Logging/Data Link Options Tab - Database Options Dialog Box
- Updated2025-07-21
- 2 minute(s) read
Logging/Data Link Options Tab - Database Options Dialog Box
Logging/Data Link Options Tab
Data Link Options Section
The Data Link Options section of the Logging/Data Link Options Tab contains the following options:
- Database Management System —The name of the DBMS to which you want to log data. Because of the different requirements of each DBMS, TestStand might log data to each DBMS differently. By default, TestStand supports Microsoft Access, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Sybase. You can select one of the supported DBMS systems using this ring control. TestStand uses this value to determine how to generate SQL scripts and can access the value within expression values in a schema.
-
Connection String Expression
—The connection string expression TestStand uses to open a data source to log results to. This control requires a string expression which the TestStand process model evaluates at run time. The expression can be a literal value or a string you build using variables or properties. If the value is a literal string, you must encapsulate the string value with quotes (
""
).
Note Refer to the documentation for the database you use to determine whether and how you can communicate to the database securely. National Instruments recommends that you do not use a plain text password to connect to databases with sensitive information.
You can update the contents of this control in any of the following ways:
- Browse —Edits a connection string expression in the Expression Browser dialog box.
- Build —Constructs the connection string using the Data Link Properties dialog box.
-
Use .udl File
—Specifies a Microsoft Data Link (
.udl
) filename and updates the Connection String Expression control with the filename, as shown in the following example:
"FILE NAME=C:\\Program Files\\Common Files\\System\\OLE DB\\Data Links\\Access.udl"
The text in the data link file specifies the connection string.
- Load .udl File —Specifies a Microsoft Data Link ( .udl ) filename and imports the connection string from the file to the control.
- Save .udl File —Specifies a Microsoft Data Link ( .udl ) filename and exports the connection string from the control to the file.
- View Data —Launches the Database Viewer application and connects to the DBMS using the parameters specified in the connection string.
-
Share Data Link Between Executions
—Instructs TestStand to share references for connections to a DBMS when multiple executions use the same connection string.
Note You must enable the Share Data Link Between Executions option to eliminate possible contention for access to a shared database file from multiple executions, and when you enable more than one database result processing plug-ins in the Result Processing dialog box.