Jam SQL Studio Best SQL Notebook Tools in 2026
Where SQL notebooks live now that Azure Data Studio and Polyglot Notebooks are gone: how many steps each tool takes to a first result, which engines it runs, and what happens to your existing .ipynb files. Checked September 2026.
Free for personal use • No account required • Mac, Windows, Linux
Which SQL Notebook Tools Are Easiest?
"Easy" here means the fewest steps between installing something and seeing a query result under a cell. We build Jam SQL Studio, so check our count yourself — each path below is short enough to try in a few minutes.
- Jam SQL Studio — 3 steps. Install the app, choose More → New Notebook, pick a saved connection from the toolbar dropdown and press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter. No Python, no kernel, no connection string. Works on SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Oracle, SQLite and Azure Data Explorer.
- VS Code + MSSQL extension — 4 steps. Install VS Code and the MSSQL extension, create a notebook (or right-click a database → New Notebook), choose the MSSQL kernel and a connection, run the cell. T-SQL only: SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric.
- Jupyter + JupySQL — 5 or more steps. Set up Python and Jupyter, install JupySQL and your database's driver, load the extension, and write a connection URL in a
%sqlcell. More setup, but your query results feed straight into Python.
Hosted data notebooks (Hex, Deepnote, Databricks and similar) skip the install entirely, but they run in the vendor's cloud and connect to your database from there, so they need an account and network access to the database. They are a different category and not compared below.
SQL Notebook Tool Comparison (September 2026)
The three active options, plus the two that were retired this year.
| Question | Jam SQL Studio | VS Code + MSSQL | Jupyter + JupySQL | Azure Data Studio | Polyglot Notebooks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | ✓ Active (1.5.3, Sep 2026) | ✓ SQL Notebooks GA since June 2026 (1.43) | Latest JupySQL release 0.11.1 (Mar 2025) | ✗ Retired Feb 28, 2026 | ✗ Deprecated Mar 27, 2026 |
| Steps to a first result | 3 | 4 | 5+ | — | — |
| Engines | SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Oracle, SQLite, Azure Data Explorer (KQL) | SQL Server, Azure SQL, SQL database in Fabric | Whatever your Python driver reaches | SQL Server; PostgreSQL through an extension | Several, through .NET kernels |
| How you connect | Pick a saved connection and database in the toolbar | Pick a connection profile; one server per notebook, switch databases on it | Connection URL in a %sql cell | Connection picker | #!connect magic commands |
| Session shared across cells | ✓ One pinned session: temp tables and SET options persist; Restart Session clears them | — | — | — | — |
| Results under each cell | Grid (first 500 rows inline), one tab per result set, Text view, charts | Grid with sorting, filtering and copy with headers | Table output; plotting helpers | Grid | Basic table |
| Autocomplete in cells | ✓ | ✓ Table and column names | — | ✓ | Limited |
| Non-SQL cells | JavaScript cells in a sandboxed Node.js context (30-second limit) that read earlier results | Python and other kernels via the Jupyter extension | Python | Python kernel | C#, F#, PowerShell, JavaScript |
| AI | AI Chat Sidebar (your Claude Code or Codex CLI) lists, adds, edits and runs cells | GitHub Copilot suggestions and whole notebooks from a prompt | — | — | — |
| Price | Free for personal use; Pro $99/year for commercial use | Free | Free, open source | Free (no longer updated) | Free (no longer updated) |
Why DataGrip isn't in the table: it doesn't open .ipynb notebooks, and development of its Zeppelin notebook plugin is suspended. JetBrains' notebook product is Datalore, which is Jupyter-compatible and has SQL cells.
How SQL Notebooks Work in Jam SQL Studio
Details from the shipping app, including the one-connection rule.
One connection, one pinned session
Each notebook binds to one connection and database, and all SQL cells run on a single pinned session, so a temp table from cell 1 is readable in cell 2. Cells auto-commit; to group cells in one transaction on SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQLite, run a BEGIN cell first and end with COMMIT or ROLLBACK. Change the connection and earlier outputs are marked stale.
Several result sets per cell
A cell can hold several statements; each one that returns rows gets its own Result tab, and each data change adds an "N row(s) affected" line. A Results / Text toggle shows the rows as a plain text table with a Copy button for pasting into docs or chat.
JavaScript cells for glue logic
A JavaScript cell runs in a sandboxed Node.js context with a 30-second timeout and can read earlier cells' output through __previousResults; objects and arrays it returns render as a table. AI agents can edit a JavaScript cell but are never allowed to run one.
Run All with control
Run All stops at the first error unless you enable Continue on error; Run From Here runs the current cell and everything below it; Stop Execution cancels the running cell and skips the rest. Jupyter-style keys work in command mode: A and B insert cells, DD deletes, Y and M switch between code and Markdown.
Open what you already have
Azure Data Studio and Polyglot notebooks open directly: SQL and JavaScript cells stay executable, while C#, F# and PowerShell cells come in as Markdown. Save as Rich (with outputs) or Clean (without) .ipynb, and pin a notebook under its database in the Object Explorer. See SQL Notebooks and Migrate from Azure Data Studio.
Sources
Maintained by the Jam SQL Studio team. Last checked 26 September 2026.
- VS Code MSSQL: Microsoft Learn, SQL Notebooks, and the Azure SQL Dev Corner update of 2 June 2026 (SQL Notebooks GA).
- Jupyter: the JupySQL page on PyPI.
- Azure Data Studio: Microsoft Learn, "What's happening with Azure Data Studio". Polyglot Notebooks: the deprecation announcement in the dotnet/interactive repository (issue 4163).
- DataGrip: the DataGrip notebooks help page (Zeppelin plugin suspended).
- Jam SQL Studio: the 1.5.3 source and the SQL Notebooks docs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about SQL notebook tools.
Which SQL notebook tools are easiest?
Counting steps to a first result: Jam SQL Studio needs three (install, New Notebook, pick a saved connection and run), with no Python and no kernel. The VS Code MSSQL extension needs four (install VS Code and the extension, create a notebook, choose the MSSQL kernel and a connection) and runs T-SQL only. Jupyter with JupySQL needs a Python environment, Jupyter, JupySQL and a database driver, plus a connection string in a %sql cell, but gives you Python next to your SQL.
What is the best SQL notebook tool in 2026?
For T-SQL inside VS Code, the MSSQL extension's SQL Notebooks, generally available since June 2026. For Python analysis over query results, Jupyter with JupySQL. For runbooks and documentation across SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQLite and Azure Data Explorer in a desktop app with a connection picker and no kernel setup, Jam SQL Studio. Azure Data Studio was retired in February 2026 and Polyglot Notebooks was deprecated in March 2026.
What happened to SQL notebooks in Azure Data Studio and Polyglot Notebooks?
Microsoft retired Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026. Polyglot Notebooks was announced as deprecated on February 11, 2026, with bug fixes and support ending on March 27, 2026, and .NET Interactive following on April 24, 2026. Their .ipynb files still open elsewhere: Jam SQL Studio keeps SQL and JavaScript cells as code and imports C#, F# and PowerShell cells as Markdown.
What is a SQL notebook?
A document that mixes SQL cells with Markdown text, usually saved as a Jupyter .ipynb file. You run the cells, the results appear under each one, and the whole thing reads as a runbook, an onboarding guide or an analysis you can hand to a colleague.
Does Jam SQL Studio support .ipynb files?
Yes. Notebooks save as Jupyter Notebook v4 .ipynb files, either with outputs (Rich) or without them for cleaner version-control diffs (Clean). It opens notebooks from Azure Data Studio, Polyglot Notebooks and standard Jupyter notebooks with SQL kernels.
Do I need to install a SQL kernel?
Not in Jam SQL Studio or in the VS Code MSSQL extension, which ships its own MSSQL kernel. Plain Jupyter needs a SQL extension such as JupySQL plus a Python database driver for your engine.
Can I use multiple databases in one notebook?
Not in one Jam SQL Studio notebook: each notebook binds to one connection and database, and every cell runs on the same pinned session, which is what lets a temp table from cell 1 be read in cell 2. You can switch the notebook's connection (earlier outputs get a stale badge) or keep one notebook per database. The VS Code MSSQL extension has the same one-server rule but lets you switch databases on that server. Jupyter with JupySQL can open several connections from %sql cells.
Does DataGrip support SQL notebooks?
Not .ipynb notebooks. DataGrip's notebook support was the Zeppelin plugin, whose development JetBrains has suspended. JetBrains' notebook product is Datalore, which is Jupyter-compatible and has SQL cells.
Is Jam SQL Studio free for SQL notebooks?
Yes for personal, non-commercial use: SQL notebooks are included in the free Personal tier, with no account required. Commercial use needs Pro ($9.99/month or $99/year).
Download Jam SQL Studio
Open your .ipynb files, pick a connection, run. Free for personal use.
Comparing Other SQL Tools?
See how Jam SQL Studio compares to other popular database tools.