How to connect to sql server express with PHP

[dsatino]

I'm new to PHP, but probably expert with databases. I'm very familiar with connection strings, objects, ODBC, etc.

For some reason I can't seem to accomplish this simple task in PHP. My guess is that it's something easy, but it eludes me. My 'site' is hosted on my PC, which is probably the problem since network config is not a strong suit for me.

In any case, here's what I have:
MS Surface running windows 8.1
Computer Name: HAL
IIS is running
PHP interpreter is installed and running
SQL Server is running (I've tested the connection)

I've created my 'site' using Microsoft WebMatrix, which I installed today.

The file location of the site is:
C:\Users\fName\Documents\My Web Sites\lName.fName

The web.config file for the db looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<configuration>
    <connectionStrings>
        <add connectionString="server=.\SQLEXPRESS;uid=DAS_TestData1U;pwd=c0{#nPA*(!Fy;Database=DAS_TestData1" name="DAS_TestData1" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
    </connectionStrings>
</configuration>
 

The connection string used by WebMatrix is: server=.\SQLEXPRESS;uid=DAS_TestData1U;pwd=******; database=DAS_TestData1



Any help would be appreciated. Thanks