Using a Connection String

For some applications, you might need to use a connection string to connect to your data source. For detailed information about how to use a connection string in an ODBC application, refer to the documentation for the application that you are using.

The connection strings in the following sections are examples showing the minimum set of connection attributes that you must specify to successfully connect to the data source. Depending on the configuration of the data source and the type of connection you are working with, you might need to specify additional connection attributes. For detailed information about all the attributes that you can use in the connection string, see Connector Configuration Options.

DSN Connection String Example

The following is an example of a connection string for a connection that uses a DSN:

[DataSourceName] is the DSN that you are using for the connection.

You can set additional configuration options by appending key-value pairs to the connection string. Configuration options that are passed in using a connection string take precedence over configuration options that are set in the DSN.

DSN-less Connection String Examples

Some applications provide support for connecting to a data source using a connector without a DSN. To connect to a data source without using a DSN, use a connection string instead.

The placeholders in the example are defined as follows, in alphabetical order:

• [PortNumber] is the number of the TCP port that the SQL Server instance uses to listen for client connections.
• [ServerInfo] is the IP address or host name of the SQL Server instance to which you are connecting.
• [ServiceName] is the Kerberos service principal name of the SQL Server instance.
• [SQLServerDatabase] is the name of the database that you want to access.
• [YourPassword] is the password corresponding to your user name.
• [YourPath] is the file path corresponding to the file containing your authentication token.
• [YourUserName] is the user name that you use to access the SQL Server instance.

Connecting to a SQL Server Instance Using User Login

The following is an example of a DSN-less connection string for a connection to a SQL Server instance that requires user login:

For example:

Connecting to a SQL Server Instance Using Kerberos Authentication

The following is an example of a DSN-less connection string for a connection to a SQL Server instance that requires authentication through Kerberos:

For example:

Connecting to a SQL Server Instance Using NTLM Authentication

The following is an example of a DSN-less connection string for a connection to a SQL Server instance that requires authentication through the NTLM protocol:

For example: