Issue
Is it possible for 3rd party software to access Vista's SQL log database (taclogdata)?
Environment
Vista 5.1.x
SQL 2005/2008
Cause
There are many sites where the customer wishes to collect information from different systems and present them in a standard format such as excel or a custom application. By accessing the raw log data from Vista this can be presented in a format the customer is familiar with.
Resolution
Assuming that Vista and SQL are installed and running, start by downloading the appropriate version of SQL Management Studio i.e. if you have Vista 5.1.8 with a standard installation of SQL 2008R2 Express then search for "SQL 2008 R2 Express management studio" to come to a download link. Once downloaded and installed:
-Start Management Studio and connect to the instance of SQL being used (default is localhost\TACVISTA)
-Go to the security folder in the Object explorer and expand it.
-Right-click on "Logins" and select "New Login".
-Fill in the details as desired ie name, password and SQL authentication.
-Under User Mapping settings select the taclogdata database and grant at least db_datareader rights.
-Click on OK.
This user name and password can then be used by third party applications to query the SQL database.
