Cross-vendor SQL on Windows without a GUI

A single command-line SQL client that reaches Oracle, SQL Server, Postgres, and more on Windows, with every driver behaving identically and no build step, is surprisingly rare.

The problem: Windows and "just install a CLI" don't always mix

Most command-line SQL clients come from a Unix-first world, and it shows the moment you need a driver that isn't pure Java. To be specific and fair about it: usql, the main free cross-database CLI, does run on Windows. The real difference is drivers: usql's Oracle and ODBC drivers need a CGO/C toolchain to build, and are excluded from its default builds as a result. BroadSQL's drivers are pure-Java JARs, so every database behaves the same way on every OS, with no build step and nothing extra to install beyond dropping a driver JAR in a folder.

The BroadSQL approach: add a driver JAR, register the type, connect

BroadSQL ships with drivers for H2, PostgreSQL, Apache Derby, HSQLDB, and SQLite. Any other JDBC-compatible database (Oracle, SQL Server, MariaDB, DB2, and more) works by adding its driver JAR and registering the type once:

-- drop sqljdbc42.jar into drivers\, then, connected to the CDF:
INSERT INTO TYPE (ID, DRIVER, STATUS_ID)
VALUES ('SQL Server', 'com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver', '30');

From then on, SQL Server is a normal connection type, exactly like the five bundled databases: same commands, same shell, no separate installer or C toolchain required. See Technical requirements for the exact steps and which types already exist in a fresh install.

Honest scope

This is about uniform, low-friction driver installation on Windows specifically. It isn't a claim that BroadSQL does more than any other client once connected, and it isn't a knock on usql as a tool for teams already comfortable managing a Go toolchain.

Who this is for

Windows-heavy enterprise and ops teams who need to reach several database vendors from the same machine without standing up a build toolchain just to get a driver working.

Get your team set up

I handle the setup for Windows-based teams (drivers, connection types, and the connections vault) so everyone's reaching every database the same way from day one. Get in touch to talk about your environment.