Connection String Error (error : 40)

Question

I have installed SQL Server 2012 Express on a Windows Server 2008 Machine. The name of the machine is \"THEMACHINE\". While installation, I set SQL Server 2012 as \"Default

Answer 1

Change Data Source=THEMACHINE to Data Source=THEMACHINE\SQLEXPRESS. Also check that the database service is running.

Answer 2

Reference: Creating and Configuring Universal Data Link (.udl) Files

Do following to Test connection and generate connection string,

1) Create query.udl file in the desktop

2) Double click the file to open and do the following

3)Open the Query.udl in notepad, you will find the connectionstring.