What is the connection string for odbc connections?

I've always done web apps and now I need to do a console app. I need to use both an odbc connection and a regular connection.

In the past I would have used:

<add name="LinkConnectionString" connectionString="Data Source=SERENITY\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=Link;Integrated Security=True" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"/>

In the web.config, however I am not sure how to do the same thing with inline code. So like string connectionString = @".....";

I have tried multiple combinations, looked online (including connectionstrings.com), but none of them worked.

Can anyone help me out? I want both the odbc and the regular... as they seem different should be different according to the sample ones online (that don't work).

From stackoverflow

• You should be able to find whatever you need here:

  http://www.connectionstrings.com/

  For one of our apps we use this connection string:

  "DRIVER={driver};SERVER=server.database;UID=username;PWD=password"

  Nathan Koop : note: "I have tried multiple combinations, looked online (including connectionstrings.com), but none of them worked. "

  jonnii : i gave you an example too.

• I think it deppends as to what database you want to connect, because of the Driver that its used to connect to the database engine.

  You might want to take a look at:

  http://www.connectionstrings.com/

  They have plenty of examples there.

  Nathan Koop : note: I have tried multiple combinations, looked online (including connectionstrings.com), but none of them worked.

• Have you tried something like this for SQLServer?

    SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(@"Data Source=SERENITY\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=Link;Integrated Security=True");
    SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("SELECT * FROM tableName", conn);
    conn.Open();
    //<snip> Run Command
    conn.Close();
  

  and this for ODBC

  OdbcConnection conn = new OdbcConnection(@"ODBC connection string");
  OdbcCommand cmd = new OdbcCommand("SELECT * FROM tableName", conn);
  conn.Open();
  //Run Command
  conn.Close();
  

• A cool trick to building connection strings is to right click on your desktop, choose "new text document" - this will make a temporary notepad .txt file. Rename it to .udl and then double click it - you can now create any connection string. Click ok when done and open the file in notepad to see the connectionstring.

  UPDATED April 28, 2009 (powershell script):

  function get-oledbconnection ([switch]$Open) {
      $null | set-content ($udl = "$([io.path]::GetTempPath())\temp.udl");
      $psi = new-object Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo
      $psi.CreateNoWindow = $true
      $psi.UseShellExecute = $true
      $psi.FileName = $udl
      $pi = [System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start($psi)
      $pi.WaitForExit()
      write-host (gc $udl) # verbose 
      if (gc $udl) {
          $conn = new-object data.oledb.oledbconnection (gc $udl)[2]
          if ($Open) { $conn.Open() }
      }
      $conn
  }
  

  Sara Chipps : this is very cool, I did not know this.

  EnocNRoll : I agree. I wonder how long this trick has been around. I'm amazed that I did not know this. A truly bad-ass trick!

  Thomas : How can this only have 15 votes? One of the most incredible hidden gems I've yet seen.

• <add name="myName" connectionString="dsn=myDSN;UID=myUID;" providerName="System.Data.Odbc" />