dbExpress Driver for SQL Server: SQL Server 2025 and Azure SQL for Existing Delphi dbExpress Code
dbExpress Driver for SQL Server is a Devart driver that lets Delphi and C++Builder applications built on Embarcadero's dbExpress framework connect to SQL Server 7 through 2025, SQL Server Compact and Azure SQL. It costs $229.95 at checkout for one developer with a year of updates (Standard edition), and builds for Windows, Linux and, in Direct mode, macOS.
This is a product for code that already exists. If your application is built on TSQLConnection and TSQLQuery, you swap the driver and keep the rest: no new component set to learn, no rewrite. Devart's driver adds a Direct mode with no Microsoft client to install, newer SQL Server and Azure authentication, and a support team that ships fixes.
Quick facts
- Version: 9.6.0, released October 9, 2026
- Developer: Devart
- Servers: SQL Server 2025, 2022, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008 R2, 2008, 2005 (including Express), 2000 (including MSDE) and 7; SQL Server Compact 4.0, 3.5 and 3.1; Azure SQL
- IDEs: Delphi and C++Builder 6 to 13 Florence, every edition including Community
- Target platforms: Windows 32-bit and 64-bit, Linux 64-bit, macOS 64-bit and Apple Silicon (Direct mode only)
- Connection: Direct mode with no client, or Microsoft OLE DB, SQL Native Client or the MSOLEDBSQL provider
- Price: Standard $229.95, Standard with Source Code $359.95, each with one year of updates and support
- Trial: 30 days, for evaluation only; the download needs a free Devart account
- Guarantee: 30-day money-back guarantee
- What we checked: on November 13, 2026, the order page priced the default order (Standard, single developer, 1 year of updates) at $229.95, with the yearly renewal listed at $119.95 before tax; the download page listed version 9.6.0 with a 17.69 MB installer covering all supported IDEs. We didn't connect it to a SQL Server instance.
Before you buy: a driver, not a component library
dbExpress Driver for SQL Server plugs into Embarcadero's dbExpress components; it doesn't add datasets of its own. Features of Devart's component libraries, such as an OnConnectionLost event, aren't part of a dbExpress driver. If you're starting a new project rather than keeping a dbExpress one alive, look at Devart's SDAC or UniDAC, or FireDAC, which comes with RAD Studio. The trial also runs only 30 days, shorter than Devart's 60-day DAC trials, so plan your testing.
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Overview
dbExpress is Embarcadero's thin, database-independent data access layer: your application talks to TSQLConnection, and a driver library does the server-specific work. Devart's driver implements that interface for SQL Server, so you use it exactly as you'd use Embarcadero's own driver, with your existing queries, stored procedure calls and TClientDataSet logic.
Devart keeps it current. Version 9.5.0 in September 2025 added RAD Studio 13 Florence, a MultipleConnections parameter and the Optional, Required and Strict values for encrypted connections; 9.6.0 in October 2026 added SQL Server 2025 support and fixes for multiple result sets, DATETIME2 parameters in stored procedures and empty TEXT fields. Earlier releases added SQL Server 2022, Azure AD (Microsoft Entra) authentication and Azure's Redirect connection policy in Direct mode.
Features
Direct mode with no Microsoft client
dbExpress Driver for SQL Server can connect in Direct mode, speaking to the server itself instead of going through OLE DB or SQL Native Client. Devart ships Direct mode for all supported IDEs and target platforms as obfuscated source code. It's what makes macOS possible (macOS works in Direct mode only), and on Windows it removes the dependency on whichever Microsoft client happens to be installed.
From SQL Server 7 to SQL Server 2025 and Azure
dbExpress Driver for SQL Server covers an unusually wide range of servers: SQL Server 7 and 2000 through 2025, including Express editions, SQL Server Compact 3.1 to 4.0, and Azure SQL databases. On Windows it can also use the Microsoft OLE DB providers, including MSOLEDBSQL, with Azure AD (Microsoft Entra) authentication, and it supports encrypted connections with the Optional, Required and Strict settings.
Drop-in for existing dbExpress applications
dbExpress Driver for SQL Server works with the standard dbExpress components in Delphi and C++Builder from version 6 to 13 Florence, including Community Edition, with VCL on Windows and FireMonkey on Windows, macOS and Linux. Changing drivers is mostly a matter of the DriverName, LibraryName and VendorLib settings on your TSQLConnection; the rest of the code stays.
SQL tracing with dbMonitor
Devart's free dbMonitor tool shows every SQL statement, commit and rollback your application sends through the driver, which is the quickest way to see what a slow screen is really doing.
Benefits
- Keeps old code running on new servers. A dbExpress application written years ago can move to SQL Server 2025 or Azure without a data layer rewrite.
- Simpler deployment. Direct mode means one less Microsoft component to install and version-match on customer PCs.
- Cross-platform reach. The same dbExpress code can run on Linux and macOS servers or desktops.
- A vendor that answers. Devart's forum and e-support handle driver bugs, with nightly builds for fixes.
Real-World Uses
- A server upgrade. A client moves from SQL Server 2014 to 2025 and the existing dbExpress application needs a driver that supports the new server.
- Moving to Azure SQL. An on-premises database moves to Azure, and the Delphi client connects with Entra authentication.
- A Linux service. A Delphi back-end service built on dbExpress is recompiled for Linux 64-bit and keeps talking to SQL Server.
- Old IDE, new server. A team still maintaining an application in Delphi 7 or 2007 needs current SQL Server support without upgrading the IDE.
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
dbExpress Driver for SQL Server is for Delphi and C++Builder developers with existing dbExpress applications on SQL Server, especially those who need newer servers or Azure, Direct mode, Linux or macOS targets, or old IDE versions.
Skip it if:
- You're starting a new project. SDAC (SQL Server only) or UniDAC (many servers) give you richer components, and FireDAC comes with RAD Studio.
- Embarcadero's own driver already works for you. If you only target Windows and your server is supported, there may be nothing to fix.
- You need connection-loss events and automatic recovery. Those live in Devart's DAC libraries, not in a dbExpress driver.
Usage Guide
- Sign in to (or create) a free Devart account and download the installer from the driver's download page; one 17.69 MB installer covers all supported IDEs.
- Close the IDE and run the installer, picking your IDE versions.
- On your TSQLConnection, set DriverName to the Devart SQL Server driver and set LibraryName, GetDriverFunc and VendorLib as described in the Readme.html that comes with the driver.
- Add HostName, Database, User_Name and Password to the connection parameters, or choose Windows or Azure authentication.
- Choose Direct mode or an OLE DB provider; with OLE DB, the Readme explains how to set the provider order.
- Deploy the driver DLL with your application. The license allows you to distribute it only as part of your compiled application.
Where it falls short
- Documentation is a Readme. Devart says all driver documentation is in the Readme.html file. Users upgrading after years on an old version have found that thin.
- No reconnect inside a transaction. The driver can reconnect when a dataset is opened, but not while a transaction is active, and ApplyUpdates starts one. Devart's suggested workaround is to run a dummy query just before ApplyUpdates.
- Connection settings after server upgrades. One long-time user hit "Login Timeout Expired" after a client's SQL Server update; Devart's advice was to use a current driver and the sqlncli11 client library, or Direct mode.
- Short trial and guarantee. 30 days each, half the window Devart gives its DAC libraries.
What Users Say
Like most dbExpress drivers, this one has no ratings on mainstream review sites. What's public comes from Devart's support forum, where long-time users describe what happened when servers changed under them.
Six years without changes
A developer wrote in April 2020: "I have been using the dbExpress driver for SQL Server Standard with Source Code version 6.5.7 since March 2014 with no issues." His trouble started only when his client upgraded SQL Server: "now they are getting Login Timeout Expired error."
He also asked whether there were "better information sources than the readme file?" Devart's reply: "All the documentation about the dbExpress driver is stored in the Readme.html, which describes all supported driver parameters."
Expectations about reconnecting
A buyer who chose the driver because his "users are constantly running into network issues" found it didn't recover the way he expected during ApplyUpdates.
Devart explained: "dbExpress driver for SQL Server cannot reconnect if there is an active transaction. When you perform ApplyUpdates, dbExpress driver for SQL Server starts a transaction," and suggested opening a "select 1" query first.
The pattern: the driver tends to run unattended for years, Devart answers questions on its forum, and the friction comes from thin documentation and from expecting component-library features in a driver. Test your own connection setup and recovery in the 30-day trial.
Comparisons
Devart's driver vs Embarcadero's dbExpress driver
Both plug into the same dbExpress components, so switching is cheap. Devart's brings Direct mode, macOS and Linux targets, SQL Server Compact, support from Delphi 6 onward, and fixes from a dedicated team. If Embarcadero's driver already does what you need on Windows, there's little reason to pay.
dbExpress driver vs SDAC and FireDAC
SDAC is Devart's full SQL Server component library, with its own datasets, connection-loss events and SQL Server-specific components; FireDAC comes with RAD Studio. Both are better choices for new code. The dbExpress driver is the right buy when you want to keep an existing dbExpress application and only change what's underneath.
Editions and Pricing
Both editions use the one Buy Now button below: you choose the edition, the license type (Single, Team for up to 4 developers, or Site) and 1, 2 or 3 years of updates on the order page. Prices are for one developer with one year of updates.
| Edition |
Price |
What you get |
| Standard (default order) |
$229.95 |
The driver with Direct mode, Windows, macOS and Linux targets, full data type support and dbMonitor tracing |
| Standard with Source Code |
$359.95 |
Everything in Standard plus the driver's source code |
A Team or Site license, more years of updates, and Priority Support raise the price on the order page. The license stays valid after the year ends.
FAQs
Does Devart's dbExpress driver support SQL Server 2025?
Yes. dbExpress Driver for SQL Server added SQL Server 2025 in version 9.6.0 (October 2026), and it supports every version back to SQL Server 7, plus Azure SQL and SQL Server Compact.
Do I need SQL Native Client or OLE DB on client PCs?
Not in Direct mode. dbExpress Driver for SQL Server can connect directly to the server; OLE DB or SQL Native Client is only needed if you choose those connection methods on Windows.
Can I connect to Azure SQL with Entra ID?
Yes. dbExpress Driver for SQL Server supports Azure SQL and Azure AD (Microsoft Entra) authentication through the Microsoft OLE DB provider, and Azure's Redirect connection policy in Direct mode.
Does the driver work with Delphi Community Edition?
Yes. dbExpress Driver for SQL Server supports every Delphi and C++Builder edition, including Community and Starter, from version 6 to 13 Florence.
What happens when my year of updates ends?
You keep a perpetual license for the last version released during your subscription. Renewal (listed at $119.95 a year before tax on November 13, 2026) brings new versions, nightly builds and support.
Can I use the trial in a production application?
No. The 30-day trial of dbExpress Driver for SQL Server is for evaluation only, and applications built with it can't be used commercially. Devart's 30-day money-back guarantee covers the paid license.
System Requirements
- IDE: RAD Studio, Delphi or C++Builder 6 through 13 Florence (13 needs Release 2)
- Targets: Windows 32-bit and 64-bit; Linux 64-bit (RAD Studio 10.2 and later); macOS 64-bit and Apple Silicon (RAD Studio 10.3 and later, Direct mode only)
- Server: SQL Server 7 to 2025, SQL Server Compact 3.1 to 4.0, or Azure SQL
- Client: none in Direct mode; otherwise OLE DB or SQL Native Client on Windows
- Installer: 17.69 MB, one installer for all IDEs
Conclusion
dbExpress Driver for SQL Server is worth $229.95 if you maintain a dbExpress application on SQL Server and need it to keep working on newer servers, Azure, Linux or macOS, or from an old IDE, without rewriting the data layer. That continuity is the one reason to buy it. The main reason not to: for new code, SDAC, UniDAC or the free-with-RAD-Studio FireDAC give you more, and if Embarcadero's own driver already works, you may not need it at all. Use the 30-day trial to test your real connection settings before buying.
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