Set Up a Database Connection in Infor CRM

Infor CRM software stores the vast majority of its data in a SQL database.  (You can also use Oracle, but SQL is much more common.)  In order to connect Infor CRM to the database, you must set up the Data Link in Connection Manager, and also choose which Data Link you are using in the Data Link Manager.

The first step is to setup the Data Link using Connection Manager.  Open the Connection Manager program, and click Add.  Type in the name you want to use for the Data Link, and click OK.

On the next screen, choose the latest vesion of SQL client available, and click Next. (Note, this has been SQL Server Native Client 11.0 for a few years now.) You will now be on a window titled Data Link Properties, in the Connection tab.  Enter the server name. (You can try the drop down, but it is not great at detecting SQL servers.) Uncheck Blank Password, and check Allow Saving Password.  Then enter the SQL user (usually sysdba) and password.  You should now be able to use the Database drop down to select the CRM database you wish to connect to.  Do not click save yet. In order to get the connection to remember your password, you need to go to the All tab, scroll down to Persist Security Info, and change it to True.  Now scroll back up to Integrated Security, double click, and select Reset Value, then OK.  Now you can go back to the Connection tab and click Test Connection, then OK to save if the connection works and then OK again to save the Data Link with that name.  The Data Link really likes to revert back to not saving the password, so any time you make a change in the Data Link, you need to go back to the All tab and set Persist Security Info to True.

Now you are ready to set up the connection to the Data Link.  Open Administrator (or any local Infor CRM program) and click the ellipses next to Log On To. This opens the Data Link Manager.  If you do not see your Data Link listed here, click Add. Now to the Connection tab click the Server drop down, and choose the server that hosts the Data Link you wish to use.  Now click the database drop down, and select the Data Link. (Even though it says you are choosing the database name, you are actually choosing the name you gave the Data Link.  Many folks will name them the same.)  If you wish to test, you can put in the Infor CRM login information for the admin account, but this is not required.

Once again, click OK, and click OK again to save with that name.  That Data Link is now one of the choices for you to use any time to log in with a locally-installed CRM program, such as Administrator or Application Architect.