problem connecting to access database in asp.net 2.0

Question

hi im trying to get a dataset from an access database

im using this connection string:

<connectionStrings>
    <add name="SiteConnString" connectionString="Data Source=c:\inetpub\vhosts\db\mainDB.mdb" 
         providerName="Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0" />
</connectionStrings>

and this is my call to SqlHelper:

myDataSet = SqlHelper.ExecuteDataset(connString, CommandType.Text, strSQL);

and the error im getting is this:

A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified)

Answer 1

The providerName attribute expects an ADO.NET provider class name. Try changing your connection like so:

<connectionStrings>
    <add name="SiteConnString"
         connectionString="Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=c:\inetpub\vhosts\db\mainDB.mdb"
         providerName="System.Data.OleDb" />
</connectionStrings>

A very handy reference for connection string formats is http://connectionstrings.com