Data Source Properties (Connection Page)

Use this page to set connection values used by the shared data source to connect to an external data source.

Options

Data Source Type
Specify the data processing extension that is used to process data from the data source. Report server includes data processing extensions for Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Oracle, OLE DB, ODBC, and XML. Additional data processing extensions may be available from third-party vendors.

Connection string
Specify the connection string that the report server uses to connect to the data source. The following example illustrates a connection string used to connect to the SQL Server AdventureWorks database:
```
data source=<a SQL Server instance>;initial catalog=AdventureWorks
```

Connect using
Specifies options that determine how credentials are obtained. These credentials are used to connect to the external data source.

Important

If credentials are provided in the connection string, the options and values provided in this section are ignored. Note that if you specify credentials on the connection string, the values are displayed in clear text to all users who view this page.

The credentials supplied by the user running the report (Connect using)
Each user is prompted to type in a user name and password to access the data source. You can define the prompt text that requests user credentials. The default text string is "Enter a user name and password to access the data source."

Credentials stored securely in the report server (Connect using)
Store an encrypted user name and password in the report server database. Choose this option to run a report unattended (for example, reports that are initiated by schedules, subscriptions, or events rather than on-demand).

Use as Windows credentials when connecting to the data source (Connect using)
Specifies that the credentials that the user provides are Windows Authentication credentials. Do not select this check box if you are using database authentication (for example, a SQL Server login).

Impersonate the authenticated user after a connection has been made to the data source (Connect using)
Allows delegation of credentials, but only if the external data source supports impersonation. For SQL Server databases, this option sets the SETUSER function.

Windows Integrated security (Connect using)
Use the Windows credentials of the current user to access the data source. Choose this option when the credentials that are used to access a data source are the same as those used to log on to the network domain.

This option works best when Kerberos is enabled for your domain, or when the data source is on the same computer as the report server. If Kerberos is not enabled, Windows credentials can be passed to one other computer. If additional computer connections are required, you will get an error instead of the data you expect.

Do not use this option to run unattended reports or reports that are available for subscription. The report server initiates the running of unattended reports. The credentials of the report server that are used to access the report server database cannot be used to access external data sources.

Credentials are not required (Connect using)
Specify that credentials are not required to access the data source. Note that if a data source requires a user login, choosing this option will have no effect. You should only choose this option if the data source connection does not require user credentials.

When you configure a data source to use no credentials, you must perform additional steps if the report that uses the data source is to support subscriptions, scheduled report history, or scheduled report execution. Specifically, you must create a low privileged account that the report server uses when running the report. This account is used in place of the service account that the report server normally runs under. For more information about this account, see Configuring an Account for Unattended Report Processing.