Connect to MSSQL Server without setting up ODBC Data Source

tbitsky

I'm working on a database project that will ultimately interface with an MS SQL Server 2008 R2 server over a large network. For development, I have MS SQL 2008 R2 Express running on a server in my lab with the IP Address 192.168.16.103.

If I create an ODBC Data Entry in control panel, I can connect to the remote database without problem. Example:
@
db->setDatabaseName( "Server=JOSHUA\SQLEXPRESS;Database=myDataBase;Trusted_Connection=True;" );
db->setUserName( "tbj" );
db->setPassword( "..." );
db->setHostName( "" );
@
However, if I try to just connect directly to the database using an IP Address:
@
db->setDatabaseName(
"Data Source=192.168.16.103,1433;Network Library=DBMSSOCN;"
);

db->setDatabaseName( "sqlexpress" );
db->setUserName( "tbj" );
db->setPassword( "..." );
db->setHostName( "" );

@
Then, I get the error message:
[Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified QODBC3: Unable to connect.

It would seen that, no matter what I do, the QODBC driver attempts to connect via a registered data source. Is there any way to avoid this? I was hoping to connect to the database directly, as I would a PostgreSQL database.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Tom

tbitsky

After much research and reading, the answer to this question appears to be an emphatic no. This is disappointing, considering how easily the Microsoft native client makes connecting to a remote data source. The functionality is there; Qt simply isn't bothering to add this feature.

The solution I'm going to use for my software is to put a button in the settings dialog that opens the ODBC data connection dialog. On a 64-bit system, one would open:

c:\windows\sysWOW64\odbcad32.exe

Beowolve

I know its an older post, but the reply is just wrong, if someone else wants to connect, here is the connection string to use:

@db->setDatabaseName("Driver={SQL Server Native Client 11.0};Server=<ip/host>;Database=<database>;Uid=<userid>;Pwd=<password>;")@

More info on dsn less connections can be found here:
"Connection Strings":http://www.connectionstrings.com/