ASA Database Administration Guide
  Connecting to a Database
    Introduction to connections

How connection parameters work

When an application connects to a database, it uses a set of connection parameters to define the connection. Connection parameters include information such as the server name, the database name, and a user ID.

A keyword-value pair (of the form parameter=value) specifies each connection parameter. For example, you specify the password connection parameter for the default password as follows:

Password=SQL

Connection parameters are assembled into connection strings. In a connection string, a semicolon separates each connection parameter, as follows:

ServerName=asademo9;DatabaseName=asademo

There are a number of connection parameters which affect how an engine is autostarted. It is recommended that you use the following connection parameters instead of providing the corresponding server options within the StartLine (START) connection parameter:

• EngineName (ENG)

• DatabaseFile (DBF)

• DatabaseSwitches (DBS)

• DatabaseName (DBN)

Representing connection strings 

This chapter has many examples of connection strings represented in the following form:

parameter1=value1
parameter2=value2
...

This is equivalent to the following connection string:

parameter1=value1;parameter2=value2

You must type a connection string on a single line with the parameter settings separated by semicolons.