{"id":10280,"date":"2026-04-07T08:12:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/python\/?p=10280"},"modified":"2026-04-07T08:12:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:12:05","slug":"write-sql-your-way-dual-parameter-style-benefits-in-mssql-python","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/python\/write-sql-your-way-dual-parameter-style-benefits-in-mssql-python\/","title":{"rendered":"Write SQL Your Way: Dual Parameter Style Benefits in mssql-python"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Python<\/a><\/p>\n

Reviewed by: Sumit Sarabhai<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If\u00a0you’ve<\/span>\u00a0been writing SQL in Python, you already know the debate: positional parameters (?)<\/strong> or named parameters (%(name)s)<\/strong>? Some developers swear by the conciseness of positional. Others prefer the clarity of named. With mssql-python<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, you no longer need to choose\u00a0<\/span>–<\/span>\u00a0we support\u00a0<\/span>both<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>We’ve added dual parameter style support to\u00a0<\/span>mssql<\/span>-python, enabling both\u00a0<\/span>qmark<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>pyformat<\/span>\u00a0parameter styles in Python applications that interact with SQL Server and Azure SQL<\/span>. This feature is especially useful if\u00a0<\/span>you\u2019re<\/span>\u00a0building complex queries, dynamically assembling filters, or migrating existing code that already uses named parameters with other DB<\/span><\/span>API drivers.\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i>Try it here<\/strong><\/p> You can install driver using pip install mssql-python<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Calling all Python + SQL developers! We invite the community to try out mssql-python and help us shape the future of high-performance SQL Server connectivity in Python<\/a>.!<\/div><\/p>\n

What Are Parameter Styles?<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>DB-API 2.0 specification (PEP 249)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0defines several ways to pass parameters to SQL queries. The two most popular are:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n