With Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013, you can connect to any kind of database, including Microsoft SQL Server (SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008), Oracle, and OLE DB protocol. Moreover, there are three options for connecting to databases:

• Part 1: Connect to a database saving the user name and password
• Part 2: Connect to a database using Single Sign-On authentication
• Part 3: Connect to a database using a custom connection string

This article shows you how to create a connection to a database. It also shows you how to connect to a database using a custom connection string.

Steps: 

Step 1: Using SharePoint Designer 2013, connect to site.

Make sure the site you are working on is a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2013 site or a Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 site. Then, identify kind of authentication you want to use.

Open SharePoint Designer 2013 program, and select Open Site:

Type the site name into the Open Site dialog box, and click the Open button:

The Windows Security dialog box is shown; you need to input the user name and password of an authorized user:

 

Step 2: Connect to Data Source

•  Click Data Sources in the Navigation Pane:

•  On the Data Sources tab in the Rbbon, in the New group, click Database Connection:

•  In the Data Source Properties dialog box, on the Source tab, click Configure Database Connection:

 

• In the Configure Database Connection dialog box, select the Use Custom connection string check box, and then click Edit.
• In the Edit Connection String dialog box, in the Provider Name list, click the data provider that you want to use.
• In the Connection String text box, type your connection string.
• An example of an OLE DB connection string:
  Provider=myProvider;Data Source=myPath;Initial Catalog=catalogName;
  User Id=username;Password=password;
• An example of an Oracle connection string:
  Data Source=myDatabase;User Id=username;
  Password=password;Integrated Security=no;
• An example of an SQL Server connection string:
  Data Source=myServerAddress;Initial Catalog=myDataBase;
  User Id=username;Password=password;
• Click OK.
• Click Next.

For example: Here, I connect to SQL Server 2008; with Northwind Database; Employees table:

You will see the Database Name under Database Connections:

Cheers!

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