SQL Server Alias – Creating an Alias to SQLEXPRESS

sql serversql-server-2008

I have developer edition from SQL Server 2008, but now I have a piece of software with a hardcoded connection string:

Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=db;User Id=sa;Password=1234;

Now I tried adding an Alias in the configuration tool to SQLEXPRESS, but it just doesn't want to use this new alias.

I enabled TCP/IP and restarted the service.

Best Answer

Follow these steps to add an alias:

  1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager
  2. Expand SQL Native Client Configuration
  3. Right-click Aliases and select New Alias...
  4. On the New Alias window:
    • Enter .\SQLEXPRESS for the Alias Name.
    • Select the appropriate protocol (e.g., Named Pipes)
    • Enter . for the server name (that's equivalent to localhost).
  5. Click on OK to make the change.

Changing the HOSTS file to include a setting for SQLEXPRESS will only redirect DNS lookups for a machine called SQLEXPRESS to the specified IP address. That will not cause .\SQLEXPRESS to resolve to the localhost SQL instance.

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