Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 16-17.
Configuring a shared data source
The name is configured using the Name textbox and should represent the object that you are connecting to.
For example, in Figure
16-17
, we have named our connection
DataSourceDWPubsSales
.
The connection type is chosen using the dropdown box. In Figure
16-17
we have selected a Microsoft SQL
Server connection type. The dropdown box also contains connections for Analysis Server, Oracle, OLE DB, XML,
and many others. We use SQL Server and Analysis Server for our demonstrations.
To create a connection string, type in the connection string or click the Edit button to access the Connection
Properties dialog window. Choose the server name and the database name in the Connection Properties dialog
window, just as we have done in many previous chapters. Click OK to create the connection string.
After you have identified the name, type, and connection string, you close the Shared Data Source Properties
dialog window by clicking OK, and the new shared connection shows up in Solution Explorer (Figure
16-18
). You
may notice that the extension on the new data source file is RDS, which stands for Report Data Source, and the
connection information is stored in an XML format. Listing 16-1 shows an example of the contents of an RDS file.
