SQL Server

Experimental

Creates:

AssetsLineage

Configure in the UI

This plugin can be configured directly in the Marmot UI with a step-by-step wizard.

View Guide

The SQL Server plugin discovers databases, tables, views, stored procedures and functions from Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Edge instances. It uses the pure-Go github.com/microsoft/go-mssqldb driver, so no ODBC driver is needed on the host. SQL authentication works with a plain login, and Windows authentication works by giving the login as DOMAIN\user.

Databases and Naming

A SQL Server session is bound to a single database, so the plugin opens one connection per database. By default it discovers every database the login can open, minus master, model, msdb and tempdb. Set database to discover just one.

One instance holds many databases and two of them can hold the same schema and object name, so tables, views and routines are named database.schema.object. Databases are named by themselves.

Lineage

A database gets a CONTAINS edge to every table, view and routine it holds. Foreign keys become FOREIGN_KEY edges from the referencing table to the referenced one. View definitions are scanned for the objects they read, which become VIEW_OF edges from each base object to the view.

Query history is not read. Usage-based lineage would need the plan cache or Query Store, which are per-database, expensive to scan and often disabled.

Encryption

encrypt: true requires an encrypted connection. A default SQL Server install presents a self-signed certificate, which fails verification, so pair it with trust_server_certificate: true or install a certificate the client trusts. encrypt: false turns encryption off entirely.

Comments

SQL Server has no COMMENT ON, so descriptions come from MS_Description extended properties on schemas, tables, views and columns. Objects without one have no description.

Example Configuration

host: "sqlserver.company.com"
port: 1433
user: "marmot_reader"
password: "secure_password_123"
encrypt: true
trust_server_certificate: false
exclude_databases:
  - "master"
  - "model"
  - "msdb"
  - "tempdb"
tags:
  - "sqlserver"
  - "production"

Configuration

The following configuration options are available:

Property	Type	Required	Description
application_intent	string	false	Connect to a read-only replica with ReadOnly
connect_timeout_seconds	int	false	Seconds to wait for a connection
database	string	false	Discover only this database. Leave empty to discover every database the login can open
discover_foreign_keys	bool	false	Whether to discover foreign key relationships
encrypt	bool	false	Require an encrypted connection
exclude_databases	[]string	false	Databases to skip
exclude_schemas	[]string	false	Schemas to skip
external_links	[]ExternalLink	false	External links to show on all assets
filter	Filter	false	Filter discovered assets by name (regex)
host	string	true	SQL Server hostname or IP address
include_columns	bool	false	Whether to include column information
include_procedures	bool	false	Whether to discover stored procedures and functions
include_statistics	bool	false	Whether to collect row counts and table sizes
include_views	bool	false	Whether to discover views
password	string	true	Password for the login
port	int	false	SQL Server port
tags	TagsConfig	false	Tags to apply to discovered assets
trust_server_certificate	bool	false	Accept the server certificate without verifying it. Needed for self-signed certificates
user	string	true	Login to authenticate with. Use DOMAIN\user for Windows authentication

Available Metadata

The following metadata fields are available:

Field	Type	Description
collation	string	Database collation, or column collation for text types
column_name	string	Column name
comment	string	MS_Description extended property on the object
computed_definition	string	Expression a computed column is derived from
created	string	When the object was created
data_type	string	Column type as SQL Server declares it, for example nvarchar(100) or decimal(10,2)
database	string	Database holding the object
database_id	int	Database id within the instance
default_expression	string	Default constraint expression
description	string	MS_Description extended property on the column
edition	string	Instance edition
encrypted	bool	Whether the routine body is encrypted and so unreadable
host	string	SQL Server hostname or IP address
identity_increment	int64	Step between IDENTITY values
identity_seed	int64	First value an IDENTITY column produces
is_computed	bool	Whether the column is computed from other columns
is_identity	bool	Whether the column is an IDENTITY column
is_nullable	bool	Whether null values are allowed
is_persisted	bool	Whether a computed column is stored rather than evaluated on read
is_primary_key	bool	Whether the column is part of the primary key
modified	string	When the object was last altered
object_type	string	Object type (user_table, view) or routine type (stored_procedure, scalar_function, inline_table_function, table_function)
owner	string	Login that owns the database
port	int	SQL Server port
recovery_model	string	Recovery model (SIMPLE, FULL, BULK_LOGGED)
schema	string	Schema holding the object
schema_comment	string	MS_Description extended property on the schema
schema_count	int	Number of discovered schemas
server_version	string	Instance product version
state	string	Database state, always ONLINE for a discovered database
table_count	int	Number of discovered tables
table_name	string	Table or view name, without the database and schema
view_count	int	Number of discovered views