For macOS users coming from a Windows background, searching for can be a frustrating experience. While SSMS is the gold standard for SQL Server administration, Microsoft does not offer a native version for macOS .
For the administrative tasks missing in ADS, Mac users can turn to the command line or web-based tools. The utility provides an intelligent, autocomplete-enabled terminal interface for SQL Server. Meanwhile, Microsoft has ported many server-centric management features to the SQL Server Configuration Manager equivalents within the Azure Portal (for cloud instances) or via PowerShell Core (which runs on macOS). For tasks like managing backups, users, or permissions, a well-crafted PowerShell script is often faster and more repeatable than clicking through SSMS dialogs. sql server management studio mac