KB489646: Post-Upgrade Issue: Salesforce ODBC Connection May Fail with "Connection Refused" in Strategy One (March 2026): Connection refused. Verify Host Name and Port Number. Verify that the SQL Engine service is runningKB489646: Post-Upgrade Issue: Salesforce ODBC Connection May Fail with "Connection Refused" in Strategy One (March 2026): Connection refused. Verify Host Name and Port Number. Verify that the SQL Engine service is running

Symptom

Connection fails with message: "Connection refused. Verify Host Name and Port Number. Verify that the SQL Engine service is running."

Connections that previously worked in Auto/Direct mode now attempt to use the SQL Engine Server

Cause

The driver’s default behavior on Windows now explicitly prefers Server Mode for the SQL Engine:

Previous default: SQLEngineMode=0 (Auto)

New default: SQLEngineMode=1 (Server/Engine)

Reference: https://docs.progress.com/bundle/datadirect-salesforce-odbc-80/page/SQL-Engine-Mode.html

Solution

Start and configure the SQL Engine Server so the driver can connect to it.

Follow the official guide for methods to configure and start the SQL Engine Server (service/process), including service configuration, port selection, and troubleshooting JVM/heap constraints:

https://docs.progress.com/bundle/datadirect-salesforce-odbc-80/page/Using-the-SQL-engine-server.html

Best practice: For BI/reporting tools and generic ODBC apps, enable the SQL Engine Server for predictable performance and compatibility.

Workaround

Add SQLEngineMode=2 to your DSN or connection string to force Direct Mode.