title: How to connect to local database via website?
body: <p>I have a website used by clients for reporting purposes and would like to give clients the option of my website reading their local database directly (instead of them providing data in a file format).
  In most instances their database would be SQL Express setup on their localhost.</p>
  
  <p>How can I connect to a clients local SQL server via my website, using asp.net / javascript etc? If the client provides their connection string properties, localhost would just refer to my server's localhost...</p>
  
  <p>Consider the following :</p>
  
  <p>Most people connect to the internet via an ISP. THeir database will run on their localhost and will not have a public address as such.</p>
  
  <p>Ideally, the client must supply some connectionstring (database name, login etc.) and my server must connect.</p>
  
  <p>VPN's wont work for this - I must connect to them (in a programmatic way) and pull data, not the other way around.</p>
  
  <p>Thanks</p>