I need to build a Django application that connects to an existing MS SQL Server database. My current PowerApps are getting slower because of complex data validation and growing datasets, so I want to switch to Django for better performance.
The problem is I have to use the existing SQL Server database and cannot create a new one due to company policies. I found some third-party packages like django-mssql-backend but I’m not sure if they support all the features I need.
Can I execute stored procedures and custom SQL queries with these packages? Will I be able to run SELECT statements and other database operations normally? Any advice on the best approach would be helpful.
i’ve had a good experience with django-mssql-backend too! been using it for 6 months now. you can run custom sql and stored procedures without any issues, just make sure to use cursor.execute() within a connection block. way better than my old PowerApps for complex validations!
Django-mssql-backend works great with existing SQL Server databases. I migrated from a legacy system last year and it went smoother than I expected. You can run stored procedures using Django’s raw SQL - just wrap your calls in connection.cursor() and execute them directly. The package handles standard Django ORM stuff plus custom queries, so you’ve got flexibility when dealing with complex business logic already baked into your database. Pro tip: use the inspectdb command to generate your initial models from the existing schema, then clean them up as needed. Performance should blow PowerApps out of the water, especially for heavy data operations where you can optimize queries yourself.
Interesting challenge! I’ve been curious about Django-MSSQL setups too. What stored procedures are you running? How complex is your data validation - triggers, constraints, or custom business rules? Also curious about those PowerApps performance issues you mentioned.