Setting up a direct connection to SQL Server

To make a direct connection to an ArcSDE geodatabase in Microsoft SQL Server, you must have the correct release of the SQL Server Native Client installed on the client computer. If you are connecting to a SQL Server 2005 database, you must have the SQL Server Native Client 2005 or later release installed on the client computer. To connect to a SQL Server 2008 database, install the SQL Server Native Client 2008.

The SQL Server Native Client 2008 is automatically installed with ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, and ArcReader. Installation files for the SQL Server Native Client 2008 are also included on the ArcGIS Engine installation media, so you can install it if required.

If you need to install the SQL Server Native Client for another client, you can download it from the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads. Follow Microsoft's instructions to install on your client machine.

To make sure you can make a direct connection to SQL Server, do the following:

Steps:

1. Add an etc folder in your ArcGIS Desktop installation location on each client computer.

   This etc folder is where log files containing error messages for direct connections are stored by default.

2. Test the connection by adding a spatial database connection from ArcCatalog or the Catalog window in ArcMap. Instructions for this can be found in Making a direct connection from ArcGIS Desktop to a geodatabase in SQL Server.