How to Create a DSN (Data Source Name) for an ODBC Connection

Setting up the DSN for the ODBC Connection on your system: In this example we are connecting to a Microsoft SQL database. ODBC connections can be used to connect to Oracle, MySQL, FileMaker and any other ODBC compliant database.

Go to your Database connection utility. On Windows 2000 this can be found in the Control Panel < Administrative Tools < Data Sources.

Click on the System DSN connection tab.

Click Add. You will see the list of drivers available. (If your database driver is not listed, consult your database software and install the drivers).

Choose the driver you will be using. In this Example we will create a SQL Server DSN.

Give the DSN connection a name.

Give the DSN connection a description (optional).

Specify to which SQL server you will be connecting.

Click Next.

Set up the verification for the login permissions.

Depending on your network security policy, you can choose:

-Windows NT authentication using the network login ID.
-SQL Server authentication using login ID and password entered by the user. (What we will use in this example).

Check the Client Connection, typically this will be TCP/IP.

Enter the login ID and password you want to use for this connection. (If using the Windows NT authentication, this option is disabled).

Choose the default database.

Click Next

Click Finish

A summary of the ODBC connection will appear. Click Test Data Source, you should be rewarded with a "Tests Completed Successfully!" message.

Connecting to the ODBC Connection with Campaign

In the Campaign, click on the Data Source Tab

Select ODBC connection from the Database Type drop down menu.

Click Browse on the database source line and highlight the new DSN ODBC connection you just created. You will see a database connection string at the top of the page.

DSN=hansel;UID=grimm;PWD=brothers;

Enter your user ID and password into the string.
If required by the ODBC Driver, you must enter the User ID (UID) and Password (PWD) here. If it is incorrect, the connection will fail. If no UID or PWD is required then do not enter any.

Click Select.

Select the Table/Query name.

Select the Email field.

You have now connected to a database using the ODBC connection.

-- Arial Software

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