Release Notes - SQL Connection String Translator v0.0.1

February 4, 2026 · View on GitHub

Release Date: February 4, 2026
Version: 0.0.1 (Initial Release)
Package Size: 94.46 KB

🎉 What's New

We're excited to introduce SQL Connection String Translator - a VS Code extension that makes it effortless to translate SQL Server connection strings between 7 different driver formats!

🚀 Key Features

Multi-Driver Support

Translate connection strings between:

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)

Intelligent Translation Engine

✅ 128+ keyword mappings across all drivers
✅ Auto-detection with confidence scoring (high/medium/low)
✅ Comprehensive synonym support (e.g., Server = Data Source, UID = User ID)
✅ Syntax validation with detailed error messages
✅ Smart OLEDB handling - Automatically injects mandatory Provider=MSOLEDBSQL; keyword

Modern User Interface

🎨 Intuitive webview panel with VS Code theme integration
📋 One-click copy buttons for all translations
🔄 Translate to all formats simultaneously with grid view
🎯 Real-time detection badges showing source format confidence
⚡ Keyboard shortcuts for rapid workflow
📜 History sidebar to track recent translations

Developer Experience

🔌 Context menu integration - Right-click any selected text
⌨️ Keyboard shortcuts:
- Ctrl+Shift+C Ctrl+Shift+T / Cmd+Shift+C Cmd+Shift+T - Open translator
- Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter - Translate
- Ctrl+Shift+Enter / Cmd+Shift+Enter - Translate to all
📦 Multiple translation commands for different workflows
🎯 Clipboard support - Translate directly from clipboard

🔧 Technical Highlights

Architecture

Modern TypeScript codebase with comprehensive type definitions
Webpack production builds for optimized performance (91.6 KB bundle)
External CSS stylesheet for better maintainability and CSP compliance
Modular design - 7 specialized driver modules + core translation engine

OLEDB Compliance ⚠️

This release includes special handling for OLEDB connection strings:

Automatic Provider injection - Provider=MSOLEDBSQL; added when translating TO OLEDB
First parameter positioning - Provider keyword always appears first (OLEDB spec requirement)
Documentation - Comprehensive keyword matrix with OLEDB-specific notes

Code Quality

✅ Comprehensive test coverage (unit + integration tests)
✅ ESLint configuration for code consistency
✅ Prettier formatting for clean code
✅ Detailed specification documents and research materials

📋 Usage Examples

Example 1: SqlClient to OLEDB

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;

Example 2: ODBC to Python

Input (ODBC):

Driver={ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server};Server=tcp:myserver.database.windows.net,1433;Database=mydb;UID=admin;PWD=pass;

Output (Python):

Config(
    server='tcp:myserver.database.windows.net,1433',
    database='mydb',
    user='admin',
    password='pass',
)

Example 3: Translate to All Formats

Use the "Translate to All Formats" button to see your connection string in all 7 formats simultaneously - perfect for documentation or multi-language projects!

⚙️ Installation

From VSIX File

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

Manual Installation

Download sql-connection-string-translator-0.0.1.vsix
Open VS Code
Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Click ... (More Actions) → Install from VSIX...
Select the downloaded file
Reload VS Code

🎯 Getting Started

Quick Start

Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
Type: Connection String: Open Translator
Paste your connection string
Select target format
Click "Translate" or "Translate to All Formats"
Copy results with one click!

Translate Selection

Select a connection string in any file
Right-click → Translate Connection String
Choose target format
Result appears in translator panel

Translate from Clipboard

Copy a connection string to clipboard
Command Palette → Connection String: Translate from Clipboard
Select target format
View translated result

⚠️ Known Issues

Rust Output Format

Rust translations generate struct initialization code (Config struct), not traditional connection strings, reflecting how the mssql-tds crate is used in practice.

Python Allowlist

Python's mssql driver uses a restricted allowlist. Keywords outside this list will generate warnings but the translation will still complete.

Driver-Specific Keywords

Some advanced keywords (e.g., OLEDB's Auto Translate, ODBC's AnsiNPW) may not have direct equivalents in all target drivers. These generate informative warnings.

Repository

This release uses local git only. Remote repository integration coming in future releases.

🔮 What's Next?

We have exciting plans for future releases:

🔌 GitHub/Azure DevOps repository integration
🧪 Extended test coverage for edge cases
📚 Interactive tutorials and examples
🌐 Support for additional drivers (PostgreSQL, MySQL adapters)
🔒 Enhanced security keyword handling
🎨 Customizable UI themes

📖 Documentation

Detailed documentation available in the repository:

Specification: /specs/001-connection-string-translator/spec.md
Keyword Matrix: /specs/001-connection-string-translator/research/keyword-matrix-summary.md
Implementation Plan: /specs/001-connection-string-translator/plan.md
Quick Start Guide: /specs/001-connection-string-translator/quickstart.md

TypeScript + Webpack
VS Code Extension API
Microsoft Learn documentation for OLEDB, ODBC, SqlClient specifications
Community feedback and testing

Thank you for trying SQL Connection String Translator v0.0.1!

We hope this tool saves you time and makes working with SQL Server connection strings across different platforms a breeze. 🚀