To test a SQL database connection, you'll need at least four pieces of information: the user name password, database name and endpoint (such as a DNS name or IP address). For this article, we're only ...

Windows 7 includes an ODBC manager that lets you connect from your desktop to a SQL server. You create a data source name (DSN) to save database setup information, so you can open a connection to ...

If you ever need to sort character strings stored in SQL Server fields, check out this demonstration of how to write a common sorting algorithm using SQL Server TSQL code.

Please note that Integrated Security=false was set in the connection string used above, as the example uses SQL Server Authentication. If Windows Authentication is used, this must be adapted.

Stored procedure XML This screenshot lists the source of a SQL Server 2014 stored procedure hitting the AdventureWorks2012 database, selecting data from the Customer and SalesOrderHeader tables.