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Authentication options for External Database Connections

Last updated on 29 December 2020

Admin
Connections to External Databases (Integrated)

Overview

When you use OLE DB Provider for SQL Server or SQL Server Native Client to connect an external object type from M-Files to SQL Server, the Windows' Data Link Properties dialogue offers two authentication options:

1.    Use Windows NT Integrated security
2.    Use a specific user name and password

This article describes the options in more detail.

Description

Use Windows NT Integrated security means that the user account that is running the software is used to log in to the SQL Server. In M-Files' case, this user account is the same account that runs the M-Files Server service. In other words, to use this option, your M-Files Server's computer account needs to have access to the target database, or you need to configure M-Files Server service to run with the Windows account you want to use for connecting to the target database. 

To run M-Files Server service with any account other than the server machine's Local System account, the desired account must have local administrator access rights on the M-Files server machine.

In M-Files' context, the Use a specific user name and password option will only accept SQL Server credentials. M-Files does not support the use of Windows credentials with the Use a specific user name and password option.
 

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