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Specify a source to retrieve data from

1. If the Choose Data Source dialog box is not displayed, click New Query .
2. Do one of the following:

   To specify a data source for a relational database, text file database, or Microsoft Excel list, click the Databases tab.

   To specify an OLAP cube data source, click the OLAP Cubes tab. This tab is available only if you ran Microsoft Query from Microsoft Excel.

3. Double-click New Data Source.
4. In step 1, type a name to identify the data source.
5. In step 2, click a driver for the type of database you are using as your data source.

   If you don't see the database you want, you may need to install the ODBC driver or data source driver for your data source.

   How?

6. Click Connect, and then provide the information needed to connect to your database.

   For relational databases, text file databases, and Excel lists, the information you provide depends on the type of database selected. You may be asked to supply a logon name, a password, the version of the database you're using, the database location, or other information specific to the type of database.

   For Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services data sources, follow the steps in the Multi-Dimensional Connection Wizard.

7. After you enter the required information, click OK or Finish to return to the Create New Data Source dialog box.
8. If your database has tables and you want a particular one to be displayed automatically in the Query Wizard, click the box for step 4, and then click the table you want.
9. If you don't want to type your logon name and password when you use the data source, select the Save my user ID and password in the data source definition check box. If the check box is unavailable, see the database administrator to determine whether this option has been disabled.

   When you complete these steps, the name of your data source appears in the Choose Data Source dialog box.