Enabling Trusting the Server Certificate in Toad for SQL Server (4378357)

Toad for SQL Server, by default, requires valid server certificates for secure SQL Server connections. If you need to connect to an SQL Server instance with a self-signed or untrusted certificate, you can configure Toad to trust the server's certificate. This can be done by adding a specific entry to the connections.xml configuration file. This document provides the steps to modify this file and enable trust for the server certificate. 

Please perform the following steps:

1. Locate the connections.xml file: This file is typically found in your Toad for SQL Server user profile directory: C:\Users\<Windows_User_ID>\AppData\Roaming\Quest Software\Toad for SQL Server 8.1.

2. Backup the connections.xml file: Before making any changes, create a backup of the connections.xml file. This is crucial in case any issues arise, allowing you to restore the original configuration.

3. Edit the connections.xml file: Open the connections.xml file with a text editor.

4. Add the TrustServerCertificate entry: Within the <Connection> tag for the desired SQL Server connection, add the following line, preferably after the other <SqlServerEntry> element:

<SqlServerEntry Key="TrustServerCertificate" Value="True" />

For example, if your original connection entry looks like this:

<Connection type="SqlServer" autoCommit="True">
    ... other elements ...
    <SqlServerEntry Key="Application Name" Value="Toad for SQL Server" />
</Connection>

It should be modified to look like this:

<Connection type="SqlServer" autoCommit="True">
    ... other elements ...
    <SqlServerEntry Key="Application Name" Value="Toad for SQL Server" />
    <SqlServerEntry Key="TrustServerCertificate" Value="True" />
</Connection>

5. Save the changes: Save the modified connections.xml file.

6. Restart Toad for SQL Server: For the changes to take effect, completely close and then restart Toad for SQL Server. Toad for SQL Server must be fully closed before modifying the connections.xml file.