Q: My ODBC connection is not working. What steps can I use to resolve this?

A: Here are the common causes to check for:

SQL Server

1. Make sure the database script for the same version as the interface has been run on the database.

2. Make sure the SQL Server® is running.

3. Stop and re-start your SQL Server® if you have made any changes.

4. Make sure the user is listed as a user in SQL Server®.

5. Make sure the user has datareader and datwriter permissions for the TRAINTRACK® database in SQL Server®.

6. Make sure the database is set to allow both Windows® and SQL authentication.

7. Make sure the database is configured to allow remote connections, and both TCP/IP and named pipes are enabled (from SQL Server® > Configuration Tools > Services and Connections, click on "remote connections", and select to allow both TCP/IP and named pipes).


Connection

1. Try using a DSN-less connection.

2. Make sure you are using a 'USER' DSN (not system).

3. Make sure your ODBC DSN is "TTSERV" and your database is "TRAINTRACK".

4. From Linked Table Manager, try creating a NEW ODBC connection, and over-writing the original one.

5. If the client is a 64-Bit machine, but the operating system is older and does not offer both 32 and 64-bit connections, you will need to use the 32-Bit ODBC manager to create the ODBC connection from C:\Windows\SysWow64\odbcad32.exe.

6. Make sure you have correctly identified the server name in the ODBC connection. It should be the same as the server name you select when connecting to SQL Management Studio.

7. Check for a firewall blocking port 1433 or 1434. If you get an error "SQL State 08001 SQL Server Error 2 Could not open a connection to SQL Server (2)", check your Windows® firewall settings and make sure TRAINTRACK® is not being blocked.

8. Check your virus protection to see if it is blocking the connection.

9. Make sure you have the correct ODBC driver. The recommended driver is the standard SQL driver or the SQL Native Client 10 or higher.

10. Try typing in the IP address of the server instead of the server name.

11. Try using SQL authentication instead of Windows® authentication.

12. In the ODBC configuration, click on "Client Configuration" and change the setting to "Named Pipes".



Workstation

1. Make sure the logged in Windows® user is listed as a user within TRAINTRACK®.

2. Make sure the user has full permissions under your Windows® security settings for the folder where the client database is stored.

3. If another user is able to connect, copy the settings and the user interface from their computer.

4. Make sure the logged in user (to Windows) is the same user that has permission in the SQL database.

5. Make sure the client is in the same domain as the server.

6. Try installing the client on the server machine and connecting from there.

7. Open a new Access database and attempt to link to and open the data tables with your ODBC connection. If this fails, then the problem is with your connection and not with the application.