# Connect SQL Server to your AI client

> Connect Microsoft SQL Server to Bonnard through a read-only login and an IP allowlist, the first step to querying it from Claude, ChatGPT or another AI client.

Updated: 2026-10-12

To chart SQL Server data in Claude, ChatGPT or another AI client, connect it here, then create an app on it.
Bonnard reads Microsoft SQL Server through a read-only login, so your apps query only what you grant.

[Video: Connecting Microsoft SQL Server: the Data page, the Microsoft SQL Server form, Test & connect, the tenancy choice, and Connection saved]

## Requirements

- The Admin role in your Bonnard workspace.
- A SQL Server login that can create logins and database users.
- SQL Server authentication turned on, which on Azure SQL means Microsoft Entra-only authentication is off.

## 1. Create a read-only login

Bonnard connects as this login. Agents can query only the tables it can read.

```sql
-- In master: the login Bonnard connects as
CREATE LOGIN mcp_reader WITH PASSWORD = '<password>';

-- In your database. On Azure SQL Database, connect to it directly:
-- USE does not switch databases there.
CREATE USER mcp_reader FOR LOGIN mcp_reader;

-- Run this line once for each schema apps should query. Grant SELECT and nothing more:
-- Bonnard adds no read-only check on SQL Server, so this grant is the limit
GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA::<schema> TO mcp_reader;
```

Replace `<password>` and `<schema>` with your own. The grant covers tables you add to the schema later.

## 2. Allow Bonnard's IP addresses

If your database limits who can connect, allow Bonnard's IP addresses on port `1433`. The connect form lists them
under **Allow our IP addresses**. Bonnard cannot reach databases on a private network. On Azure SQL Database, add them
as server-level IP firewall rules.

## 3. Add the connection

1. In the console at `app.bonnard.ai`, select **Data**, then **MSSQL**.
   [Image: The Data page with MSSQL under Databases]
2. Enter a **Connection name** and the login's details from the table below.
   [Image: The Microsoft SQL Server connection form]
3. Select **Test & connect**. Bonnard connects as the login and reads the tables it can see.

Table: Microsoft SQL Server connection fields

| Field | Enter |
| --- | --- |
| **Connection name** | A name for this database in Bonnard, such as `Production`. |
| **Host** | The server's public hostname or IP address, such as `<server>.database.windows.net` on Azure SQL Database. |
| **Port** | `1433`, unless your server listens on another port. For a named instance, enter the fixed port it listens on. |
| **Database** | The database to read. |
| **User** and **Password** | The read-only login from step 1, such as `mcp_reader`. |
| **SSL mode** | Keep `verify-full`. For a private CA, such as Amazon RDS, paste its bundle into **CA certificate (PEM)**. |

## 4. Choose the tenancy

Choose how callers see the data, then select **Save & continue**.

Table: Tenancy options

| Option | Use it when |
| --- | --- |
| **No tenancy** | Every caller should see the same data. |
| **Multi-tenant (RLS)** | Your row-level security policies decide each caller's rows. They read the caller's tenant (the customer they belong to) from `SESSION_CONTEXT(N'tenant_id')`. |
| **Database per tenant** | Each tenant's tables sit in their own database, named by a pattern such as `customer_{tenant}`. |

[Image: The tenancy step for Microsoft SQL Server]

**Connection saved** shows the number of tables discovered.

[Image: Connection saved, with the tables discovered]

## Troubleshooting

- `Host resolves to a private or reserved address.` Use the public hostname. Bonnard cannot reach private networks.
- The test times out. Check that Bonnard's IP addresses are allowed (step 2).
- `Connected, but introspect failed: <message>` The login cannot read the table list. Fix what the message names.
- A table is missing. Grant `SELECT` on its schema, then select **Re-introspect** on the database's **Tables** tab.
- `tenant_not_routable` under **Multi-tenant (RLS)**. Check the tenant ID: on SQL Server, Bonnard accepts up to
  128 characters.
- Any other error is SQL Server's own message. Check the field it names, then select **Test & connect** again.

## Charts in your AI client

[Create an app](https://bonnard.ai/docs/apps/create-an-app.md) on this database, so AI clients such as Claude and ChatGPT can query it and draw charts.