Help and Support

Error: Invalid connection string attribute or unable to connect to database for Digita Suite

When the application database is not accessible, the following error will usually display: "An error has occurred while accessing the database: Invalid connection string attribute" or "unable to connect to database".
There can be multiple causes of this issue, please try going through this list before contacting technical support:
If only affecting one node installation
  1. It could be that you are running a Windows firewall or a third party firewall on the workstation. This will need to be disabled and the software tested again. If you wish to have the firewall enabled you will need to add an exception for port 1433 TCP, as this is the port which the SQL traffic will pass through. Third party Security Suites often have a firewall as part of their components, for example AVG, Norton or McAfee.
  2. Check the files listed below for the product you are having an issue with, edit the configuration file(s) to ensure the server name and database name reference is correct. They can be opened and edited in Notepad. If it says (local) as the server name, it references the PC/server the file is located on. If any of them reference an incorrect server name or database name, follow the instructions below.
    • DAP: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Accounts Production\
      Dac.exe.config
    • DAPA: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Accounts Production Advanced\
      OAP.exe.config
        (at the bottom)
    • DAPA: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Accounts Production Advanced\
      OAP-LAA.exe.config
        (at the bottom)
    • DCS: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Company Secretarial\
      DCS.Host.exe.config
    • DCT: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Corporation Tax\
      CoTaxSA.exe.config
    • DM: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Data Mining\
      DataMining.exe.config
    • DPT: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Personal Tax\
      datasources.xml
    • DPM: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Practice Management\
      DPM.exe.config
  3. Client node installations only. If you have just installed or re-installed a node/client installation due to an upgrade or server move, try the following:
    • Uninstall the software from 'Programs and Features', then ensure the installation folder (underlined) has been removed ( 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\
      PRODUCT_NAME
      \'), where 'PRODUCT_NAME' is the name of the Digita software you have just uninstalled. Then try reinstalling the node installation from the server share "Nodeins" folder. This may require the assistance of your IT person.
  4. Disable IPv6 on the internal network to avoid DNS issues with network traffic. You may need to consult with your IT Support about this.
  5. Ensure you not using Digita through a VPN to connect the the database. Check the installation guide for further information on supported setups: https://productdownloads.digita.com/digitadocs/Digita_Installation_Guide.pdf.
If affecting multiple users or a standalone install
  1. The problem may occur if the SQL Server service is not running. The first thing to try in order to start the service is to
    reboot
     the machine that holds the SQL Server database software. The service should then resume automatically on restart.
    To manually start the service on the standalone machine or the server, click on the Start button, type
    Services.msc
     into the Start menu search box then press Enter (or click on the application). This will open a list of services running on the machine, find 'SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)', right click select start.
    An additional method is to download this ZIP file on the primary computer or server where SQL Server resides, and extract the content: https://productdownloads.digita.com/digitavarious/Restart_SQLSERVER.zip. Right click on '
    Restart_SQLSERVER.cmd
    ' and select 'Run as administrator'. The black box will show if there is a problem or it completes successfully.
  2. If you are getting this issue on a node/workstation and have established the SQL service is running on the server, this could be a network issue. Check that you can access shares on the server or that you can see the server on the network, if not you will need to get your IT person to check the setup and cabling.
  3. It could be that you are running a Windows firewall or a third party firewall on the workstation or server. This will need to be disabled and the software tested again. If you wish to have the firewall enabled you will need to add an exception for port 1433 TCP, as this is the port which the SQL traffic will pass through. Third party Security Suites often have a firewall as part of their components, for example AVG, Norton or McAfee.
  4. The issue will occur if the SQL Server machine or standalone machine is renamed. If this is the case the software will be looking for the old machine name, so will be unable to connect to the database. To resolve this you will need to either name the machine back to its original name, or uninstall removing the installation folder afterwards and then reinstall all of your Digita programs on all machines.
  5. If none of the products connect to a new SQL Server installation. On the database server, open "SQL Server Configuration Manager", expand "SQL Server Network Configuration", click on "Protocols for MSSQLSERVER". Ensure "Named Pipes" and "TCP/IP" are enabled. If they are not, enable them by right clicking on each one.
  6. Client node installations only. If you have just installed or re-installed a node/client installation due to an upgrade or server move, try the following: Uninstall the software from 'Programs and Features', then ensure the installation folder (underlined) has been removed ('C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\
    PRODUCT_NAME
    \'), where 'PRODUCT_NAME' is the name of the Digita software you have just uninstalled. Then try reinstalling the node installation from the server share "Nodeins" folder. This may require the assistance of your IT person.
  7. Accounts Production Advanced (DAPA) Client node installations only:  If you have just installed a node installation of DAPA by running "Installer.msi", uninstall it and reinstall by running "setup.bat". If, when run, the black box vanishes quickly or does nothing, edit "setup.bat" in Notepad and ensure the network path entries are correct and valid. The default path references the installation files as if the "Digita" folder is shared and labelled "Digita", in accordance with the general installation instructions.
  8. Check the files listed below for the product you are having an issue with, edit the configuration file(s) to ensure the server name and database name reference is correct. They can be opened and edited in Notepad. If it says (local) as the server name, it references the PC/server the file is located on. If any of them reference an incorrect server name or database name, follow the instructions in Step 6 above.
    • DAP: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Accounts Production\
      Dac.exe.config
    • DAPA: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Accounts Production Advanced\
      OAP.exe.config
       (at the bottom)
    • DAPA: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Accounts Production Advanced\
      OAP-LAA.exe.config
       (at the bottom)
    • DCS: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Company Secretarial\
      DCS.exe.config
    • DCS: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Company Secretarial\
      DCS.Host.exe.config
    • DCT: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Corporation Tax\
      CoTaxSA.exe.config
    • DM: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Data Mining\
      DataMining.exe.config
    • DPT: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Personal Tax\
      datasources.xml
    • DPM: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digita\Practice Management\
      DPM.exe.config
  9. If you have just changed database server, or restored a database using SQL Server Management Studio. Ensure you have run 'Security' in a Query against the restored databases. See our help topic:  Back up and restore Digita Suite databases with SQL Server Management Studio.
  10. Disable IPv6 on the internal network to avoid DNS issues with network traffic. You may need to consult with your IT Support about this.
  11. Ensure your primary DNS server is internal to your network, and not Google's DNS servers (8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4). You may need to consult with your IT Support about this.
  12. Ensure you not using Digita through a VPN to connect the the database. Check the installation guide for further information on supported setups. https://productdownloads.digita.com/digitadocs/Digita_Installation_Guide.pdf
After trying the above, it is still failing to connect to the databases, please let us know.

This article applies to:

  • Product: Companies House Accounts Filing, Digita Accounts Production