Table of Contents

Specify Application Name in Connection Strings

  • 2026-01-09
  • Morten Lønskov

Overview

This rule identifies SQL Server provider data sources that lack an Application Name parameter in their connection strings. Including the application name enables better monitoring and troubleshooting.

  • Category: Performance
  • Severity: Low (1)

Applies To

  • Provider Data Sources

Why This Matters

  • Query tracking: DBAs can identify which application generated queries
  • Performance monitoring: Isolate tabular model queries for analysis
  • Troubleshooting: Quickly identify source of problem queries
  • Auditing: Track data access by application

When This Rule Triggers

This rule triggers when a data source meets both of these conditions:

  1. The connection string uses a SQL Server provider (contains SQLNCLI, SQLOLEDB, or MSOLEDBSQL)
  2. The connection string does NOT include an Application Name parameter

In other words, the rule identifies SQL Server connections that are missing the application name identifier.

How to Fix

Manual Fix

Add Application Name to your connection string:

Provider=MSOLEDBSQL;Data Source=ServerName;Initial Catalog=DatabaseName;Application Name=Tabular Editor;Integrated Security=SSPI;

Example

Before Fix

Provider=MSOLEDBSQL;Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;

After Fix

Provider=MSOLEDBSQL;Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;Application Name=Sales Model;

Result: Queries now identifiable in SQL Server monitoring tools.

Compatibility Level

This rule applies to models with compatibility level 1200 and higher.