Why does the ESC Connections Server fail on Windows Authentication?

The ESC Connections Server installs and runs properly on a computer, but the connections for ESC Mobile or SageQuest/Reveal+ Integration cannot be made. No error messages are displayed and the Connection Server service is running properly. Middle tier status detail report shows no recent activity and all settings are correct in the Connection Server. Additionally, pressing the Test Connection button on the Connection Server Setup screen may return the error:

Error Connecting: [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified

Cause of Issue:

The ESC Connections Server is not working with Windows Authentication. Specifically, the local service is not logging into Windows using the built-in users login and password (Local System Account) and therefore does not have proper permissions. This issue is caused by a problem with the Local System Account.

Resolution:

There are a few ways to fix this problem:

1. If on a domain, create a user in ESC and associate it to their Windows Domain user account. If on a workgroup, go to step 2.
2. Switch SQL from Windows Authentication to Mixed Mode SQL Authentication.
3. Go into Services, double-click on ESC Connections Server service, and select the Log On tab. By default it is assigned the “Local System account”, change it to the user's account that is currently logged into the computer or select the account of a domain user with administrative privileges and reboot the computer.

NOTE: If the account used to login is customized, anytime the Connection Server is upgraded, the user account will have to be changed again.