Setting up a Database Connection by Means of a Connection String

In the Create Connection dialog, the connection method is set to Connection string by default.

Click Create to create a new connection string with the aid of the Data Connection Properties assistant.

The assistant has four tabs.

Providers

The Providers tab lists all the OLE-DB providers found on the computer. Based on the name of the provider it is normally possible to deduce which database you want to access. Further information on providers is available in the Microsoft OLE DB Providers Overview in section Win 32 and COM Development, Data Access and Storage, Microsoft OLE DB of the MSDN, or in the MDAC 2.8 SDK.

Step 1: Select an OLE-DB provider for your database. In the case of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access, choose the Microsoft Jet OLE DB provider. If no provider is available for your database, choose Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers. For this option it is necessary to set up an ODBC connection by with the ODBC Data Source Administrator (see Creating an ODBC connection with the ODBC data source administrator). To determine the availability of an OLE-DB provider that is not included in the list, please contact the maker of the database.

Step 2: Click Continue or open the Connection tab to specify the connection settings for the selected OLE-DB provider.

Connection

The Connection tab of the Data Connection Properties assistant contains different settings depending on the provider you selected.