# Database Drivers

### What is a Driver?

A driver is a piece of software that enables communication between your computer and a database. Each database provider (e.g., PostgreSQL, Snowflake, MySQL) requires a specific driver to function correctly.

### How Mito AI Handles Drivers

Mito AI manages database drivers for you automatically. When you attempt to connect to a database through Mito AI:

1. **Driver Check**: Mito AI checks whether the required driver is already installed in your environment.
2. **Automatic Installation**: If the driver is not found, Mito AI will automatically install the correct pip package.
3. **Environment Awareness**: If you're working within a virtual environment (such as a venv or conda environment), the driver will be installed into the currently active environment.

This process ensures you can focus on your analysis instead of dependency management.

### Which Drivers Are Installed?

Below is a list of drivers Mito AI installs, based on the database you're connecting to:

| Database             | Driver (pip package)  |
| -------------------- | --------------------- |
| Microsoft SQL Server | pyodbc                |
| MySQL                | PyMySQL               |
| Oracle               | oracledb              |
| PostgreSQL           | psycopg2-binary       |
| Snowflake            | snowflake-sqlalchemy  |
| SQLite               | Built-in (no install) |