[Experimental] SQL Server Connection String Translator

February 5, 2026 · View on GitHub

A VS Code extension that translates SQL Server connection strings between 7 different driver formats with intelligent auto-detection.

VS Code Version Version License

Features

🔄 Translate between 7 formats:

  • SqlClient (.NET / C#)
  • ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)
  • OLEDB (Object Linking and Embedding Database)
  • JDBC (Java Database Connectivity)
  • PHP (sqlsrv extension)
  • Python (mssql / pyodbc)
  • Rust (mssql-tds / tiberius)

✨ Key Features:

  • Smart auto-detection with confidence scoring (high/medium/low)
  • OLEDB Provider auto-injection - Automatically adds Provider=MSOLEDBSQL; as first parameter
  • Translate to single or all formats with responsive grid layout
  • 128+ keyword mappings across all drivers
  • Comprehensive synonym support (e.g., Server = Data Source, UID = User ID)
  • Syntax validation with detailed error messages
  • External CSS stylesheet for improved performance and maintainability
  • One-click copy buttons for all translations
  • History sidebar showing recent translations
  • Real-time detection badges showing source format confidence
  • Keyboard shortcuts for rapid workflow

Installation

From VSIX File

code --install-extension sql-connection-string-translator-0.0.1.vsix

From VS Code

  1. Download the .vsix file
  2. Open VS Code Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
  3. Click ... (More Actions) → Install from VSIX...
  4. Select the downloaded file
  5. Reload VS Code

Usage

Demo

Demo

Open Translator Panel

  1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
  2. Type "Connection String: Open Translator"
  3. Press Enter

Translate Selected Text

  1. Select a connection string in your editor
  2. Right-click and choose "Connection String: Translate Selection"
  3. Or use Command Palette: "Connection String: Translate Selection"

Translate from Clipboard

  1. Copy a connection string to clipboard
  2. Open Command Palette
  3. Type "Connection String: Translate from Clipboard"

Quick Translate

  1. Open Command Palette
  2. Type "Connection String: Quick Translate to..."
  3. Paste your connection string
  4. Select target format

Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Ctrl+Shift+C Ctrl+Shift+TOpen Translator Panel
Ctrl+EnterTranslate (in panel)
Ctrl+Shift+EnterTranslate to All Formats (in panel)

Supported Keywords

The extension supports 128+ keywords across all drivers, including:

Connection

  • Server / Data Source / Address / Host
  • Database / Initial Catalog
  • Port

Authentication

  • User ID / UID / User
  • Password / PWD
  • Integrated Security / Trusted_Connection
  • Authentication (Azure AD)

Security

  • Encrypt
  • TrustServerCertificate
  • HostNameInCertificate

Timeouts

  • Connect Timeout / Connection Timeout / Login Timeout
  • Command Timeout

Pooling

  • Pooling / Connection Pooling
  • Min Pool Size / Max Pool Size
  • Connection Lifetime

High Availability (HADR)

  • MultiSubnetFailover
  • ApplicationIntent
  • FailoverPartner

Application

  • Application Name / App
  • Workstation ID

Warnings and Errors

Python Driver Warnings

The Python (mssql) driver has a restricted keyword allowlist. Some keywords like MultiSubnetFailover are blocked and will generate warnings.

Untranslatable Keywords

Some keywords are driver-specific and cannot be translated. These will be listed with the reason:

  • NOT_SUPPORTED - Keyword not available in target driver
  • BLOCKED_ALLOWLIST - Python driver restriction
  • DEPRECATED - Keyword is deprecated
  • DRIVER_SPECIFIC - Only works with source driver

Examples

SqlClient to OLEDB (with Provider Auto-Injection)

Input (SqlClient):

Server=localhost;Database=TestDB;User ID=sa;Password=MyPass123;

Output (OLEDB):

Provider=MSOLEDBSQL;Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=TestDB;User ID=sa;Password=MyPass123;

Note: The Provider=MSOLEDBSQL; keyword is automatically injected as the first parameter when translating to OLEDB format, as it's mandatory per OLEDB specification.

SqlClient to JDBC

Input (SqlClient):

Server=myserver.database.windows.net;Database=mydb;User ID=admin;Password=secret;Encrypt=True;

Output (JDBC):

jdbc:sqlserver://myserver.database.windows.net:1433;databaseName=mydb;user=admin;password=secret;encrypt=true;

ODBC to Python

Input (ODBC):

Driver={ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server};Server=localhost;Database=mydb;Trusted_Connection=Yes;

Output (Python):

Config(
    server='localhost',
    database='mydb',
    trusted_connection='Yes',
)

SqlClient to Rust

Input (SqlClient):

Server=localhost;Database=mydb;Integrated Security=True;

Output (Rust):

Config {
    server: "localhost".to_string(),
    database: Some("mydb".to_string()),
    trust_cert: true,
    ..Default::default()
}

UI Design

Translator Panel

The main translator panel features:

  • Input textarea - Paste your connection string
  • Source driver dropdown - Auto-detect or manually select source format
  • Detection badge - Real-time confidence indicator (high/medium/low)
  • Target driver dropdown - Select destination format
  • Action buttons:
    • Translate - Convert to selected target format
    • Translate to All Formats - Generate all 7 formats in grid view
    • Clear - Reset the form

All Formats View

When translating to all formats, results display in a responsive grid showing:

  • Driver name and icon (Rust 🦀)
  • Warning icons ⚠️ for untranslatable keywords (with hover tooltips)
  • One-click copy button per format
  • Color-coded output based on VS Code theme

History Sidebar

The sidebar maintains a history of recent translations:

  • Timestamp of each translation
  • Source driver format
  • Quick access to re-open previous translations

Architecture

Core Components

  • Parser - Tokenizes connection strings into key-value pairs
  • Detector - Identifies source driver format with confidence scoring
  • Mapper - Translates keywords between driver formats (128+ mappings)
  • Generator - Constructs target format connection strings
  • Validator - Validates syntax and identifies errors/warnings

Special Handling

OLEDB Provider Keyword

  • TO OLEDB: Automatically injects Provider=MSOLEDBSQL; as first parameter if missing
  • FROM OLEDB: Removes Provider keyword when translating to other formats
  • Ensures compliance with OLEDB specification (Provider must be first)

Python Config Format

Generates Python Config() struct initialization:

Config(
    server='value',
    database='value',
    # ...
)

Rust Config Format

Generates Rust struct initialization:

Config {
    server: "value".to_string(),
    database: Some("value".to_string()),
    // ...
}

Requirements

  • VS Code 1.80.0 or higher

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

  • (Coming soon)

Known Issues

  • Rust output generates struct initialization code, not a traditional connection string
  • Python output generates Config struct initialization, not a traditional connection string
  • Python driver has a restricted allowlist; some keywords will generate warnings
  • Some advanced driver-specific keywords may not have mappings in all target drivers

Release Notes

0.0.1 - 2026-02-04

Initial release with comprehensive features:

  • ✅ Translate between 7 SQL Server driver formats
  • ✅ Smart auto-detection with confidence scoring
  • ✅ OLEDB Provider keyword auto-injection
  • ✅ External CSS stylesheet architecture
  • ✅ 128+ keyword mappings with synonym support
  • ✅ Syntax validation with detailed error messages
  • ✅ Webview UI with responsive grid layout
  • ✅ History sidebar for recent translations
  • ✅ Context menu integration
  • ✅ Keyboard shortcuts for rapid workflow
  • ✅ One-click copy buttons

Technical Details:

  • Extension size: 98 KB (92 files)
  • Bundle size: 91.6 KB (optimized with webpack)
  • CSS: External stylesheet with VS Code theme integration

📖 Full Release Notes

Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

Repository: cheenamalhotra/sqlconnectionstrings

Areas for Contribution

  • Additional driver support (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
  • Enhanced keyword mappings
  • UI/UX improvements
  • Documentation and examples
  • Test coverage expansion

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Feedback & Support

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on GitHub.

Developed with ❤️ for the SQL Server community