Yes the Database is on my local machine. To get to it via SQL Management studio it logs on using (local)\localhostob. I have tried using that variation as well.
It does indeed have the iis apppool\fjourneys login and that has been set as owner of the DNN database I created.
The database is configured to allow both windows and sql authentication.
I'll try the UDL file this morning and let you know if it works.
Thanks,
Oliver

From your original post "The server is called localhostob...".

With the database being on your local machine I guess you didn't mean that. Is that the name of your local machine? Is it the name of the SQL Instance?

Are you using Full SQL Server or SQL Server Express? I *think* the *default* for full sql server is to have NO instance name. Then I would expect the server name to be just '.'. Default for the Express versions is (I *think*) the name of the product. What you have in your original graphic suggests an instance name of SQL2008R2. It could be correct, but it does not seem to agree with SSMS connecting using (local)\localhostob. Which suggests to me that, whatever SQL Server SKU you have installed has an instance name of localhostob. Then I would expect the server name to be .\localhostob or (local)\localhostob - which should be equivalent.

WARNING - for this usage the local MUST be in parens. I got badly bitten once thinking I could leave them off. I found some dox eventually that explained (local) was special cased in whatever parses the connection string.

HTH!

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Best wishes,
- Richard
Agile Development Consultant, Practitioner, and Trainer
www.dynamisys.co.uk