[denis_dolya]

I’ve been working with SQL Server from Python on various platforms for several years. The new Microsoft driver looks promising, particularly for constrained environments where configuring ODBC has historically been a source of friction.

For large data transfers — for example, Pandas or Polars DataFrames with millions of rows — performance and reliability are critical. In my experience, fast_executemany in combination with SQLAlchemy helps, but bulk operations via OpenRowSets or BCP are still the most predictable in production, provided the proper permissions are set.

It’s worth noting that even with a new driver, integration complexity often comes from platform differences, TLS/SSL requirements, and corporate IT policies rather than the library itself. For teams looking to simplify workflows, a driver that abstracts these nuances while maintaining control over memory usage and transaction safety would be a strong improvement over rolling your own ODBC setup.

[th0ma5]

This is the correct prospective. Often driver issues transcend technical and political boundaries. My old team dropped a vendor who changed the features of a driver and spent several years trying to find another as well as making that vendor reapply and make a new case, which, didn't work out for them.