Database connector

The SQL Server data catalog your whole team can trust.

The Dawiso SQL Server data catalog turns every database, schema, table and view into a searchable inventory, with object-level lineage out to Power BI downstream.

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Live connector Stable connector

SQL Server

Dawiso

Metadata-only · your data never leaves the source

Type: Microsoft relational database
Auth: SQL login & password (read-only user)
Sync: Scheduled, incremental
Direction: Read-only · metadata

First things first

What is a data connector?

Metadata-only Read-only access Incremental sync Cross-system lineage

A data connector is the bridge between a tool in your stack and the catalog that gives you a unified view of it. Once a connector is configured, it reaches into the source system on a schedule, reads out the metadata - schemas, tables, dashboards, jobs, ownership, lineage - and represents it inside the catalog. Your actual rows and values stay where they are.

Connectors are the reason a data catalog can answer questions like "which Power BI dashboard depends on this Snowflake table?" or "who owns the orders topic in Kafka?" - automatically, without anyone keeping a spreadsheet up to date.

Three properties separate a good connector from a brittle one: it should be read-only and safe, it should be incremental so a full re-scan isn't required for every refresh, and it should resolve lineage across system boundaries, not just inside one tool.

About the platform

What is Microsoft SQL Server?

Microsoft SQL Server has been Microsoft's enterprise relational database since 1989 and now runs on Windows Server, Linux and as Azure SQL on the Microsoft cloud. It is the operational store for SAP-adjacent ERP, financial systems, and the Power BI semantic layer most enterprises already use.

SQL Server exposes its own sys catalog views for structural introspection, but that's per-instance. Across dozens of databases on Azure SQL and on-prem SQL Server, no business glossary, no cross-platform lineage and no policy live there. That's where the Dawiso SQL Server data catalog joins the picture: read-only, metadata-only, and cross-platform.

Architecture

How Dawiso connects to SQL Server

A small read-only role on the SQL Server side. The Dawiso scanner pulls metadata on a schedule. Everything ends up in your catalog, business-readable.

Source

SQL Server instance

Databases & schemas
Tables & views
Procedures & functions
sys catalog dependencies

REST · JDBC

Dawiso scanner

Read-only metadata

Schema & object discovery
Dependency resolution
SQL flow parsing (optional)
Sampling on opt-in

Internal

Catalog

Dawiso platform

Searchable metadata
Lineage & ownership
Business glossary
Policy & classifications

Connection details

Protocol: SQL Server TDS · sys catalog views
Authentication: SQL login + per-database user with VIEW DEFINITION
Lineage: Object dependencies resolved from sys.sql_expression_dependencies; object-level lineage built from parsed view and stored-procedure SQL via Data Flow parsing on enterprise plans

Setup

Connect SQL Server in 4 steps

01

Create a server login

USE [master]; CREATE LOGIN [DawisoIntegration] WITH PASSWORD = '...'. Requires ALTER ANY LOGIN or membership in securityadmin.
02

Create a per-database user

Switch into each database and run CREATE USER [DawisoIntegrationUser] FOR LOGIN [DawisoIntegration]. SQL Server requires the login at server level and a user in each target database.
03

Grant view definition

GRANT VIEW DEFINITION ON DATABASE::[name] and GRANT SELECT ON OBJECT::[sys].[sql_expression_dependencies]. That's the entire permission set for metadata + lineage.
04

Connect and ingest

Add the host (DNS or IP, or your-instance.database.windows.net for Azure SQL), login and password. Optional encrypt and Trust Server Certificate flags. Scheduled incremental sync from there.

Capabilities

What you get with the SQL Server connector

Schema & table catalog

Every SQL Server database, schema, table, view, procedure and function is searchable, with column types and descriptions.
Object-level lineage

Cross-platform lineage from a Power BI report through SQL Server views and stored procedures down to the raw transactional table, via Data Flow parsing on enterprise plans.
PII classification

Classify a column once. Dawiso flags every SQL Server column carrying email, IBAN or government IDs across every database and instance.
Ownership & certification

Mark tables as certified, deprecated or under review. The owner is visible in the catalog alongside server logins and database users.
Business glossary alignment

Tie SQL Server tables and columns to glossary terms so business users get the same definition as the ERP module and the Power BI report.
Read-only by design

Dawiso reads metadata through VIEW DEFINITION and SELECT on sys.sql_expression_dependencies. Row-level data stays inside SQL Server.

Business value

Why teams turn on the SQL Server connector

−65%
Fewer 'which table?' pings

Analysts find the certified SQL Server table in Dawiso instead of pinging the data team to ask which schema holds the live customer record.
10×
Faster impact analysis

Before altering a SQL Server view, see exactly which stored procedures, Power BI reports and downstream tables depend on it. Seconds, not days.
Audit-ready
GDPR & DORA evidence

Sensitive SQL Server columns are classified once and the policy follows them through views, joins and downstream Power BI, with a full audit trail.

Ready to catalog your SQL Server?

Set up the connector in an afternoon. See your first lineage graph the same day.

Read the docs

Frequently asked questions

Still curious? Talk to our team ->

What is SQL Server metadata?

SQL Server exposes metadata through system catalog views and INFORMATION_SCHEMA - databases, tables, columns, keys, views and procedures. Dawiso reads it read-only and builds a business-readable catalog with lineage, ownership and classification.

Does SQL Server have a data catalog?

Cataloging for SQL Server is usually handled through Microsoft Purview. Dawiso is a cross-platform alternative: it reads SQL Server metadata read-only and connects it to BI and other databases with end-to-end lineage.

What is a data catalog used for?

A data catalog makes every SQL Server table discoverable, documented and trustworthy. Dawiso turns system metadata into one searchable catalog the whole business can use.

What permissions does Dawiso need in SQL Server?

A server login plus a per-database user with GRANT VIEW DEFINITION ON DATABASE and GRANT SELECT ON OBJECT::sys.sql_expression_dependencies. That's the entire grant set. Dawiso never modifies data or schemas.

Does Dawiso copy our SQL Server data?

No. Dawiso queries sys catalog views and sys.sql_expression_dependencies for metadata only. Row-level data stays inside SQL Server. Column profiling and sampling are opt-in per data source.

Which SQL Server versions and Azure SQL are supported?

SQL Server on Windows and Linux, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance and Amazon RDS for SQL Server. For Azure SQL, use the server.database.windows.net hostname; the same login + database user grant model applies.

How is lineage built?

Object dependencies come from sys.sql_expression_dependencies. SQL Server is one of Dawiso's supported sources for Data Flow parsing on enterprise plans: view and stored-procedure SQL is parsed to resolve object relations.