Solving a timeout error for SQL query

Question

I am getting this error:

Timeout expired. The timeout period elapsed prior to completion of the operation or the server is not responding.

Answer 1

This is probably a connection issue with your database, for example if you had the following connection string:

"Data Source=MyDatabaseServer...

Then you need to make sure that:

• The machine MyDatabaseServer is connected to the network and is accessible from the machine you are running your application from (under the name "MyDatabaseServer")
• The database server is running on MyDatabaseServer
• The database server on MyDatabaseServer is configured to accept connections from remote machines
• The firewall settings both on the local machine and MyDatabaseServer are correctly set up to allow SQL Server connections through
• Your username / password etc... are correct

You can also try connecting to the given database instance using SQL Server Management Studio from the client machine as a diagnosis step.

There are plenty of articles that address SQL Server connectivity issues - do a Google search for the specific error message that comes up or failing that as a specific question on Server Fault