How to define a connection string to a SQL Server 2008 database?

Question

I'm using MS Visual Studio 2010 to create an application with SQL Server 2008 database access, but what I did to create the database was add a new "SQL Server 2008 Database Project", it added it, and shows me everything on my Solution Explorer, but how do I write the connection string to connect to it, because I wrote this one, and it didn't work.

SqlConnection cnTrupp = new SqlConnection("Initial Catalog = Database;Data Source = localhost;Persist Security Info=True;");

update:

I used this one:

cnTrupp = new SqlConnection("database=DB_Trupp;server=.\\SQLExpress;Persist Security Info=True;integrated security=SSPI");

But when I use the cnTrupp.Open() it tells me that the login failed.

Answer 1

Check out the connection strings web site which has tons of example for your connection strings.

Basically, you need three things:

• name of the server you want to connect to (use "." or (local) or localhost for the local machine)
• name of the database you want to connect to
• some way of defining the security - either integrated Windows security, or define a user name / password combo

For example, if you want to connect to your local machine and the AdventureWorks database using integrated security, use:

server=(local);database=AdventureWorks;integrated security=SSPI;

Or if you have SQL Server Express on your machine in the default installation, and you want to connect to the AdventureWorksLT2008 database, use this:

server=.\SQLExpress;database=AdventureWorksLT2008;integrated Security=SSPI;