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HubConnecting DataGrip to SQL Server Express LocalDB
UPDATED: September, 2019
Check the LocalDB instance
You can easily connect to your LocalDB instance with DataGrip. And as a first step, check if your LocalDB instance is ready for a connection. Locate SqllocalDB.exe and run the SqllocalDB.exe i command in a terminal. You will see a list of available LocalDB instances on the server.
To create an instance, run SqlLocalDB create "DEVELOPMENT" 14.0 -s. This command creates an instance of LocalDB named DEVELOPMENT by using SQL Server 2017 binaries and starts the instance. If you omit 14.0, the version number defaults to the version of the SqlLocalDB utility.
We want to connect to the MSSQLLocalDB instance. First, we need to check its state by runningSqllocalDB.exe i MSSQLLocalDB command.
Currently, the instance is running (see the State field). If you have the Stopped state, start the instance by running SqllocalDB.exe s MSSQLLocalDB in the terminal.
Important! By default, every LocalDB instance is stopped after several minutes of inactivity. You can change this behavior by changing user instance timeout option with T-SQL (read more at stackoverflow.com). Since DataGrip 2019.2, when IDE connects to LocalDB, the LocalDB instance is started automatically.
Create the Microsoft SQL Server data source
The instance is ready, you can launch DataGrip.
In the Database tool window (), click the Add icon 
and select Microsoft SQL Server.
Configure the LocalDB connection
Select the driver
From the Driver list, select Microsoft SQL Server (jTds).
Select the connection type
From the Connection type list, select LocalDB.
Select the LocalDB instance
From the Instance list, select the instance to connect to (for example, MSSQLLocalDB).
Select the domain
Open the Advanced tab and find the DOMAIN option and set it to the name of the machine where the instance is installed. If the instance is on your local machine, use the name of your computer.
Enter credentials and test your connection
If you do not use Windows domain authentication, clear the Windows domain authentication checkbox and enter your access credentials. Click Test connection.
Your DataGrip Team
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Justin says:
January 31, 2017Thank you!!! 😀
I <3 JetBrains
István Heckl says:
February 17, 2018Your description worked fine. But the opened DB contains system tables like spt_monitor, spt_fallback_dev. (sqllocaldb.exe showed only one local db)
I have an mdf file which contains the DB I want to use. Any idea? (I tried to give the full name of the mdf file in the uppermost Database field, but it did not help)
Maksim Sobolevskiy says:
February 19, 2018Let me copy-paste your comment from SO to help those who will read it in future.
“I found the solution:
after giving username and password go to schema tab (exit from visual studio) check the mdf file, check the relevent schema, e.g. dbo if you missed this step then database double click on “connection / schemas” to make the check”
Raphael Foxik says:
June 2, 2019Hello,
There is no SQL Server (jTds) on the list anymore. Anyways I am trying to configure data source for my MSSQLLocalDB. Is there any way to do that in DataGrip/Rider 2019.1? I would appreciate any instructions.
Maksim Sobolevskiy says:
June 3, 2019Please attach a screenshot.
JimF says:
August 29, 2019I have the same problem, the only choice to create a data source that matches is “SQL Server”. Then, once I select that, I see a second list, and that list has “SQL Server (jTds)”. When I select that, the screen I see on the right does not match your screenshot at all. There is no dropdown for URL, for example.
Is there an updated blog post for doing this?
Maksim Sobolevskiy says:
September 3, 2019Yes, the driver should be chosen here: https://habrastorage.org/webt/iy/ff/45/iyff45j1dojgay5bcafgpzqopla.jpeg
We’ll update the tutorial, thanks!