Create a *.udl file to connect to a SQL database

Val Nav uses a UDL (Universal Data Link) file to connect to a SQL Server hub.

This UDL file should reside on the network in a place all users can access.

To create a UDL file, first create an empty text file then rename it to <something>.udl.

If the text file is not recognized as a UDL file, users may need to change their Windows Explorer view to display file extensions. In Windows XP Explorer, go to Tools > Folder Options, In Windows Vista or Windows 7, open an Explorer window and go to Organize > Folder and Search Options. Then, choose the View tab, and in the Advanced Settings section, make sure Hide file extensions for known file types is unchecked.

To modify a *.udl file, right-click <something>.udl and choose ‘Properties’. This will open a Data Link Properties dialog box, which can be edited. The *.udl file can also be edited with any text editor, the same as the *.vnudl file.

Provider

Set this parameter to “Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server”.

Connection

This information will be obtained from your data vendor.

  1. Select the name of the server on which the SQL database is hosted.
  2. Enter information to log on to the server. This username and password is for the connection to the SQL database.
    1. Blank password checkbox – If this box is selected, Value Navigator users will be prompted for the database schema password when they update production.
    2. Allow saving password checkbox – This box should be selected if the DBA wants to let all Val Nav users access the production update without being prompted for the password.
  1. Select the database on the server. This is the name of the specific database that is storing the information to be retrieved.