SDAC: Native SQL Server Components for Delphi, C++Builder and Lazarus
SQL Server Data Access Components (SDAC) is a $349.95 Devart library that connects Delphi, C++Builder and Lazarus applications to Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL, from SQL Server 7 up to SQL Server 2025. It's for developers who build on SQL Server and want faster, simpler data access than ADO or dbExpress, plus components for SQL Server features such as Service Broker and query notifications.
ADO works, until you need to ship a 64-bit, macOS or Linux build, keep up with a new SQL Server release, or react to data changes without polling. SDAC replaces that layer with TDataSet-compatible components built for SQL Server, and in Professional it connects directly, without SQL Server client software on the user's PC.
Quick facts
- Version: 13.1.0, released September 29, 2026
- Developer: Devart
- IDEs: Delphi and C++Builder from version 6 up to RAD Studio 13 Florence, every edition including Community, plus Lazarus 4.8 and Free Pascal 3.2.2 (Professional with Source Code edition only)
- Targets: Windows (32-bit, 64-bit, ARM64EC), macOS (64-bit, Apple Silicon), Linux, iOS and Android. The Standard edition builds for Windows only
- Frameworks: VCL, FireMonkey (FMX) and Lazarus LCL
- Databases: SQL Server 2025, 2022, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008 R2, 2008, 2005 (all including Express), 2000 and 7, SQL Server Compact and Azure SQL
- Price: $349.95 for Professional, one developer, with a year of updates and support. Standard is $229.95
- Trial: 60 days, fully functional, for evaluation only. A free Devart account is needed to download it
- Guarantee: 60-day money-back guarantee
- Download size: 58.69 MB for the RAD Studio 13 installer
- What we checked: version 13.1.0 and its 58.69 MB RAD Studio 13 installer on Devart's download page, and the Professional license for one developer at $349.95 on the order page (renewing at $179.95 a year), both on October 15, 2026
Before you buy: Standard or Professional?
Direct mode is in Professional only. SDAC Standard ($229.95) needs SQL Server client software on each PC, builds for Windows only, and leaves out TMSLoader, TMSServiceBroker, TMSChangeNotification, TMSCompactConnection, TMSMetadata, TMSDump, the encryptor and the DataSet Manager. To deploy without client software, target macOS, Linux or mobile, or use those components, buy Professional ($349.95). Lazarus needs the Professional with Source Code edition.
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Overview
SDAC gives you TMSConnection for the connection, TMSQuery, TMSTable and TMSStoredProc for data, TMSSQL for statements and TMSScript for scripts. They descend from TDataSet, so data-aware controls and reporting tools such as InfoPower and ReportBuilder work as they do with any dataset, and an interface compatible with the BDE and ADO makes migrating older code easier.
Version 13.1, released September 29, 2026, added support for SQL Server 2025 and Always Encrypted, a UDLFileName connection option, RAD Studio 13 Florence Release 2 and Lazarus 4.8, and improved the ARM64EC target.
Features
Direct mode: SQL Server without client software
SDAC Professional connects to SQL Server directly, so your application doesn't depend on which Microsoft client libraries are installed on the user's PC. A Charset option controls non-default encodings in Direct mode, and connections can be encrypted, including SSL with password-protected private keys.
SQL Server features as components
SDAC Professional wraps SQL Server features that ADO leaves to you. TMSServiceBroker sends and receives Service Broker messages for queuing and reliable messaging. TMSChangeNotification uses query notifications, so your application hears about changed data instead of polling. TMSCompactConnection works with SQL Server Compact Edition, and TMSLoader speeds up bulk inserts. You also get distributed transactions with TMSTransaction, record and table locking, and support for user-defined types and FOR XML results.
Current SQL Server support
SDAC 13.1 supports SQL Server 2025 and Always Encrypted, and every release back to SQL Server 7, including Express editions and Azure SQL. It can also search the local network for installed SQL Server instances, which helps when building a connection dialog.
Performance and offline work
SDAC fetches large data blocks in a controlled way, pools connections, applies cached updates in batches and runs multi-statement scripts efficiently. NonBlocking mode runs queries in a background thread. Disconnected mode opens and closes connections automatically so users can work with data offline, and Local Failover re-runs certain operations when a connection drops.
Tools for the rest of the job
SDAC Professional adds TMSMetadata, TMSDump for storing a database as a script, TCRBatchMove for copying data between datasets, TMSEncryptor for sensitive fields and the DataSet Manager. TMSSQLMonitor and the free dbMonitor tool trace every statement. The Migration Wizard helps move BDE and ADO projects onto SDAC.
Benefits
SDAC's main benefit is less plumbing. Service Broker messaging and query notifications become components you drop on a form, rather than T-SQL and polling loops. Direct mode makes deployment a file copy. And because SDAC tracks new SQL Server releases (2025 support arrived in 13.1), an application can move to a new server version without changing its data access layer.
It also shortens migrations: the BDE- and ADO-compatible interface and the Migration Wizard let an older application move to SDAC without rewriting every form.
Real-World Uses
- ERP and production systems: large Delphi applications with hundreds of users on SQL Server, running around the clock.
- Live dashboards: screens that refresh when data changes, using TMSChangeNotification instead of timers.
- Reliable messaging: services that exchange messages through Service Broker queues with TMSServiceBroker.
- Mobile and Mac front ends: FireMonkey apps for iOS, Android or macOS that talk to an existing SQL Server or Azure SQL database (Professional).
- Moving off ADO: converting an ADO-based application with the Migration Wizard.
Who It's For
SDAC is for Delphi and C++Builder developers building on SQL Server or Azure SQL, especially products installed at customer sites and applications that use Service Broker or query notifications. If you need SQL Server plus other databases in one application, UniDAC is the better fit (see Comparisons).
Usage Guide
- Create a Devart account and download. On the SDAC download page, choose the installer for your IDE version and sign in to start the 60-day trial.
- Install. Close the IDE and run the installer. Two SDAC versions can't be installed in the same IDE, and other Devart DAC products in that IDE must be at versions with the same release date.
- Add a connection. In a VCL or FireMonkey project, drop a TMSConnection from the SDAC palette page on the form.
- Connect. Set Server, Database and the authentication details (in Professional you can switch to Direct mode), then set Connected to True.
- Query. Add a TMSQuery and a TMSDataSource, link a DBGrid, write your SELECT and open it.
Tips
- Run dbMonitor while you develop. It shows each statement with its parameters, which makes slow queries easy to spot.
- Use macros in SQL (a feature users praise) to switch table names or conditions at run time without string concatenation.
- SDAC includes the SQL Server provider for UniDAC Standard, so the two can share one IDE.
What Users Say
SDAC has a smaller public review footprint than Devart's other libraries. The comments below are from Devart's testimonials page, from developers who have used it in large production systems.
From Devart's testimonials page
"We have developed an ERP system for a wet glue label printer company. The 280 users are using the application in a 7*24 hour production. With SDAC we have implemented fast performing client applications, production systems which are easy to install and maintain. Since The software is over 2 million lines of code the use of the right dataset componentset is critical. We think using Devart SDAC is for us the best choice, because no additional drivers need to be installed, it performs well even on the older machines and the quality is excellent."
Olivier Olmer, Oxolutions BV
"I use SDAC in my daily works. It works perfect. I use it to fetch data from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2008 without changing any code, it save my many time to work with different MS SQL Server Version. And it is very fast. I like it as I like ODAC."
Quan Zhong Min, CIO of Xi'an Siyuan University of China
"SDAC component suite gave us opportunity to provide our customers with trouble-free and efficient database access in our software solutions. Since we began using Devart DAC components, our development time shortened drastically, since we can focus on the application instead of data access. Some clever solutions, like macro parameters, gave us widened programming options which help us satisfy our customers more efficiently. Devart's devotion to keep up with database server developers warrants us security and helps us stay in business. We do actually use SDAC, MyDAC, IBDAC and ODAC, in some of our software solutions we use even more than two of them at the same time. I personally think that Devart's DAC libraries for Delphi were our best buy, and helped us a lot in database applications development."
Mr. Davor Tavcar, head of Development department, Storitve Tavcar in partnerji d.n.o.
The recurring themes
What people like: speed on remote and older machines, no extra drivers to install, code that keeps working across SQL Server versions, and macro parameters. What to weigh: SDAC has few independent reviews, so the 60-day trial is the best way to judge it on your own database.
Comparisons
SDAC vs. UniDAC
UniDAC covers SQL Server plus Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, InterBase/Firebird and more for $599.95 (Professional). If you only use SQL Server, SDAC Professional is $250 cheaper and adds SQL Server components UniDAC doesn't have, such as TMSServiceBroker, TMSChangeNotification and TMSCompactConnection. If your application must support a second database, UniDAC costs less than SDAC plus another single-database library ($699.90).
SDAC vs. ADO and FireDAC
ADO comes with Delphi but is Windows-only and depends on installed Microsoft providers. FireDAC ships with RAD Studio and supports SQL Server through Microsoft's ODBC driver. SDAC's advantages are Direct mode, components for Service Broker and query notifications, and support all the way back to Delphi 6. If you already own RAD Studio Enterprise and only need basic SQL Server access, FireDAC may be enough.
Editions and Pricing
| Edition | Price (1 developer) | Platforms | What it adds |
|---|
| Standard | $229.95 | Windows | SQL Server connectivity through Microsoft's client software, base components, scripts, SQL monitoring and the Migration Wizard |
| Professional | $349.95 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Direct mode (no client software), mobile and desktop cross-platform targets, TMSLoader, Service Broker, query notifications, SQL Server Compact, metadata, TMSDump, encryption and DataSet Manager |
| Professional with Source Code | about $600 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Source code of the component classes, and the only edition that supports Lazarus and Free Pascal |
Every license covers one developer and includes a year of updates and premium support. SQL Server Data Access Components is also sold for teams and whole sites, and with multi-year subscriptions at a discount. When the subscription ends, you keep a perpetual license for the version you have. Renewing Professional costs $179.95 a year. You can distribute applications you build with SDAC royalty-free.
FAQs
Does SDAC support SQL Server 2025 and Azure SQL?
Yes. SDAC 13.1 added SQL Server 2025 and Always Encrypted support, and it also works with Azure SQL databases and every SQL Server version back to SQL Server 7.
Do my users need SQL Server client software with SDAC?
Not with SDAC Professional, whose Direct mode connects without it. SDAC Standard relies on Microsoft's SQL Server client software being installed on each PC.
Do my customers need a SDAC license to run my application?
No. A SQL Server Data Access Components license covers you as the developer, and applications you build with SDAC can be distributed royalty-free. You can't redistribute SDAC itself, apart from the original trial package.
What happens when my year of SDAC updates runs out?
You keep using the version you have under a perpetual license. Renewing SDAC Professional costs $179.95 a year and brings new versions, premium support and nightly builds with fixes.
Does SDAC work with Delphi Community Edition?
Yes. SQL Server Data Access Components supports every Delphi and C++Builder edition, including the free Community Edition, from Delphi 6 up to RAD Studio 13 Florence.
Can I use SDAC in Lazarus?
Yes, but only with the SDAC trial or the Professional with Source Code edition (about $600). The current SDAC release supports Lazarus 4.8 with Free Pascal 3.2.2 on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Can I use the SDAC trial to build a production application?
No. The SDAC trial runs for 60 days and is for evaluation only. Applications built with it may not be used in production or commercially, so buy a license before you ship.
System Requirements
- IDE: Delphi 6 (Update Pack 2) or C++Builder 6 (Update Pack 4) up to RAD Studio 13 Florence (Release 2), in any edition including Community, Starter, Professional, Enterprise and Architect. Lazarus 4.8 with Free Pascal 3.2.2 in the Professional with Source Code edition
- Target platforms: Windows 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64EC, macOS 64-bit and Apple Silicon, Linux 64-bit (and 32-bit in Lazarus), iOS 64-bit, Android 32-bit and 64-bit. Standard edition: Windows only
- Database: SQL Server 7 to 2025 (including Express editions), SQL Server Compact and Azure SQL. Without Direct mode, Microsoft's SQL Server client software on each PC
- Other Devart DACs: SDAC installs alongside UniDAC, ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC and PgDAC in the same IDE when they share the same common engine version, which versions released on the same date always do
Conclusion
SDAC is a solid, current SQL Server library: it already supports SQL Server 2025 and Always Encrypted, connects without client software in Professional, and turns Service Broker and query notifications into components. Buy Professional unless you only build Windows apps on PCs that already have SQL Server client software. If SQL Server is one of several databases you support, compare UniDAC first. Try it for 60 days against your own server before you buy.
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