When you use the Infor CRM SLX Connection Manager to create a connection to the CRM database (as seen here), that connection is called a data link. The Connection Manager is based on a Microsoft feature called Universal Data Link (UDL). In some circumstances, employing UDL itself to test a connection to the SQL database can be useful. While it can be used to create many sorts of connections, I will just be showing how to use it to make the same sort of database connection that Infor CRM SLX uses.
The easiest way to create a UDL connection is to create a blank text file on the Windows desktop. Make sure Windows is set to display file name extensions. Now change the extension for .txt to .udl . Doubleclick the file to open it, and it will open in a window labeled Data Link Properties. This will look much like the Connection Manager (as would be expected) though some of the options are quite different.
For the Provider tab, choose Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server. There are several OLE DB providers that come standard, and there may be many more than that depending on which drivers are installed on that computer, but the default SQL driver is the one we want. The Connection tab is filled out much the way the one in Connection Manager is. Enter the server name, and if there is a SQL instance name include that after a backslash. Enter the username and password of the SQL user you are using for the connection. If those are able correct, you should be able to select the database from the dropdown menu.
If just using this connection for testing, you can ignore the last two tabs, and all the defaults will work for testing the connection. Once you have the Connection tab set up for the database you wish to test, click Test Connection. You will either get a success, or an error message that will hopefully be helpful toward whatever it is you are troubleshooting.
