Hey Austin, sorry to hear you're hitting roadblocks migrating your Azure SQL Server database to MySQL or PostgreSQL for local access on your MacBook. I’ve walked through this exact scenario with several devs, so let’s break down three reliable, battle-tested methods that should get you up and running:

Azure Data Studio is Microsoft's cross-platform database tool (fully supported on Mac) that simplifies connecting to Azure SQL and exporting data for migration.

• Step 1: Set up Azure Data Studio
  Install it on your Mac, then connect to your Azure SQL Server. Make sure you’ve added your MacBook’s public IP to Azure SQL’s firewall rules (critical for connectivity).
• Step 2: Export data and schema
  Right-click your database > Export Data. You can choose to export to CSV (universal format) or use the built-in wizard with extensions for MySQL/PostgreSQL (install the respective extensions from the Azure Data Studio marketplace first).
• Step 3: Import to local database
  • For MySQL: Use MySQL Workbench to import the CSV, or run converted SQL scripts. The tool will auto-map most data types, but double-check things like IDENTITY → AUTO_INCREMENT.
  • For PostgreSQL: Use pgAdmin or the psql command line to import CSV files. Adjust SQL Server-specific syntax like GETDATE() → NOW() if using exported SQL scripts.

These tools handle most of the heavy lifting for syntax and data type mapping, saving you manual edits.

For MySQL: MySQL Workbench Migration Wizard #

• Install MySQL Workbench on your Mac, then open the Migration Wizard under the Database menu.
• Select SQL Server as the source, input your Azure SQL connection details (ensure firewall access), then select your local MySQL instance as the target.
• Follow the wizard to map tables, adjust data types, and run the migration. It auto-converts most SQL Server-specific code (like TOP → LIMIT) for you.

For PostgreSQL: pgLoader #

pgLoader is a lightning-fast, open-source tool built specifically for migrating to Postgres.

• Install via Homebrew (if you don’t have Homebrew, install it first with /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"):

  brew install pgloader
  

• Create a load script (e.g., migrate-sqlserver-to-postgres.load) with your connection details:

  LOAD DATABASE
       FROM mssql://[azure-sql-username]:[azure-sql-password]@[azure-server-name].database.windows.net/[database-name]
       INTO postgresql://[local-postgres-username]:[local-postgres-password]@localhost:5432/[local-db-name]
  
  WITH include drop, create tables, create indexes, reset sequences
       SET work_mem to '64MB', maintenance_work_mem to '512MB';
  

• Run the migration with:

  pgloader migrate-sqlserver-to-postgres.load
  

If other tools fail, use Azure’s native BACPAC export to get a full snapshot of your database, then convert it for your target.

• Step 1: Export BACPAC from Azure
  In the Azure Portal, go to your SQL Server database > Export > Save the BACPAC file to Azure Blob Storage, then download it to your Mac.
• Step 2: Extract SQL scripts with sqlpackage
  Install Microsoft’s sqlpackage tool via Homebrew:

  brew install microsoft/sqlserver/sqlpackage
  

  Extract the schema and data to SQL files:

  sqlpackage /Action:Extract /SourceConnectionString:"Server=tcp:[azure-server-name].database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog=[db-name];User ID=[username];Password=[password];Encrypt=True;" /TargetFile:./my-db.bacpac /ExtractAllTableData:true
  

• Step 3: Convert and import
  Use manual edits (or open-source SQL converters) to fix syntax differences:
  • Replace INT IDENTITY with INT AUTO_INCREMENT (MySQL) or SERIAL (Postgres)
  • Swap NVARCHAR with VARCHAR
  • Replace GETDATE() with NOW()
  • Convert SELECT TOP N to SELECT ... LIMIT N
    Then run the converted script in your local MySQL/Postgres client.

• Firewall Access: Always confirm your MacBook’s public IP is allowed in Azure SQL’s firewall rules—this is the #1 reason connections fail.
• Test First: Migrate a single small table first to validate data types and syntax before full migration.
• Stored Procedures/Triggers: Custom code like stored procedures may need manual rewriting, as tools can’t always handle edge cases.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Austin