string connectionString = "Driver={SQL Native Client};Server=.\\SQLExpress; AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|AceSA.mdf;Database=dbname;Trusted_Connection=Yes";

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.ArgumentException: Keyword not supported: 'driver'.

Hi kenbati,

     Use your connection string as follows:

    Data Source=name of datasource  ;Initial Catalog= give catalog ;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=admin;Password=pass

 I dont think you need to use the SQL Native client driver portion at all..

Here is the typical connection string when using the .mdf file

 Also look at the ww.connectionstring.com website for syntax regarding various database connection stringss

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Unable to open the physical file "C:\AceSA\App_Data\AceSA.mdf". Operating system error 5: "5(Access is denied.)".
Cannot attach the file 'C:\AceSA\App_Data\AceSA.mdf' as database 'dbname'.

still getting an error. please help. thanks

 Hi,

i think you can't connect .mdf file in your project

for more information you can refer this link

http://forums.asp.net/t/857047.aspx

what? This do not make sense.

How would one point to different mdf databases?

kenbati:

Cannot attach the file 'C:\AceSA\App_Data\AceSA.mdf' as database 'dbname'.

Are you sure the name of the database is "dbname" in the mdf file

All I want is to connect to my sqlexpress database. In my module I must use the connectstring. thanks

'C:\AceSA\App_Data\AceSA.mdf'

Hi,

If we would like to connect to database files in App_Data with SQL Server Express user instance, the connection string should look like: 

connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS; AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\NORTHWIND.mdf; Integrated Security=True; User Instance=True"

User instance is only supported by SQL Server Express Edition. A SQL Server user instance is similar to a normal SQL Server instance but it is created on demand while normal instances are created during setup.

For more information, please refer to the documentations below:

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition User Instances
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb264564.aspx

Working with User Instances 
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms254504(VS.85).aspx

string connectionString = "Server=.\\SQLExpress; AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|AceSA.mdf; Integrated Security=True; Trusted_Connection=Yes";

Please right-click the folder “C:\AceSA\App_Data\” which contains the database files, open “Property | Security”. Then add ASPNET (or "NetworkService” account, for an application that runs on IIS 6.0) and grant it full access to the folder and all files inside.

For some reasons, we might need to add “SYSTEM” and “ASPNET” account as well under some circumstances.

Based on your current connection string, I think the you would like to attach the database is to SQL Server Express instance not SQL Server Express user instance.

If we don’t work with user instance, the database will be attached in SQL Server instance until we detached it manually. We can find it in SQL Server Management Studio.

Please open SQL Server Management Studio Express, connect to the SQL Server Express instance “.\SQLEXPRESS” and check if you can see the database. If you can see it, which means the database has been attached to your SQL Server Express instance and we can modify the connection string as below: 

<add name="testConnectionString" connectionString="Data Source=.\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=test;Integrated Security=True"  providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />

thanks for the detail info. u r great.

Why ms makes simple things so complex?  I am sure millions of poeple must have stumbled over this issue.

How would I convince the service provider to do this on the public server?

Could there be any other way?

SqlConnection xconnectionString = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["ConnectionString"].ToString());

kenbati:

How would I convince the service provider to do this on the public server?

Could there be any other way?

I tried the following and it worked to some extent - please help - thanks SqlConnection xconnectionString = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["ConnectionString"].ToString());

On the web server, I think you can attach the database in SSMS and connect to it with the following connectiong string:

<add name="testConnectionString" connectionString="Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=DataBaseName;User Id=UserName;Password=UserPassword;"
   providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />

Generally, the login account name and password should be provided by your host provider. I would suggest you contact the host provider for more inforamtion.