Checking Microsoft SQL Server support in PHP

<?php
echo 'sqlsrv: ' . (extension_loaded('sqlsrv') ? 'enabled' : 'not enabled') . '<br>';
echo 'pdo_sqlsrv: ' . (extension_loaded('pdo_sqlsrv') ? 'enabled' : 'not enabled');
?>

Connect with SQLSRV

<?php
$serverName = 'localhost';
$options = [
    'Database' => 'myDB',
    'UID' => 'user',
    'PWD' => 'password',
    'CharacterSet' => 'UTF-8',
];

$conn = sqlsrv_connect($serverName, $options);

if ($conn === false) {
    throw new RuntimeException('SQL Server connection failed.');
}
?>

Query with parameters

<?php
$sql = 'SELECT emp_no, name FROM employees WHERE department_id = ?';
$params = [10];
$stmt = sqlsrv_query($conn, $sql, $params);

if ($stmt === false) {
    throw new RuntimeException('Query failed.');
}

while ($row = sqlsrv_fetch_array($stmt, SQLSRV_FETCH_ASSOC)) {
    echo htmlspecialchars((string) $row['emp_no'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8')
       . ' '
       . htmlspecialchars((string) $row['name'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8')
       . '<br>';
}

sqlsrv_free_stmt($stmt);
sqlsrv_close($conn);
?>

Check configuration with phpinfo()

phpinfo() can show loaded modules and driver configuration. On a public server, do not leave a full phpinfo page exposed because it reveals extensive environment details.

Legacy mssql_* example

The following pattern belongs to old PHP applications and should not be used for new code:

<?php
// Legacy only: removed from modern PHP.
$link = mssql_connect($servername, $dbusername, $dbpassword);
$result = mssql_query('SELECT * FROM emp_m', $link);
?>

PDO_SQLSRV connection

<?php
$pdo = new PDO(
    'sqlsrv:Server=localhost;Database=myDB',
    'user',
    'password',
    [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]
);
?>

Legacy configuration reference

Very old Windows/PHP installations used configuration such as the following. It is retained only to help when reading old tutorials or maintaining old servers.

extension=php_mssql.dll

Legacy mssql query loop

<?php
// Legacy only.
$result = mssql_query('SELECT * FROM emp_m', $link);
while ($row = mssql_fetch_array($result)) {
    echo $row['emp_no'] . ' ' . $row['name'] . '<br>';
}
?>

← phpinfo() Read configuration with ini_get() →

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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