TFS Integration Tools – What can I specify for the SQL Server when installing?

  • Article

In a recent discussion the following error raised its head: “If I choose localhost\SQLEXPRESS for the server\instance setting it's fine. But if I use localhost\MSSQLSERVER it throws an error: Error connecting to database localhost\MSSQLSERVER. A network-related or instance-specific error occured while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or is not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 25 - Connection string is not valid) ”

So the question is really, what can I specify when the TFS Integration Tools installation prompts me with the following dialog:

TiP_DLG_1

Answer

Assuming we have a local machine (server) on which we have SQL Server Express and SQL Server installed, a remote database server with SQL Server installed and are in the process of installing TFS Integration Tools.

TiP_DLG_PIC

Which SQL Server?

Example
SQL Express on local machine localhost\SQLExpress TiP_DLG_1
SQL Server Default instance on local machine localhost or . (dot) TiP_DLG_2TiP_DLG_3
SQL Server Default instance on remote machine ServerName, i.e. RangerHost, whereby it could also be the name of the local server, in which case it will connect to default instance on the local server. TiP_DLG_4
SQL Server Named instance on local machine LocalHost\Instance Name, i.e. localhost\TestInstance or .\Instance Name, i.e. .\TestInstance TiP_DLG_7TiP_DLG_6
SQL Server Named instance on remote machine Server Name\Instance Name, i.e. RangerHost\TestInstance, whereby it could also be the name of the local server, in which case it will connect to named instance on the local server. TiP_DLG_5