Adding Data Sources

You add data sources in the ColdFusion Administrator to define connection requirements for database access.

When you add a data source, you assign it a name so that you can reference it within tags such as CFQUERY on application pages to query databases. During a query, the data source tells ColdFusion which database to connect to and what parameters to use for the connection.

Note To add a data source:
  1. Start the ColdFusion Administrator. On Windows, Select Start > Programs > ColdFusion Server > ColdFusion Administrator. On UNIX, enter the URL hostname/CFIDE/administrator in your browser.

    The Administrator prompts you for a password if you assigned one to the ColdFusion Server during install.

  2. Enter a password to gain access to the Administrator.
  3. Choose ODBC under the Data Sources heading on the left menu.
  4. Name the data source CompanyInfo.
  5. Select Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb) from the dropdown box to describe the ODBC driver.
  6. Choose Add.
  7. In the Database File field, enter the full path of the company.mdb Access database and click OK.
  8. Choose Create to create the CompanyInfo data source.

    The data source is added to the data source list.

  9. Locate CompanyInfo in the data source list.
  10. Choose Verify to run the verification test on the data source.

    If the data source was created, you should see this message:

    The connection to the data source was verified successfully.
    
Note Note:For more information about managing data sources, See Administering ColdFusion Server.

Data Source Notes and Considerations

When adding data sources to ColdFusion Server, keep these guidelines in mind: