Adding data sources



In the ColdFusion Administrator, you configure your data sources to communicate with ColdFusion. After you add a data source to the Administrator, you access it by name in any CFML tag that establishes database connections; for example, in the cfquery tag. During a query, the data source tells ColdFusion which database to connect to and what parameters to use for the connection.

The ColdFusion Administrator organizes information about all ColdFusion server database connections in a single location. In addition to adding data sources, you can use the Administrator to specify changes to your database configuration, such as relocation, renaming, or changes in security permissions.

    Adding data sources in the Administrator

    You use the ColdFusion Administrator to quickly add a data source for use in your ColdFusion applications. When you add a data source, you assign it a data source name (DSN) and set all information required to establish a connection.

    Note: ColdFusion includes data sources that are configured by default. You do not need the following procedure to work with these data sources.

    1. In the ColdFusion Administrator, select Data & Services > Data Sources.

    2. Under Add New Data Source, enter a data source name; for example, MyTestDSN. The following names are reserved; you cannot use them for data source names:

      • service

      • jms_provider

      • comp

      • jms

    3. Select a driver from the drop-down list; for example, Microsoft SQL Server.

    4. Click Add.

      A form for additional DSN information appears. The available fields in this form depend on the driver that you selected.

    5. In the Database field, enter the name of the database; for example, Northwind.

    6. In the Server field, enter the network name or IP address of the server that hosts the database, and enter any required Port value. For example, the bullwinkle server on the default port.

    7. If your database requires login information, enter your user name and password.

      Note: The omission of required user name and password information is a common reason why a data source fails to verify.

    8. (Optional) Enter a Description.

    9. (Optional) Click Show Advanced Settings to specify any ColdFusion specific settings; for example, to configure which SQL commands can interact with this data source.

    10. Click Submit to create the data source.

      ColdFusion automatically verifies that it can connect to the data source.

    11. (Optional) To verify this data source later, click the verify icon in the Actions column.

      Note: To check the status of all data sources available to ColdFusion, click Verify All Connections.

    Specifying connection string arguments

    The ColdFusion Administrator lets you specify connection-string arguments for data sources. In the Advanced Settings page, use the Connection String field to enter name-value pairs separated by a semicolon. For more information, see the documentation for your database driver.

    Note: The cfqueryconnectstring attribute is no longer supported.

    Guidelines for data sources

    When you add data sources to ColdFusion, keep in mind the following guidelines:

    • Data source names must be all one word.

    • Data source names can contain only letters, numbers, hyphens, and the underscore character (_).

    • Data source names must not contain special characters or spaces.

    • Although data source names are not case sensitive, use a consistent capitalization scheme.

    • Depending on the JDBC driver, connection strings and JDBC URLs might be case sensitive.

    • Use the Administrator to verify that ColdFusion can connect to the data source.

    • A data source must exist in the ColdFusion Administrator before you use it on an application page to retrieve data.

    Connection Issues

    Executing a query when you restart a database can result in error during the first request. The error does not occur in subsequent requests or if connection pooling is disabled. This is because, during the first request, the cached connection is used to execute the query, leading to an exception. To overcome this issue, validate the connection before executing the query.

    Provide validationQuery (to validate the connection) before executing the query in the Advanced Settings page.
    Note: validationQuery has to be used with caution as it can result in performance issues.