Cheers guys, all some very good feedback. Andrew, I'll use the .ConnectionString from now on :) Before I proceed I'm going to write a class to handle the connection type stuff and I'll took a look into EHAB and LAB as well.
The assuming nothing approach is something I'm going to employ more often, although I think the example of gathering a connection string may not be the most appropriate place. I've been developing for a few years now and as I'm starting my own project I'm making a conscious effort to learn how to do things in the best possible way, always ask questions where I'm not sure. I appreaciate your efforts here as I've been re-assured on a task I'll be repeating a lot, and also had a few other pointers made :)
