ODBC ConnectionString

Question

I have written a program in C# to pull some data using OdbcConnection :

using System.Data.Odbc;
......

OdbcConnection OdbcConn = 
                new OdbcConnection(Properties.Settings.Default.ConnectionString);
OdbcCommand cmd = new OdbcCommand();

//open connection 
if (OdbcConn.State != ConnectionState.Open)
{
    OdbcConn.Open();
}

In my settings file, I have this ConnectionString:

Dsn=****;uid=userID;pwd=password

However I cannot establish a connection. I have an iseries access driver from IBM corp installed, but if I try MS access then I am able to connect. Any suggestions?

score 16 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 21 '12 at 20:03

16

When in doubt (and it involves connections strings): http://www.connectionstrings.com/

answered Feb 21 '12 at 20:03

James Hill

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Just click on the type of DB you are using near the top to see a good example of what you are missing (I notice you are not telling it where to connect, ie name or IP) – Eric Brown - Cal Feb 21 '12 at 20:06
does anyone knows how to establish connection DSN free using driver – saiful Feb 21 '12 at 22:29
what if I am going to set the ODBC using Access in the remote server? – Jeff Bootsholz Mar 30 '13 at 13:19

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 22 '16 at 20:26

On a Windows 64 bit machine, make sure you check if your C# code is compiled in x86 (32-bit), x64, or "Any CPU". Note that if you compile as "Any CPU," it'll choose x64 bit drivers by default.

The 32-bit drivers can be found at C:\windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe. The 32-bit drivers can be found at C:\windows\system32\odbcad32.exe.

First, make sure you verify your connection works with the ODBC Data Source Administrator using the paths I provided earlier. I.e. make a DSN and test it as Turbot suggested. Once you verified this connection works, your connection string can either use the DSN you just created or you can use a DSN free connection string.

For a quick reference, here is a sample of a DSN free connection string using a ODBC driver:

Driver={Progress OpenEdge 11.3 Driver};HOST=wfdscr11.wf.local;Port=1234;DB=MyDatabaseName;UID=John;PWD=Doe

In this example, I had to connect to a Progress database from my C# code and this is the connection string I used without having to specify a DSN. You can see below that the name of the driver is "Progress OpenEdge 11.3 Driver."

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Feb 21 '12 at 20:41

I always like to verify the connection using Data source(ODBC) in control panel (assume you are in window environment). Make sure you see the drive available in your ODBC selection and follow the steps to test the connectivity.

as also mentioned above the connections strings website would give you idea what properties and format on which particular driver connectivity

ODBC ConnectionString

3 Answers3