Before you can connect to a third-party database, you must install Office-compatible driver or provider software. The steps for setting up that software after it's installed are different for different third-party databases. This procedure provides general steps for setting up a connection to a third-party database. For the specific information you need to complete these steps, consult the documentation from the third-party supplier, or see your database administrator.

1. In the Data Link Properties dialog box, click the Provider tab, and then do one of the following:
   If your database uses an OLE DB or OLAP provider, click the name of your provider.
   If your database uses an ODBC driver, click Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers.
2. Click the Connection tab, and do one of the following:
   If your database uses an OLE DB or OLAP provider, fill in the information on the Connection tab, and verify that the connection works by clicking the Test Connection button, if present. For specifics, click Help on the Connection tab, see your database documentation, or see your database administrator. When you have a working connection, skip ahead to step 10.
   If your database uses an ODBC driver, click Use connection string under Specify the source of data and proceed to step 3.
3. Click Build, and then do one of the following:
   If you already have a data source set up for the database you want to connect to, double-click the name of this data source, and then skip ahead to step 8.
   If you don't have a data source set up, click the File Data Source tab in the Select Data Source dialog box, and then click New.
4. In the Create New Data Source dialog box, click the name of your ODBC driver, and then click Next.
5. Type an identifying name for the data source, click Next, and then click Finish.
6. In the setup dialog box for your ODBC driver, fill in the information. For specifics, see your database documentation, or see your database administrator.
   You should now have a data source set up on your computer to connect to your database. In the future when you connect new PivotTable® lists to this database, you won't have to repeat the setup steps.
7. Click OK, and in the Select Data Source dialog box, double-click the name of the new data source you just created.
8. Click OK to return to the Data Link Properties dialog box.
9. If you want to verify that the connection you've set up works, click Test Connection, if present.
10. Click OK in the Data Link Properties dialog box.
11. In the Property Toolbox, under Use data from, click Data member, and then select the database table or file that contains the data you want to display in the PivotTable list.

You may notice that the Data Link Properties dialog box contains some advanced options for developers. If you're interested in learning about these options, click the Help button in the dialog box, and also see the programming Help for PivotTable lists. For information about displaying this Help, click the Help button in a PivotTable list that you're designing, and see "How to get assistance writing programs and scripts for PivotTable lists."

When you complete the instructions for connecting to your database, the drop areas should appear in the PivotTable list, and the data should be available for display. Click the Field List button on the toolbar in the PivotTable list to display the data fields that you can now drag onto the PivotTable list.

Where Can I Get More Information?

• For comprehensive information about designing PivotTable lists, click the Help button on the toolbar in a PivotTable list that you're designing, and see "About designing and publishing PivotTable lists for the Web."
• For information about using Microsoft Access 2000 to connect to databases, type data sources in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Access Help window, and then click Search.
• For information about using Excel to set up data sources, type data sources in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Excel Help window, and then click Search.