Qual è il modo migliore per consentire a un utente di specificare un server SQL e un database da un'applicazione Windows?

Se vuoi permettere agli utenti di scoprire server / database sulla rete, SMO è la strada da percorrere. Se si desidera consentire loro di immettere informazioni di connessione note (a loro), è sufficiente raccogliere le informazioni in un modulo e utilizzare un SqlConnectionStringBuilder . Ecco un bell'articolo che mostra come utilizzarlo

using System.Data.SqlClient;

private void CreateConnectionString()
{
  SqlConnectionStringBuilder builder = new SqlConnectionStringBuilder();

  builder.DataSource = "(local)";
  builder.InitialCatalog = "Northwind";
  builder.UserID = "user1";
  builder.Password = "P@ssw0rd";

  MessageBox.Show(builder.ConnectionString);
}

This is a pretty easy class to use. You can just fill in the basic information such as the DataSource, InitialCatalog, the UserId and Password and it will create a connection string for you. The output from the above code will be: "Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=Northwind;User ID=user1;Password=p@ssword".

To add on additional keywords for your connection string you may use the Add method. This method takes the keyword and the value and will add them in the appropriate format to your connection string.

As mentioned, each ADO.NET data provider supplies one of these classes. For example, if you are using Oracle, you would use the System.Data.OracleClient namespace, then use the OracleConnectionStringBuilder.

The ConnectionStringBuilder class allows you to parse the individual elements of a connection string and put them into the corresponding properties in the ConnectionStringBuilder. In the following example you take an existing connection string like the one shown in the code below and place it into the ConnectionString property of the ConnectionStringBuilder. The ConnectionStringBuilder will then break it into the appropriate properties.

Per costruire sulla soluzione di @ Mike, ecco come ho risolto un problema simile

Public Con_Str As String

    Function Get_Con_Str()

        If .......Write yo code here...... Then
            Con_Str= "Initial Catalog=databasename1;" & "Data Source=datasource1;Integrated Security=True;"

        Else
           Con_Str= "Initial Catalog=databasename2;" & "Data Source=datasource2;Integrated Security=True;"
        End If
        Return Con_Str
    End Function