Coldfusion, Access Database, New Server -- Data Source Not Found

You'd think so. But they have been less than helpful. First they told me they don't allow RDS. So I said, fine but how do I access my pages without it. Then they replied, we can't give out the RDS password for security reasons. Then I sent them a screenshot from DW showing them that I couldn't get around the RDS password problem and they replied that they only accept FTP. Each time I write back, all I get is what I can't do, not any help in how to make it work. Their last reply was to go the DW forums for help...

I chose Crystaltech after doing some research and they seemed to have a good reputation on several CF forums. But perhaps I made a mistake?

Yikes! Sorry to hear the trouble you've gone through -- I know that has to really suck, and I feel for ya. I do know of a place you could post this to, to perhaps get some people's attention (and perhaps more help that I could provide on this):

CF-Talk Mailing List:

http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/subscribe.cfm/forumid:4

Last I checked, some of the people who run CrystalTech frequent that list, and there are many users on there that use them as well.

HTH,

-Dain

Thanks, I just sent them an e-mail; I'll keep my fingers crossed. (Although it's hard to work that way...)

Actually crystaltech is very good and they have very good support.  I think you must be dealing with a bad person.

Anyway, you need to 1) upload your access database
2) Use the crystaltech control panel to set up your datasource name.  It is very easy to do. This is the step it sounds like you are missing.  Setting up through cfadmin means nothing because that is probably on your machine.  You need to set it up through the crystaltech interface.
3) Set up dreamweaver to FTP your pages to crystaltech or use another FTP program

I know people that do this (in fact I helped family set this up).

Very simple steps.  Let me know if you have more problems.

This line especially:

>>The site worked fine off my hard drive; it was only once I put it up on the Crystaltech site that I had problems.

Says to me that you set up the datasource on your computer, but not on CrystalTech

My pages are loaded on the website and I did go through Crystaltech's Datsource Admin area and my DSN tests and supposedly works. I get the following message:

Your data source verified. The connection string you should use in your code is "dsn=CombsAutographs-Image"

But when I go to my site, and try one of the pages that generates results from the database, that's where I get the "Data source Name could not be found" error. Here's the rest of the message:

The error occurred in D:\INETPUB\sitename\Americana\Americana.cfm: line 1
 
1 : <cfquery name="RecArtists" datasource="SiteName-Images">
2 : SELECT"First","Last", Image, Thumb, Popup, PopWidth, PopHeight, Description, Topic, RetailPrice FROM InventoryImage WHERE Topic = 'Artists' ORDER BY"Last"ASC
3 : </cfquery>

Thanks!

Your datasource name in the code does not match.

If you set it up as "CombsAutographs-Image"

then you need the code to be :

<cfquery name="RecArtists" datasource="CombsAutographs-Images">

Oh, that would have been too easy! But I doublechecked -- and then doublechecked again -- and I still get the same error:

Data source CombsAutographs-Images could not be found.  
   
The error occurred in D:\INETPUB\combsautographs\Americana\Americana.cfm: line 1
 
1 : <cfquery name="RecArtists" datasource="CombsAutographs-Images">
2 : SELECT"First","Last", Image, Thumb, Popup, PopWidth, PopHeight, Description, Topic, RetailPrice FROM InventoryImage WHERE Topic = 'Artists' ORDER BY"Last"ASC
3 : </cfquery>

And this is the code in my page:

<cfquery name="RecAmericana" datasource="CombsAutographs-Images">
SELECT "First","Last", Image, Thumb, Popup, PopWidth, PopHeight, Description, Topic, RetailPrice FROM InventoryImage WHERE Topic = 'Americana' ORDER BY"Last"ASC
</cfquery>

Thanks so much for your help so far!

Just an FYI - you are going to have other problems with the query itself once the datasource is found since you have double quotes where they shouldn't be and some where they should be single quotes.  Also you are using reserved words for your column names.

Here's an interesting thought - maybe you can't have a dash in the datasource name on their server?

You are being so helpful... but it's still not working! So this time, I removed the quotes, replaced the reserved words, and even renamed the datasource to take out the hyphen. Still the same error.

And there's still that RDS password problem, so I'm not even sure if the CF Data Source has been attached/defined correctly -- or at all.

It must be something painfully obvious and simple, or at least overlooked, even something I don't know to look for... but what?

You shouldn't need RDS.

Basically with CrystalTech you should be using Dreamweaver as an FTP client only.  You really don't need the datasource attached to Dreamweaver at all.

Are you sure that you have uploaded the newest database access file to the appropriate location on CrystalTech?

I've been reading so much, trying so many things, and basically am in so far over my head that I don't know what I have or haven't done -- let alone whether it's right or not anymore. Sorry.

Maybe this additional information will help? Below, is the Local Info, Remote Info, and Testing Server information that I’ve filled in. (Except for logins and passwords.) I’ve also included the Cfquery info from the top of one of the site’s pages.

Local Info
Site Name: CombsAutographs
Local Root Folder: I:\Clients\Combs_Gary\_NewWeb\
Refresh local file list automatically: checked
Default Images Folder: I:\Clients\Combs_Gary\_NewWeb\_Working_Files\
HTTP Address: http://
Cache: enable

Remote Info
Access: FTP
FTP Host: 209.xxx.xxx.xx
Host Directory:
Login:
Password:

Testing Server
Server Model: ColdFusion
Access: FTP
FTP Host: 209.xxx.xxx.xx
Host Directory:
Login:
Password:
URL prefix: http://209.xxx.xxx.xx

Top of Web Page: CFquery

<cfquery name="RecAmericana" datasource="CombsAutographsImages">
SELECT FirstName, LastName, Image, Thumb, Popup, PopWidth, PopHeight, Description, Topic, RetailPrice FROM InventoryImage
WHERE Topic = Americana
ORDER BY Last ASC
</cfquery>

You're right about the datasource name and the quotes. I also needed to change the ORDER BY from Last to LastName. But that still didn't fix the whole problem.

I had signed up in desperation at several other forums and finally, late last night I got the answer. Someone from a Crystaltech forum asked if the datasource was set up and someone else suggested that it might be that Crystaltech needs DSNs to be all lowercase. Well, when I changed the DSN to all lowercase and that didn't work and then I changed it back to CombsAutographsImages and made the other changes, including the ones you mentioned, it miraculously worked!

The response was that sometimes removing and then reapplying a DNS sometimes is all it takes to fix a "mysterious" problem. AARRGGHH!!!

Of course, my question now is why didn't Crystaltech tech support suggest that, rather than just blowing me off with offhand remarks? Isn't it their job to keep clients up and running, happy, and be able to use their services? Guys like you -- and at other forums -- have been much more giving of their time, energy, and brains! And I can't thank you enough for all of your support. Keep up the good work!

Now, with what few brain cells I have left, I have to finish tinkering and polishing. You know, troubleshooting some of the faulty coding, adding meta tags, speeding up page loading, adding page numbers, etc., etc., etc.

Thank-you again, so much for your help through this!

I would like you to get the points from this, how do I do that?