Making the database reachable from your site

A database that only works on the local machine with the management tool is not yet ready for a web application. Two settings bridge the gap.

Turn on the network protocol

By default the free engine may have shared memory enabled and network access disabled. For a web application on the same machine that is often enough, but for anything else you must enable the protocol and allow the port through the firewall.

Build a connection string

Server=.\SQLEXPRESS;
Database=Shop;
Trusted_Connection=True;

What each part does

• The server names the instance. A dot means this computer.
• The database names which database to open.
• The trusted connection line uses the current Windows account instead of a stored password.

With a working connection, create some data in creating a database and some test rows.