted and press Enter.</li>
<li>Add a new section for your DSN under the [ODBC Data Sources] section. The section name should be the same as the DSN name. For example, if your DSN name is MyDSN, add the following line: <code>MyDSN = ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server</code></li>
<li>Add another section with the same name as your DSN and specify the connection parameters. For example, if your DSN name is MyDSN, add the following lines: <code>[MyDSN] Driver = ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server Server = sqlserver.example.com,1433 Database = mydatabase Trusted_Connection = No UID = myusername PWD = mypassword</code></li>
<li>Optionally, adjust other settings according to your preferences and requirements. For a complete list of settings, see .</li>
<li>Press Ctrl+O to save the file and Ctrl+X to exit the editor.</li>
</ol>
<h3>How to set environment variables and troubleshoot connection problems</h3>
<p>To use ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac, you need to set some environment variables that tell the driver where to find the iODBC Driver Manager and the odbc.ini file. You also need to check some common issues that may cause connection problems and how to fix them.</p>
<h4>How to set environment variables</h4>
<p>To set environment variables, you can either use a terminal window or edit your .bash_profile file. Here are the steps for both methods:</p>
<h5>How to use a terminal window</h5>
<p>To set environment variables using a terminal window, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open a terminal window and enter the following commands: <code>export ODBCINI=/usr/local/etc/odbc.ini export ODBCSYSINI=/usr/local/etc export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib</code></li>
<li>Verify that the environment variables are set by entering the following command: <code>env grep -E "ODBCDYLD"</code>. You should see the output similar to this: <code>ODBCINI=/usr/local/etc/odbc.ini ODBCSYSINI=/usr/local/etc DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib</code></li>
</ol>
<h5>How to edit your .bash_profile file</h5>
<p>To set environment variables by editing your .bash_profile file, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open a terminal window and enter the following command to open your .bash_profile file using nano editor: <code>nano /.bash_profile</code></li>
<li>Add the following lines at the end of the file: <code>export ODBCINI=/usr/local/etc/odbc.ini export ODBCSYSINI=/usr/local/etc export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib</code></li>
<li>Press Ctrl+O to save the file and Ctrl+X to exit the editor.</li>
<li>Enter the following command to reload your .bash_profile file: <code>source /.bash_profile</code></li>
<li>Verify that the environment variables are set by entering the following command: <code>env grep -E "ODBCDYLD"</code>. You should see the output similar to this: <code>ODBCINI=/usr/local/etc/odbc.ini ODBCSYSINI=/usr/local/etc DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib</code></li>
</ol>
<h4>How to troubleshoot connection problems</h4>
<p>If you encounter any connection problems when using ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac, you can check some common issues and how to fix them:</p>
- Make sure that you have installed and configured ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac correctly. Follow the steps in this article carefully and verify that you have followed them correctly. - Make sure that your SQL Server instance is running and reachable from your Mac. You can use the ping command to test the connectivity. For example, if your server name is sqlserver.example.com, enter the following command in a terminal window: <code>ping sqlserver.example.com</code>. You should see the output similar to this: <code>PING sqlserver.example.com (192.168.1.100): 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 192.168.1.100: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.123 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.1.100: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.145 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.1.100: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.136 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.1.100: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.139 ms --- sqlserver.example.com ping statistics --- 4 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 0.0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 0.123/0.136/0.145/0.008 ms</code>. If you see any errors or packet loss, check your network settings and firewall rules. - Make sure that you have entered the correct server name, port number, database name, user name, and password in your DSN or connection string. You can use the Test button in ODBC Manager or the isql command to test your connection. For example, if your DSN name is MyDSN, enter the following command in a terminal window: <code>isql -v MyDSN</code>. You should see the output similar to this: <code>+---------------------------------------+ Connected! sql-statement help [tablename] quit +---------------------------------------+ SQL></code>. If you see any errors, check your DSN or connection string parameters and make sure they match your SQL Server settings. - Make sure that you have set the environment variables correctly and they are effective in your current session. You can use the env command to check the environment variables. For example, enter the following command in a terminal window: <code>env grep -E "ODBCDYLD"</code>. You should see the output similar to this: <code>ODBCINI=/usr/local/etc/odbc.ini ODBCSYSINI=/usr/local/etc DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib</code>. If you don't see these variables or they have different values, follow the steps in this article to set them correctly and reload them. - Make sure that you have installed and configured iODBC Driver Manager correctly and it is compatible with your ODBC driver version. You can use the odbcinst command to check the iODBC Driver Manager version and configuration. For example, enter the following command in a terminal window: <code>odbcinst -j</code>. You should see the output similar to this: <code>unixODBC 2.3.9 DRIVERS............: /usr/local/etc/odbcinst.ini SYSTEM DATA SOURCES: /usr/local/etc/odbc.ini FILE DATA SOURCES..: /usr/local/etc/ODBCDataSources USER DATA SOURCES..: /usr/local/etc/odbc.ini SQLULEN Size.......: 8 SQLLEN Size........: 8 SQLSETPOSIROW Size.: 8</code>. If you see any errors or discrepancies, follow the steps in this article to install and configure iODBC Driver Manager correctly. <h2>How to use ODBC driver for Mac</h2>
<p>After installing and configuring ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac, you can use it to access data from SQL Server using various applications that support ODBC, such as Excel for Mac, FileMaker Pro, R, Python, and more.</p>
<h3>How to import data from SQL Server into Excel for Mac using ODBC driver</h3>
<p>To import data from SQL Server into Excel for Mac using ODBC driver, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open Excel for Mac and create a new workbook or open an existing one.</li>
<li>Select the Data tab from the ribbon and click on Get Data.</li>
<li>Select From Other Sources and then From ODBC.</li>
<li>Select a DSN from the drop-down menu or enter a connection string in the text box.</li>
<li>Click on Connect and enter your user name and password if required.</li>
<li>Select a table or a view from the list of available data sources or enter a custom SQL query in the text box.</li>
<li>Click on Load to import the data into Excel.</li>
<li>Optionally, adjust the data format, layout, and analysis options in Excel as needed.</li>
</ol>
<h3>How to connect to SQL Server from other ODBC-based applications on Mac</h3>
<p>To connect to SQL Server from other ODBC-based applications on Mac, you need to use the same DSN or connection string that you used for Excel. The exact steps may vary depending on the application, but the general process is similar. Here are some examples of how to connect to SQL Server from some popular ODBC-based applications on Mac:</p>
<h4>How to connect to SQL Server from FileMaker Pro</h4>
<p>To connect to SQL Server from FileMaker Pro, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open FileMaker Pro and create a new file or open an existing one.</li>
<li>Select File > Manage > External Data Sources.</li>
<li>Click on the New button and enter a name for your data source.</li>
<li>Select ODBC as the type and click on Specify.</li>
<li>Select a DSN from the drop-down menu or enter a connection string in the text box.</li>
<li>Click on OK and then OK again to save your data source.</li>
<li>Select File > Import Records > ODBC Data Source.</li>
<li>Select your data source from the list and click on Continue.</li>
<li>Select a table or a view from the list of available data sources or enter a custom SQL query in the text box.</li>
<li>Click on Continue and then Import to import the data into FileMaker Pro.</li>
<li>Optionally, adjust the data format, layout, and relationship options in FileMaker Pro as needed.</li>
</ol>
<h4>How to connect to SQL Server from R</h4>
<p>To connect to SQL Server from R, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open RStudio or another R IDE and install the odbc package if you haven't already. You can use the following command: <code>install.packages("odbc")</code></li>
<li>Load the odbc package using the following command: <code>library(odbc)</code></li>
<li>Create a connection object using the DSN or connection string. For example, if your DSN name is MyDSN, use the following command: <code>con <- dbConnect(odbc::odbc(), "MyDSN")</code></li>
<li>Use the connection object to query data from SQL Server using the dbGetQuery function. For example, if you want to query data from a table called customers, use the following command: <code>df <- dbGetQuery(con, "SELECT * FROM customers")</code></li>
<li>The result will be stored in a data frame called df. You can use any R functions or packages to manipulate and analyze the data as needed.</li>
<li>When you are done, close the connection using the following command: <code>dbDisconnect(con)</code></li>
</ol>
<h4>How to connect to SQL Server from Python</h4>
<p>To connect to SQL Server from Python, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open a Python IDE or a terminal window and install the pyodbc package if you haven't already. You can use the following command: <code>pip install pyodbc</code></li>
<li>Import the pyodbc module using the following command: <code>import pyodbc</code></li>
<li>Create a connection object using the DSN or connection string. For example, if your DSN name is MyDSN, use the following command: <code>con = pyodbc.connect("DSN=MyDSN")</code></li>
<li>Create a cursor object using the connection object. For example, use the following command: <code>cur = con.cursor()</code></li>
<li>Use the cursor object to execute SQL statements and fetch data from SQL Server using the execute and fetch methods. For example, if you want to query data from a table called customers, use the following commands: <code>cur.execute("SELECT * FROM customers") rows = cur.fetchall()</code></li>
<li>The result will be stored in a list of tuples called rows. You can use any Python functions or libraries to manipulate and analyze the data as needed.</li>
<li>When you are done, close the cursor and the connection using the following commands: <code>cur.close() con.close()</code></li>
</ol>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>In this article, you learned how to download, install, configure, and use ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac. You also learned how to import data from SQL Server into Excel for Mac and how to connect to SQL Server from other ODBC-based applications on Mac. By using ODBC driver for SQL Server on Mac, you can access data from various sources that 64 or x86) for your system.</li>
<li>Double-click on the package and follow the instructions to install or uninstall the driver. You will also need to accept the license terms during the installation or uninstallation.</li>
</ol>
<h3>How can I test the connection to SQL Server using ODBC driver for Mac?</h3>
<p>To test the connection to SQL Server using ODBC driver for Mac, you can use ODBC Manager, isql command, or any ODBC-based application. Here are some examples of how to test the connection using these tools:</p>
<h4>How to use ODBC Manager</h4>
<p>To test the connection using ODBC Manager, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Launch ODBC Manager from your Applications folder or Spotlight search.</li>
<li>Select either User DSNs or System DSNs from the left pane.</li>
<li>Select your DSN from the list and click on Configure.</li>
<li>Click on Test to test your connection. If successful, you will see a message saying "Connection successful". If not, you will see an error message with details.</li>
<li>Click on OK to close the window.</li>
</ol>
<h4>How to use isql command</h4>
<p>To test the connection using isql command, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open a terminal window and enter the following command: <code>isql -v <DSN name> <user name> <password></code>. For example, if your DSN name is MyDSN, your user name is myusername, and your password is mypassword, enter the following command: <code>isql -v MyDSN myusername mypassword</code></li>
<li>If successful, you will see a prompt similar to this: <code>+---------------------------------------+ Connected! sql-statement help [tablename] quit +---------------------------------------+ SQL></code>. If not, you will see an error message with details.</li>
<li>You can enter any SQL statements or commands at the prompt and see the results. For example, you can enter <code>SELECT @@VERSION</code> to see the version of your SQL Server instance.</li>
<li>To exit, enter <code>quit</code> at the prompt.</li>
</ol>
<h4>How to use any ODBC-based application</h4>
<p>To test the connection using any ODBC-based application, follow the steps for that application to create a new data source or connection using your DSN or connection string. For example, you can follow the steps in this article to use Excel for Mac, FileMaker Pro, R, or Python. If successful, you will be able to access data from SQL Server using that application. If not, you will see an error message with details.</p>
<h3>How can I enable logging and tracing for ODBC driver for Mac?</h3>
<p>To enable logging and tracing for ODBC driver for Mac, you need to edit your odbcinst.ini file and add some parameters. Logging and tracing can help you diagnose and troubleshoot any issues or errors with your ODBC driver. Here are the steps to enable logging and tracing:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open a terminal window and enter the following command to open your odbcinst.ini file using nano editor: <code>sudo nano /usr/local/etc/odbcinst.ini</code></li>
<li>Enter your password when prompted and press Enter.</li>
<li>Add the following lines under the [ODBC] section: <code>Trace = Yes TraceFile = /tmp/odbc.log ForceTrace = Yes Pooling = No</code></li>
<li>Press Ctrl+O to save the file and Ctrl+X to exit the editor.</li>
<li>Restart your ODBC-based application and perform some actions that involve ODBC driver for SQL Server.</li>
<li>Open a terminal window and enter the following command to view the log file: <code>cat /tmp/odbc.log</code>. You will see detailed information about the ODBC driver's operations and interactions with SQL Server.</li>
<li>To disable logging and tracing, repeat steps 1-4 and change Trace = Yes to Trace = No.</li>
</ol></p> 44f88ac181
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