PHP Conference Kansai 2025

    sqlsrv_connect

    (No version information available, might only be in Git)

    sqlsrv_connect — Opens a connection to a Microsoft SQL Server database

    Description

    sqlsrv_connect(string $serverName, array $connectionInfo = ?): resource

    Opens a connection to a Microsoft SQL Server database. By default, the connection is attempted using Windows Authentication. To connect using SQL Server Authentication, include "UID" and "PWD" in the connection options array.

    Parameters

    serverName

    The name of the server to which a connection is established. To connect to a specific instance, follow the server name with a backward slash and the instance name (e.g. serverName\sqlexpress).

    connectionInfo

    An associative array that specifies options for connecting to the server. If values for the UID and PWD keys are not specified, the connection will be attempted using Windows Authentication. For a complete list of supported keys, see » SQLSRV Connection Options.

    Return Values

    A connection resource. If a connection cannot be successfully opened, false is returned.

    Examples

    Example #1 Connect using Windows Authentication.

    <?php
    $serverName     = "serverName\\sqlexpress"; /serverName\instanceName

    / Since UID and PWD are not specified in the $connectionInfo array,
    / The connection will be attempted using Windows Authentication.
    $connectionInfo = array( "Database"=>"dbName");
    $conn = sqlsrv_connect( $serverName, $connectionInfo);

    if(     $conn ) {
    echo     "Connection established.<br />";
    }else{
    echo     "Connection could not be established.<br />";
    die(     print_r( sqlsrv_errors(), true));
    }
    ?>

    Example #2 Connect by specifying a user name and password.

    <?php
    $serverName     = "serverName\\sqlexpress"; /serverName\instanceName
    $connectionInfo = array( "Database"=>"dbName", "UID"=>"userName", "PWD"=>"password");
    $conn = sqlsrv_connect( $serverName, $connectionInfo);

    if(     $conn ) {
    echo     "Connection established.<br />";
    }else{
    echo     "Connection could not be established.<br />";
    die(     print_r( sqlsrv_errors(), true));
    }
    ?>

    Example #3 Connect on a specified port.

    <?php
    $serverName     = "serverName\\sqlexpress, 1542"; /serverName\instanceName, portNumber (default is 1433)
    $connectionInfo = array( "Database"=>"dbName", "UID"=>"userName", "PWD"=>"password");
    $conn = sqlsrv_connect( $serverName, $connectionInfo);

    if(     $conn ) {
    echo     "Connection established.<br />";
    }else{
    echo     "Connection could not be established.<br />";
    die(     print_r( sqlsrv_errors(), true));
    }
    ?>

    Notes

    By default, the sqlsrv_connect() uses connection pooling to improve connection performance. To turn off connection pooling (i.e. force a new connection on each call), set the "ConnectionPooling" option in the $connectionOptions array to 0 (or false). For more information, see » SQLSRV Connection Pooling.

    The SQLSRV extension does not have a dedicated function for changing which database is connected to. The target database is specified in the $connectionOptions array that is passed to sqlsrv_connect. To change the database on an open connection, execute the following query "USE dbName" (e.g. sqlsrv_query($conn, "USE dbName")).

    See Also

    • sqlsrv_close() - Closes an open connection and releases resourses associated with the connection
    • sqlsrv_errors() - Returns error and warning information about the last SQLSRV operation performed
    • sqlsrv_query() - Prepares and executes a query

    Found A Problem?

    Learn How To Improve This Page • Submit a Pull Request • Report a Bug
    ＋add a note

    User Contributed Notes 2 notes

    up
    4
    Eion Robb
    9 years ago
    As mentioned at
    3
    alvaro at demogracia dot com
    8 years ago
    You can use the connectionInfo parameter to specify connection encoding, e.g.:

    <?php
    $connectionInfo     = [
    'CharacterSet' => 'UTF-8',
    ];
    $conn = sqlsrv_connect($serverName, $connectionInfo);
    ?>

    Beware though that only two options exist:
    - SQLSRV_ENC_CHAR (constant) for ANSI, which is the default
    - 'UTF-8' (string) for Unicode
    ＋add a note
    To Top

    Follow Lee on X/Twitter - Father, Husband, Serial builder creating AI, crypto, games & web tools. We are friends :) AI Will Come To Life!

    Check out: eBank.nz (Art Generator) | Netwrck.com (AI Tools) | Text-Generator.io (AI API) | BitBank.nz (Crypto AI) | ReadingTime (Kids Reading) | RewordGame | BigMultiplayerChess | WebFiddle | How.nz | Helix AI Assistant