Login failed for user \'\'. The user is not associated with a trusted SQL Server connection

Error Message

When selecting Microsoft SQL Server Express as the location for users and roles in the ArcGIS Server Manager Security-Settings configuration wizard, an error message similar to one of the following error messages may occur in the Users or Roles panels after configuring security:

"An error has occurred on the server. For details please check the Event (Application) log on the web server. Login failed for user \'\'. The user is not associated with a trusted SQL Server connection."

-Or-

"Cannot open database '<database name>' requested by the login. The login failed. Login failed for user '<domain>\<username>'."

One of the above errors only occurs when all of the following conditions are true:

(a) Manager is running on Windows XP or Windows Server 2000.
(b) Microsoft SQL Server Express is selected as the user or role location.
(c) The Microsoft SQL Server Express instance is running on a separate computer under Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008.
(d) The 'Use trusted connection' option is selected in the security wizard.

Cause

The 'Use trusted connection' option for SQL Server requires Windows accounts for connecting to the database. The Manager Web application makes connections using the local ASPNET account with a locally-generated password. This locally-generated password is not likely to be the same as that on the machine running the Microsoft SQL Server instance. Since connections to SQL Server Express use Windows authentication, and since the ASPNET account does not exist on the database computer with the same username and password, SQL Server Express will not allow access to the remote Manager application.

Solution or Workaround

• Install SQL Server Express on the Web server computer, and point Manager's security wizard to this database instance.
• Use a SQL login to connect to the SQL Server Express database instance. This requires changing the security settings of the SQL Server Express such as, by using the SQL Server Management Studio Express, adding a SQL login, and permitting the login access to the User or Role database.
  

  Note:
  Microsoft recommends using Windows authentication rather than SQL logins where possible.