2.2.4.1 Data Connections

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A Web drawing can be linked to data from databases and other data sources which can affect various attributes of the Web drawing including its visual appearance. A relationship to such data sources is called a data connection. 

A data connection contains properties that specify how the application connects to and queries a data source, including the type of data provider (for example, OLE DB or ODBC) required to access a data source, the name of the server on which the data source is hosted, security information to access the data source, and a query to execute on the server.

Data connections are stored either completely inside or partly outside of the document. If the FileName attribute of a CT_DataConnection element in the DataConnection XML Part is not present, a data connection is completely specified by the following pair of elements:

  • The containing CT_DataConnection.

  • The CT_DataRecordset with a connectionID attribute that matches the ID attribute of the containing CT_DataConnection.

If the FileName attribute is present, then a data connection is specified by the triplet of:

  • The containing CT_DataConnection.

  • The CT_DataRecordset with a connectionID attribute that matches the ID attribute of the containing CT_DataConnection.

  • The information contained in the Office data connection (ODC) file found at the path described by the value of the FileName attribute.

A Web drawing can contain zero or more data connections, each uniquely identified by the ID attribute of the CT_DataRecordset element. Data connections can be established for the types of data sources listed in the ConnectionString attribute of the CT_DataConnection element.