For large data transfers — for example, Pandas or Polars DataFrames with millions of rows — performance and reliability are critical. In my experience, fast_executemany in combination with SQLAlchemy helps, but bulk operations via OpenRowSets or BCP are still the most predictable in production, provided the proper permissions are set.

It’s worth noting that even with a new driver, integration complexity often comes from platform differences, TLS/SSL requirements, and corporate IT policies rather than the library itself. For teams looking to simplify workflows, a driver that abstracts these nuances while maintaining control over memory usage and transaction safety would be a strong improvement over rolling your own ODBC setup.