How do I turn a QueryTable Connection into an ADODB connection? - sql

Question

I'm trying to update an old excel sheet that uses QueryTables to connect to a Microsoft SQL Server.
The following is working:
With ActiveSheet.QueryTables.Add(Connection:= _
"ODBC;DSN=[dbname];UID=[name];PWD=[pass];APP=Microsoft Office 2003;WSID=[machine name];DATABASE=[dbname];AutoTranslate=No;QuotedId=No;AnsiNPW=No" _
, Destination:=Range("A20"))
.CommandText = Array("[a valid query]")
There are some more sophisticated things I want to be able to do with the information this QueryTable is getting, but I keep getting the following error:
Run-time error '-2147467259 (80004005)': [DBNETLIB][ConnectionOpen (Invalid Instance()).]Invalid connection.
with the following code:
Private SqlConn As ADODB.Connection
Private Sub InitiateSqlConn(Optional User As String, Optional Pass As String, Optional Server As String, Optional DB As String)
If SqlConn Is Nothing Then
Dim strConn As String
Set SqlConn = New ADODB.Connection
If IsNull(User) Or IsEmpty(User) Or User = "" Then
User = "[user]"
End If
If IsNull(Pass) Or IsEmpty(Pass) Or Pass = "" Then
Pass = "[pass]"
End If
If IsNull(Server) Or IsEmpty(Server) Or Server = "" Then
Server = "[ServerName]"
End If
If IsNull(DB) Or IsEmpty(DB) Or DB = "" Then
DB = "[DBName]"
End If
strConn = "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=" & Server & ";Initial Catalog=" & DB & ";"
SqlConn.Open "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=[SeverName];Initial Catalog=[DBName];Trusted_connection=yes;", "[User]", "[Pass]"
End If
End Sub
Public Sub QueryInto(QR As String, ByRef RS As ADODB.Recordset, Optional User As String, Optional Pass As String, Optional Server As String, Optional DB As String)
InitiateSqlCon User, Pass, Server, DB
RS.Open QR, SqlConn
End Sub
I have also tried:
SqlConn.Open "Driver={SQL Server};Server=[SeverName];Database=[DBName];UID=[User];PWD=[Pass];"
And I get the following error:
Run-time error '-2147467259 (80004005)': [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][DBNETLIB]Invalid connection.
Errors always occur on SqlConn.Open.
How do I get the connection that is established with the QueryTable to be established as an ADODB.Connection object ?

Answer 1

This one will fail because you are appending extra text after the "Trusted_connection" parameter. If you use a trusted connection, you don't need a username or password, and the syntax is different for SQLOLEDB than with {SQLServer} (it should be Integrated Security=SSPI;.
SqlConn.Open "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=[SeverName];Initial Catalog=[DBName];Trusted_connection=yes;", "[User]", "[Pass]"
You also need to build the Data Source and Initial Catalog into the string instead of Data Source=[SeverName] and Initial Catalog=[DBName].
This one will fail because you aren't using any security parameters:
strConn = "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=" & Server & ";Initial Catalog=" & DB & ";"
This one fails because for the same reason as the first. You need to build the actual parameters into the connection string.
SqlConn.Open "Driver={SQL Server};Server=[SeverName];Database=[DBName];UID=[User];PWD=[Pass];"
It should look something more like this:
Private Sub InitiateSqlConn(Optional User As String, Optional Pass As String)
If SqlConn Is Nothing Then
Dim strConn As String
Dim Server As String
Dim DB As String
'These can't be optional. They are required.
Server = "TheActualNameOfTheServerHere"
DB = "TheActualNameOfTheDatabaseHere"
Set SqlConn = New ADODB.Connection
If User = vbNullString Or Pass = vbNullString Then
'No credentials. Try a trusted connection.
strConn = "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=" & Server & _
";Initial Catalog=" & DB & ";Integrated Security=SSPI;"
Else
'Credentials.
strConn = "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=" & Server & _
";Initial Catalog=" & DB & ";User Id=" & User & _
"; Password=" & Pass & ";"
End If
SqlConn.Open strConn
End If
End Sub
Note that the Server and DB parameter cannot be optional. They are in fact required and must be valid in order to connect. You can also skip the null and empty checks for optional string parameters unless you're doing something really strange. They will default to vbNullString if nothing is passed.