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Connecting to Various Data Sources

It would be impossible to include code to connect to all the possible kinds of databases. The next section shows you how to connect to Microsoft SQL Server versions 7.0 and up using the managed SQL provider in the System.Data.SqlClient namespace and also how to connect to various OLE DB data sources using the System.Data.OleDb namespace.

SQL Server

When using the managed SQL provider, do not specify the Provider keyword in your connection string. In fact, the only connection string properties you're likely to need are the ones in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1. SQL Connection String Options

Connection String Property	Description
Initial Catalog	Specifies the database you're connecting to
Server	Specifies the server you're ...