Create SQL Server Connections
Create SQL Server and SQL Azure Connections
You can create a new connection, or connect to an existing connection from the Create New Connection window. Troubleshoot SQL Server® Issues about troubleshooting connection issues.
Note: For SQL Azure connections:
- To be able to utilize majority of Toad functionality please grant VIEW DEFINITION on the SQL Azure databases you want to work with.
- You can login to Windows Azure Platform by selecting Tools | Cloud Computing | SQL Azure Portal and providing your credentials.
- Make sure that no Azure firewall rule restricts your IP address from having access to Azure server. See Create and Alter Azure Firewall Rules for more information.
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Click
on the toolbar (ALT+F+N).
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Select Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft SQL Azure from the Group list box.
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Review the following for additional information:
Login Tab Description Server name
Enter the name of the server to use when connecting.
Click
to display any servers running SQL Server that are currently active on the network.
Notes:
- For SQL Azure connections, enter InstanceName.database.windows.net in this field.
- For named instances, enter the MachineName\InstanceName in this field.
Authentication
Select the type of authentication to use for this connection.
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You can connect to an Azure SQL database with Active Directory authentication
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You can also connect to an Azure SQL database with Active Directory Universal with MFA.
Note: You cannot create a SQL Azure connection using Windows Authentication.
Password
Enter the password to use when connecting.
Tip: After connecting, you can set a master password to further secure your connection in Tools | Options| Environment | Security.
Application ID
Enter the application ID located in App registrations in Azure Active Directory. (This is a mandatory field when connecting to Microsoft SQL Azure via MFA.)
Redirect URI
Enter the appropriate redirect URI.(This is an optional field when connecting to Microsoft SQL Auzre via MFA which can be left empty unless you have specific requirements for configuring the Redirect URI.)
Category
Select or create a category if you want to color code Editor tabs for a specific connection. This can help differentiate between development and production databases. You can also set an option to color code the Object Explorer pane and object editor windows (Create, Alter, Drop, etc.). Encrypt connection
Select this option to enable encryption for the current connection provided that the certificate has been already installed on the server. Advanced Tab Description Network protocol
Select one of the following:
- Shared Memory
- TCP/IP
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Named Pipes
Note: When establishing Named Pipes connection "Poll service status in connection list" option should be cleared.
Parameter Name/Value
You can add parameters to the connection. Toad includes the Application Name parameter with value Toad Data Studio by default. OBDC driver
Select an ODBC driver to use for this connection when creating cross-connection queries.
Tip: You can specify the ODBC driver to use for all connections for this database provider in Tools | Options | Database | SQL Server.
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Click Connect to save the connection and immediately connect to the database.
or
Click Save to save the connection without connecting to the database.
Tip: Connections are stored in the connections.xml file and can be found by clicking the Application Data Directory link in Help | About.
To import connections (including Central Management Server connections)
- Click
.
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Specify the location where the connections currently reside.
Note: Review the following for additional information on CMS connections:
- To import CMS connections, select a server from the list where the CMS is registered. The connection to this SQL Server instance should be created beforehand.
- CMS is available beginning with Microsoft SQL Server 2008.
- User should have an appropriate login (Windows Authentication and grant to connect to selected server are required) created on the server to which he connects via CMS.
- Select the connections to be imported.
Troubleshoot SQL Server® Issues
Microsoft SQL Azure Connections with Multi-factor Authentication
To create this type of connection to Microsoft SQL Azure, Active Directory Universal with MFA needs to be selected from the Authentication field dropdown.
The next step is to enter a user name which has been configured for multi-factor authentication and put in the appropriate App ID. After filling out the required information, click on Connect.
The step that follows will enable you to select a user from the list or add another one by clicking on Use another account.
After that, you will be prompted to enter your credentials and depending on the type of authentication that the account has been configured with, you will undergo an additional authentication step, such as the one in the image below.
After completing the final authentication step, a successful connection to Microsoft SQL Azure will be made.