MCP server that connects VS Code to SQL Server

In this tutorial we will configure VS Code to use an MCP Server that connects to a SQL Server database. In a similar manner, you can also connect to SQLite, PostgresDB, and MySQL. This is a very compelling proposition because it allows developers to use AI to assist in generating code that dynamically interacts with data in a relational database.

Prerequisites

You will need to install the following software in order to proceed:

• Visual Studio Code with the GitHub Copilot Chat extension
• Docker Desktop
• Latest versions of node.js, npm, and npx

The database

We will run a SQL Server database with the Northwind database in a Docker container. Therefore:

• Start Docker Desktop on your computer
• Run a SQL Server container by executing this command in a terminal window:

docker run --cap-add SYS_PTRACE -e ACCEPT_EULA=1 -e MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=SqlPassword! -p 1333:1433 --name nw -d melmasry/my-sqlserver-northwind:latest

The database MCP Server

We will be using the MCP Server from the mcp-database-server GitHub Repo. Visit https://github.com/executeautomation/mcp-database-server for more details

Install and configure the SQL Server MCP server

In a suitable working directory, clone the repo, then build, and publish the code by executing these commands in a terminal window:

 
git clone https://github.com/executeautomation/mcp-database-server.git<
cd mcp-database-server
npm installnpm run build

We will next install the MCP server globally with:

  
npm install -g @executeautomation/database-server

To use the MCP server with our SQL Server database, run the following terminal window command:

  
node dist/src/index.js --sqlserver --server localhost --port 1333 --database Northwind --user sa --password SqlPassword!

Keep the above terminal window open and running.

Configuring VS Code

Open VS Code. Click on the settings gear in the bottom-left corner, followed by Settings.

In the search field, enter MCP, then click on "Edit in settings.json".

Under the mcp >> servers section, add the following MCP server settings:

"sqlserver": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
	"-y",
	"@executeautomation/database-server",
	"--sqlserver",
	"--server", "localhost",
	"--port", "1333",
	"--database", "Northwind",
	"--user", "sa",
	"--password", "SqlPassword!"
  ]
}

Click on Start:

Open the GitHub Copilot Chat panel:

In the GitHub Copilot Chat panel, choose any Claude model followed by Agent Mode.

Click on the tools icon in the prompt window.

This will show you a list of commands that the MCP server can carry out with SQL Server

We can now start querying the database using natural language. Start with this prompt:

 
You have access to the Northwind database through an MCP server. What are the tables in the database?

It detects that it can use the list_tables command.

Click on Continue. I got the following output:

Similarly, you can ask another questions like: 

Display the contents of the suppliers table.

Yet, another question:

What are the products supplied by "Exotic Liquids"?

Conclusion

It is very easy to connect VS Code with a relational database MCP server. In addition, you can similarly connect any C# application. MCO Servers open up a ton of possiblities for AI aided software development.