SqlConnection Class

.NET Framework (current version)

Represents an open connection to a SQL Server database. This class cannot be inherited.
Namespace: System.Data.SqlClient
Assembly: System.Data (in System.Data.dll)

Inheritance Hierarchy
System.Object
System.MarshalByRefObject
System.ComponentModel.Component
System.Data.Common.DbConnection
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection

Syntax
C#
public sealed class SqlConnection : DbConnection, ICloneable

Constructors

Properties

Name

Description

SqlConnection(
)

Initializes a new instance of the SqlConnection class.

SqlConnection(
String)

Initializes a new instance of the SqlConnection class when given a string that contains
the connection string.

SqlConnection(
String,
SqlCredential)

Initializes a new instance of the SqlConnection class given a connection string, that
does not use Integrated Security = true and a SqlCredential object that contains the
user ID and password.

Name

Description

AccessToken

Gets or sets the access token for the connection.

ClientConnec
tionId

The connection ID of the most recent connection attempt, regardless of whether the
attempt succeeded or failed.

ColumnEncry
ptionKeyCach
eTtl

Gets or sets the time-to-live for column encryption key entries in the column encryption
key cache for the Always Encrypted feature. The default value is 2 hours. 0 means no
caching at all.

ColumnEncry
ptionQueryM
etadataCach
eEnabled

Gets or sets a value that indicates whether query metadata caching is enabled (true) or
not (false) for parameterized queries running against Always Encrypted enabled
databases. The default value is true.

ColumnEncry
ptionTrusted
MasterKeyPa
ths

Allows you to set a list of trusted key paths for a database server. If while processing an
application query the driver receives a key path that is not on the list, the query will fail.
This property provides additional protection against security attacks that involve a
compromised SQL Server providing fake key paths, which may lead to leaking key store
credentials.

ConnectionSt
ring

Gets or sets the string used to open a SQL Server database.(Overrides

ConnectionTi
meout

Gets the time to wait while trying to establish a connection before terminating the
attempt and generating an error.(Overrides DbConnection.ConnectionTimeout.)

Container

Gets the IContainer that contains the Component.(Inherited from Component.)

Credential

Gets or sets the SqlCredential object for this connection.

Database

Gets the name of the current database or the database to be used after a connection is
opened.(Overrides DbConnection.Database.)

DataSource

Gets the name of the instance of SQL Server to which to connect.(Overrides

FireInfoMess
ageEventOnU
serErrors

Gets or sets the FireInfoMessageEventOnUserErrors property.

PacketSize

Gets the size (in bytes) of network packets used to communicate with an instance of
SQL Server.

ServerVersio
n

Gets a string that contains the version of the instance of SQL Server to which the client is
connected.(Overrides DbConnection.ServerVersion.)

Site

Gets or sets the ISite of the Component.(Inherited from Component.)

State

Indicates the state of the SqlConnection during the most recent network operation

performed on the connection.(Overrides DbConnection.State.)

StatisticsEna
bled

When set to true, enables statistics gathering for the current connection.

WorkstationI
d

Gets a string that identifies the database client.

Name

Description

BeginTransac
tion()

Starts a database transaction.

BeginTransac
tion(Isolation
Level)

Starts a database transaction with the specified isolation level.

BeginTransac
tion(Isolation
Level,String)

Starts a database transaction with the specified isolation level and transaction name.

BeginTransac
tion(String)

Starts a database transaction with the specified transaction name.

ChangeDatab
ase(String)

Changes the current database for an open SqlConnection.(Overrides

ChangePass
word(String,
SqlCredential,

SecureString)

Changes the SQL Server password for the user indicated in the SqlCredential object.

ChangePass
word(String,
String)

Changes the SQL Server password for the user indicated in the connection string to the
supplied new password.

ClearAllPools
()

Empties the connection pool.

ClearPool(Sql
Connection)

Empties the connection pool associated with the specified connection.

Close()

Closes the connection to the database. This is the preferred method of closing any open
connection.(Overrides DbConnection.Close().)

Methods

CreateComm
and()

Creates and returns a SqlCommand object associated with the SqlConnection.

CreateObjRef
(Type)

Creates an object that contains all the relevant information required to generate a proxy
used to communicate with a remote object.(Inherited from MarshalByRefObject.)

Dispose()

Releases all resources used by the Component.(Inherited from Component.)

EnlistDistribu
tedTransacti
on(ITransacti
on)

Enlists in the specified transaction as a distributed transaction.

EnlistTransac
tion(Transact
ion)

Enlists in the specified transaction as a distributed transaction.(Overrides

Equals(Objec
t)

Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.(Inherited from
Object.)

GetHashCod
e()

Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object.)

GetLifetimeS
ervice()

Retrieves the current lifetime service object that controls the lifetime policy for this
instance.(Inherited from MarshalByRefObject.)

GetSchema()

Returns schema information for the data source of this SqlConnection. For more
information about scheme, see SQL Server Schema Collections.(Overrides
DbConnection.GetSchema().)

GetSchema(S
tring)

Returns schema information for the data source of this SqlConnection using the
specified string for the schema name.(Overrides DbConnection.GetSchema(String).)

GetSchema(S
tring,
String[])

Returns schema information for the data source of this SqlConnection using the
specified string for the schema name and the specified string array for the restriction
values.(Overrides DbConnection.GetSchema(String,String[]).)

GetType()

Gets the Type of the current instance.(Inherited from Object.)

InitializeLifeti
meService()

Obtains a lifetime service object to control the lifetime policy for this instance.(Inherited
from MarshalByRefObject.)

Open()

Opens a database connection with the property settings specified by the

OpenAsync()

An asynchronous version of Open, which opens a database connection with the settings
specified by the ConnectionString. This method invokes the virtual method OpenAsync
with CancellationToken.None.(Inherited from DbConnection.)

OpenAsync(C
ancellationTo
ken)

An asynchronous version of Open, which opens a database connection with the property
settings specified by the ConnectionString. The cancellation token can be used to
request that the operation be abandoned before the connection timeout elapses.

Exceptions will be propagated via the returned Task. If the connection timeout time
elapses without successfully connecting, the returned Task will be marked as faulted
with an Exception. The implementation returns a Task without blocking the calling thread
for both pooled and non-pooled connections.(Overrides
DbConnection.OpenAsync(CancellationToken).)
RegisterColu
mnEncryption
KeyStoreProv
iders(IDiction
ary<String,
SqlColumnEn
cryptionKeySt
oreProvider>)

Registers the column encryption key store providers.

ResetStatisti
cs()

If statistics gathering is enabled, all values are reset to zero.

RetrieveStatis
tics()

Returns a name value pair collection of statistics at the point in time the method is
called.

ToString()

Returns a String containing the name of the Component, if any. This method should not
be overridden.(Inherited from Component.)

Name

Description

Disposed

Occurs when the component is disposed by a call to the Dispose method. (Inherited from
Component.)

InfoMessage

Occurs when SQL Server returns a warning or informational message.

StateChange

Occurs when the state of the event changes.(Inherited from DbConnection.)

Events

Explicit Interface Implementations

Description

IDbConnection.BeginTransa
ction()

Begins a database transaction.(Inherited from DbConnection.)

IDbConnection.BeginTransa
ction(IsolationLevel)

Begins a database transaction with the specified IsolationLevel value.

IDbConnection.CreateComm
and()

Creates and returns a DbCommand object that is associated with the

ICloneable.Clone()

Creates a new object that is a copy of the current instance.

Remarks
A SqlConnection object represents a unique session to a SQL Server data source. With a client/server database system, it is
equivalent to a network connection to the server. SqlConnection is used together with SqlDataAdapter and SqlCommand to
increase performance when connecting to a Microsoft SQL Server database. For all third-party SQL Server products, and other
OLE DB-supported data sources, use OleDbConnection.
When you create an instance of SqlConnection, all properties are set to their initial values. For a list of these values, see the
SqlConnection constructor.
See ConnectionString for a list of the keywords in a connection string.
If the SqlConnection goes out of scope, it won't be closed. Therefore, you must explicitly close the connection by calling Close
or Dispose. Close and Dispose are functionally equivalent. If the connection pooling value Pooling is set to true or yes, the
underlying connection is returned back to the connection pool. On the other hand, if Pooling is set to false or no, the
underlying connection to the server is actually closed.

Note
Login and logout events will not be raised on the server when a connection is fetched from or returned to the connection
pool, because the connection is not actually closed when it is returned to the connection pool. For more information, see
SQL Server Connection Pooling (ADO.NET).

To ensure that connections are always closed, open the connection inside of a using block, as shown in the following code
fragment. Doing so ensures that the connection is automatically closed when the code exits the block.
C#
using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString))
{
connection.Open();
// Do work here; connection closed on following line.
}

Note
To deploy high-performance applications, you must use connection pooling. When you use the .NET Framework Data
Provider for SQL Server, you do not have to enable connection pooling because the provider manages this automatically,
although you can modify some settings. For more information, see SQL Server Connection Pooling (ADO.NET).

If a SqlException is generated by the method executing a SqlCommand, the SqlConnection remains open when the severity

level is 19 or less. When the severity level is 20 or greater, the server ordinarily closes the SqlConnection. However, the user
can reopen the connection and continue.
An application that creates an instance of the SqlConnection object can require all direct and indirect callers to have sufficient
permission to the code by setting declarative or imperative security demands. SqlConnection makes security demands using
the SqlClientPermission object. Users can verify that their code has sufficient permissions by using the
SqlClientPermissionAttribute object. Users and administrators can also use the Caspol.exe (Code Access Security Policy
Tool) to modify security policy at the machine, user, and enterprise levels. For more information, see Security in the .NET
Framework. For an example demonstrating how to use security demands, see Code Access Security and ADO.NET.
For more information about handling warning and informational messages from the server, see Connection Events. SQL
Server engine errors and error messages are documented in SQL Server Books Online.

Caution
You can force TCP instead of shared memory. You can do that by prefixing tcp: to the server name in the connection string
or you can use localhost.

Examples
The following example creates a SqlCommand and a SqlConnection. The SqlConnection is opened and set as the Connection
for the SqlCommand. The example then calls ExecuteNonQuery. To accomplish this, the ExecuteNonQuery is passed a
connection string and a query string that is a Transact-SQL INSERT statement. The connection is closed automatically when
the code exits the using block.
C#
private static void CreateCommand(string queryString,
string connectionString)
{
using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(
connectionString))
{
SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand(queryString, connection);
command.Connection.Open();
command.ExecuteNonQuery();
}
}

Version Information
.NET Framework
Available since 1.1

Thread Safety

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to
be thread safe.

See Also
System.Data.SqlClient Namespace
Connecting to a Data Source in ADO.NET
SQL Server and ADO.NET
ADO.NET Managed Providers and DataSet Developer Center

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