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Explore an experimental SQL Server ADBC backend #771

Description

@axellpadilla

Rationale

dbt Core 2 adapters use ADBC for database connectivity. An optional ADBC backend in the current Python adapter would allow maintainers and users to validate the future driver against real SQL Server projects before the native dbt Core 2 adapter is complete.

This could identify driver, authentication, transaction, metadata, type-mapping, and platform issues early.

Scope

  • Identify the exact SQL Server ADBC driver intended for future use.
  • Prototype it as an optional backend alongside existing drivers.
  • Test connection, execution, transactions, metadata, Unicode, errors, and Arrow type conversion.
  • Document supported platforms, authentication methods, and known differences.

Outcome

Determine whether the driver is suitable for dbt workloads and produce reusable compatibility evidence for the dbt Core 2 adapter port.

This does not make the Python adapter compatible with dbt Core 2. Full compatibility will depend on dbt Labs’ final supported adapter architecture for the stable dbt Core 2 release. Based on the current alpha implementation and published guidance, that would require porting SQL Server support to the Rust adapter framework in the official dbt-labs/dbt-core repository.

Pre-work (old) but already tested: #633

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