new - no idea how to connect to SQL Server, setup DSN, figure out my user/pass

  • I just installed SQL Server for the first time ever, and I am really confused by the configuration. It seems that authentication is done automatically through Windows, but I need to connect to SQL Server using Perl, which requires me to provide a DSN, username, and password.

    Can anybody quickly tell me:

    1. How to figure out my username/password? Is it somewhere in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio?

    2. How to figure out what the server is so I can create a DSN? I am trying to create a System DSN using Windows XP "ODBC Data Source Administrator," but I'm at a loss for what to answer for "Which SQL Server do you want to connect to?" (the dropdown is blank)

    Thank you so much. For some reason finding these basic answers using Google has eluded me so far.

  • You need to change authentication to Mixed Mode, which lets you create SQL logins.

    Then, you need to create a new SQL login for the app to use, and give it whatever permissions it needs.

    If you do a quick search you should be able to find tutorials for that stuff (searched for mixed mode, and create login)

  • Ok. Would that allow me to create a DSN as well? That is the main source of my problems because I'm not sure what to call the server in the Windows Administrator dialogue. It almost feels like its broken because the dropdown freezes for a minute before letting me select the server (and then it's blank).

  • Don't rely on the dropdown. Type in the server name, and if applicable the instance name or port, of the server straight into that field. If the server is up and responding it will let you move to the next steps.

  • Ok, I was able to create a new user. Of course, as luck would have it, now I can't log on to Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio at all :). Using the same creds as before, I am getting Error 10061 (No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.) Could that have been caused by going to mixed mode? I am my own administrator so I can't see why I can't get on.

  • In case you're curious, I was able to fix my problem in Sql Server Configuration Manager. Somehow, TCP/IP protocol got disabled...

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