KB IssueA SQL Server authentication error occurs when login credentials are invalid or database connection settings are incorrect, resulting in the following error.

Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server error '80040e4d'
Invalid authorization specification
/mywebsite/Connection.asp, line 46

Issue Details

The Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server error 80040e4d occurs when a website or application fails to authenticate with the SQL Server database.

The error is commonly triggered by an invalid username or password, an incorrect database connection string, disabled SQL authentication, or missing login permissions on the SQL Server instance.

In Classic ASP and ASP.NET environments, the error may appear when loading database-driven pages, processing login requests, or executing SQL queries that require an active database connection.

Reviewing the database connection settings, SQL login configuration, and server authentication mode typically resolves the issue and restores proper connectivity between the application and SQL Server.

Recreate IssueThe following example shows the exact cause of this error. The Username and Password fields are blank.

[Classic ASP - SQL Server Database Connection String without Username and Password]

CFFCS | CarrzSynEdit: | ASP/VBScript


Set kbConn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
kbConn.Open("Provider=MSOLEDBSQL;Data Source=MyServer\MyInstance;Initial Catalog=MyDB;User Id=;Password=;DataTypeCompatibility=80;TrustServerCertificate=Yes;")

Resolve Issue

[Classic ASP - SQL Server Database Connection String]

CFFCS | CarrzSynEdit: | ASP/VBScript

getSerInstance = "SQL-04\SQL2022"
dbun = "myusername"
dbpw = "mypassword"
Set kbConn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
kbConn.Open("Provider=MSOLEDBSQL;Data Source="&getSerInstance&";Initial Catalog=MyDB;User Id="&dbun&";Password="&dbpw&";DataTypeCompatibility=80;TrustServerCertificate=Yes;")

Using Variables makes it easier to copy the string into a new project, replace the Variable values, and avoid messing with the DB String, except for changing the DB name.