This pre installation step is only necessary if you plan to use SQL server authentication for the Accessing user. In that case the SQL Database Server must be configured to allow SQL Server Authentication mode.

If you have already installed SQL Server, the easiest way to check and change the SQL Server authentication mode is by using Microsoft's SQL Server Management Studio. Open the Server Management Studio go to the Object Explorer, right-click on the database server name, select Properties and go to the Security page. On the right side under Server authentication you will see the currently configured Server authentication mode (figure 1:1). After changing the Server authentication mode you will have to restart the database server service. This can be triggered from the context menu of the Database Server in Management Studio's Object Explorer. (figure 2).

If you did not install SQL Server yet you can define the Server authentication mode on installation of the SQL Server. Figure 3 shows the screen in the Microsoft SQL Server installation program where the Authentication mode can be set.

Figure 1: The server properties dialogue in the SQL Server Management Studio

Figure 2: Triggering a restart of the SQL Server in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.

Figure 2: Screen during SQL Server installation where you can define the Authentication mode. Here shown for SQL Server 2014 Express.

If you do not want to use Microsoft Management Studio you can find out the currently used Authentication mode of your database server by issue in the SQL command shown in listing 1. To change the SQL Server authentication mode without Management Studio you will have to manually change the Windows Registry, please refer to the original Microsoft Documentation if want to change the Authentication mode that way.

Listing 1: SQL command to get the currently used authentication mode.