For this article, we're only going to be demonstrating SQL authentication. If your database is set up with Windows authentication, the code we're about to cover will not work. We'll first need to ...

The Connection Properties dialog opens. For my sample ITworld application, I changed the data source to Microsoft SQL Server (SQLClient), and entered the necessary Server, Log On, and database values.

Click the "Add" button to create a new connection and start the connection wizard. Click the "SQL Native Client" in the list of drivers. The SQL client is included with the Windows 7 operating system.

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 ...