If your daily driver is a Macbook or similar and you also manage a network that has Microsoft SQL Server running on it then it can be useful to login to those MSSQL Servers remotely. Even if its simply to view database layout or verify a service is running properly by actually connecting to it there is no doubt that having an easy method to connect to Microsoft SQL from OSX is beneficial. There are a bunch of JAVA based clients such as SQuirreL SQL Client or SQLRazor that are great applications but I personally use DBVisualizer or Navicat which are both described in more detail below.
As noted above I personally prefer DBVisualizer or Navicat for different reasons. DBVisualizer is a program I was introduced to along time ago on Windows so I am familiar with the interface and it has always been stable enough and provided me the features necessary to accomplish the tasks I need to accomplish. Navicat is a preference of mine since I started using OSX on a regular basis and primarily because you can purchase a fairly cheap version to accomplish minor tasks and it is available through the App Store on your MAC. I would assume most people will choose DBVisualizer because basic functionality is free and you can always upgrade to DBVisualizer Pro if you need more features later but don’t count out Navicat as it also provides an upgrade path to different versions and has a ton of functionality. The intro version is called Navicat Essentials For SQL Server and costs $9.99 with the more feature rich versions costing hundreds of dollars.
DBVisualizer: Connect To Microsoft SQL Server From OSX
Navicat Essentials For SQL Server: Connect To Microsoft SQL Server From OSX
So those are the basic views from each application and if all you are looking to do is make connections to MSSQL Server, view the SQL databases, or view the table structure then either application will help you accomplish that goal. To me Navicat is a little cleaner however you should decide if that look is worth paying $9.99 to buy the Navicat application from the App Store instead of downloading DBVisualizer for free here.
