title: Testing Database Connectivity in C# Console Application
body: <p>I have a C# Console Application that is essentially a long batch process that processes data on a nightly basis across many different databases. What is the proper or preferred way to test basic database connectivity at the beginning of this type of program? I ran into the issue of having an expired database password for one of my connections that was caught by exception handling but I want to test for basic connectivity at the very beginning.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Would a simple SELECT query suffice or is there a more efficient way of doing this for numerous databases?</strong> </p>