How to Connect to SQL Server Through VB.net

The VB.NET programming language and SQL Server work together to create dynamic content for Web or desktop applications. You use the "ADO" connection object to connect to the SQL Server. After you connect, you query the database for information. The SQL Server is the backbone of a .NET application for small or large businesses.

Instructions

1. Click the Windows "Start" button and select "All Programs." Click "Microsoft .NET Framework," then click "Visual Studio" to open the software.

2. Open your project file to load all of the code. Double-click the form you want to use to connect to the server.

3. Add the ADO libraries to the top of the code file. Copy and paste the following library files to your VB editor:

   Imports System.Data

   Imports System.Data.SqlClient

4. Create the SQL Server connection using the ADO object. The following code connects to the "myserver" SQL Server:

   Dim connstring As String

   connstring = "server=myserver;uid=username;pwd=password;database=db;"

   Dim conn As New SqlConnection(connstring)

   conn.Open()

   Replace the "myserver," "username," "password," and "db" values with your own server information.

5. Query the server. After you connect to the server, you can query for database information. The following code retrieves a list of customers:

   Dim command As New SqlCommand("SELECT * from customers", conn)

   Dim reader As SqlDataReader = command.ExecuteReader()

6. Close the connection. After you complete querying the server, close the connection using the following code:

   conn.Close

References

• Developer Fusion: Using ADO.NET with SQL Server
• Developer Fusion: Using ADO.NET with SQL Server

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish