This section explains the required components in an ADO.NET connection string used to connect an application to a database. Examples of connection strings are provided at the end of the section.
ADO.NET and connection strings are Microsoft .NET Framework concepts, but each database provider (such as SQL Server or Oracle) has its own implementation of ADO.NET. For more information on building a valid connection string or using additional options, see your database provider's documentation on connection strings.
It is important to note the following considerations for connection strings:
-
It is strongly recommended to use integrated security instead of a database account for authentication. To use integrated security, the Windows user connecting to the database must be the same user that is running the connecting server or service (such as the Application Server). This user must also be configured with the configgp role in the database.
- ADO.NET connection strings for Microsoft SQL Server database enforce encryption by
default. You must ensure the encryption settings for both your SQL Server database
and your ADO.NET connection strings are compatible. The
connectionString element in your Application Server's
web.config file must use either the
Encrypt=Mandatory (default) string token to only allow
encrypted connections to the database server or the
Encrypt=Optional string token to allow unencrypted
connections.Note:
For more information on configuring Microsoft SQL Server for encryption, see the Microsoft article Configure SQL Server Database Engine for encrypting connections available at https://learn.microsoft.com/.
-
It is strongly recommended to encrypt the connection strings. If they are not encrypted, all data source connection information is visible in the .config file, including the database user names and passwords in the connection strings.
Encryption can be performed using the aspnet_regiis command line utility for IIS or using Web Application Management Console. See the documentation from Microsoft for more information on using the ASP.NET IIS Registration Tool. See the Web Application Management Console module reference guide for more information on encrypting connection strings using the OnBase Web Application Management Console.
See the following subsections for information on each element of a connection string:
For examples of connection strings for all supported database platforms, see Connection String Examples.