How to find the information you need

This book describes how to connect to your database in the DataWindow Designer plug-in.

For information about connecting to a database in Visual Basic or C# code, see the Programmer’s Guide.

Basic connection procedure

The following table gives an overview of the connection procedure and indicates where you can find detailed information about each step.

**Table 1-1: Basic connection procedure**
Step	Action	Details	See
1	(Optional) Get an introduction to database connections in DataWindow Designer	If necessary, learn more about how DataWindow Designer connects to a database	Chapter 1 (this chapter)
2	Prepare to use the data source or database before connecting to it for the first time in DataWindow Designer	Install the required network, database server, and database client software and verify that you can connect to the database	For ODBC data sources: Chapter 2, “Using the ODBC Interface” For OLE DB data sources: Chapter 3, “Using the OLE DB Interface” For ADO.NET data sources: Chapter 4, “Using the ADO.NET Interface” For native database interfaces: Chapter 5, “Using Native Database Interfaces”
3	Install the driver , database provider, or native database interface required to access your data	Install the ODBC driver, OLE DB data provider, ADO.NET data provider, or native database interface
4	Define the data source (ODBC connections and some OLE DB drivers)	Create the required configuration for a data source accessed through ODBC	For ODBC data sources: Chapter 2, “Using the ODBC Interface”
5	Define the database interface	Create the database profile	For ODBC data sources: Chapter 2, “Using the ODBC Interface” For OLE DB data sources: Chapter 3, “Using the OLE DB Interface” For ADO.NET data sources: Chapter 4, “Using the ADO.NET Interface” For native database interfaces: Chapter 5, “Using Native Database Interfaces”
6	Connect to the data source or database	Access the data in DataWindow Designer	Chapter 11, “Managing Database Connections”
7	(Optional) Set additional connection parameters	If necessary, set database parameters and database preferences to fine-tune your database connection and take advantage of DBMS-specific features that your interface supports	For procedures: Chapter 12, “Setting Additional Connection Parameters” For database parameter and preference descriptions: online Help
8	(Optional) Troubleshoot the data connection	If necessary, use the trace tools to troubleshoot problems with your connection	Chapter 13, “Troubleshooting Your Connection”