Before you have a connection, you can use Data Explorer to assemble connection strings.
To browse database providers
- Choose ViewData Explorer or click the Data Explorer tab in the Project Manager.
- Expand a provider node under dbExpress to expose the list of available database providers.
- Expand the second–level provider node to view the list of potential connections.
To get connection information
- In the Data Explorer list of providers, right-click a second–level provider.
- In the context menu, click Modify Connection. The Modify Connection dialog is displayed.
- In the Modify Connection dialog, click Advanced. The Advanced Properties dialog is displayed, containing a scrollable list of connection properties. The left column contains connection string keys; the right column contains their values.
To format a connection string
- In the Advanced Properties dialog, enter values in the right-hand column for the connection properties named in the left column.
- The text field at the bottom of the Advanced Properties dialog contains the resulting connection string text. Drag the cursor over the connection string text to select the connection string text. Copy the text. You can then paste this connection string wherever you want.