Configuring a MySQL User Account for Remote Access

If you are getting an error message like the following:

Access denied for user: "user_id@XXX.YYY.domain.net' (Using password: YES)

you should make sure the user ID and password you are entering are correct. If you continue to get the error, then its possible that your MySQL user ID has not been configured for remote access.

When user accounts are created for a MySQL database, they are often restricted for use on the same machine where the server is installed. This is especially true for databases provided by web hosting companies who provide access to the database through the phpMyAdmin web application.

In order to use the Actual ODBC driver with a remote database, your database administrator will need to modify your account to allow remote access. This is accomplished by typing the following command at a SQL prompt:

GRANT ALL ON your_database_name.* TO your_user_id@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';

That's all there is to it. Most hosting providers are willing to execute this command for you in order to provide remote access to your database. All you need to do is request it.

If you or your database administrator have any questions or concerns, please contact us at support@actualtech.com and we will do everything we can to help you get connected.