diff --git a/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/ConnectionService.cs b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/ConnectionService.cs
index 8905ab92..ca868391 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/ConnectionService.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/ConnectionService.cs
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Connection
             }
             catch(Exception ex)
             {
-                response.Messages = ex.Message;
+                response.Messages = ex.ToString();
                 return response;
             }
 
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Connection
             }
             catch(Exception ex)
             {
-                await requestContext.SendError(ex.Message);
+                await requestContext.SendError(ex.ToString());
             }
         }
 
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Connection
             }
             catch(Exception ex)
             {
-                await requestContext.SendError(ex.Message);
+                await requestContext.SendError(ex.ToString());
             }
 
         }
@@ -285,7 +285,10 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Connection
             connectionBuilder["Integrated Security"] = false;
             connectionBuilder["User Id"] = connectionDetails.UserName;
             connectionBuilder["Password"] = connectionDetails.Password;
-            connectionBuilder["Initial Catalog"] = connectionDetails.DatabaseName;
+            if( !String.IsNullOrEmpty(connectionDetails.DatabaseName) )
+            {
+                connectionBuilder["Initial Catalog"] = connectionDetails.DatabaseName;
+            }
             return connectionBuilder.ToString();
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/Contracts/ConnectParamsExtensions.cs b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/Contracts/ConnectParamsExtensions.cs
index b9e73e09..d8596447 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/Contracts/ConnectParamsExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Connection/Contracts/ConnectParamsExtensions.cs
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Connection.Contracts
             return !(
                 String.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters.OwnerUri) ||
                 parameters.Connection == null ||
-                String.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters.Connection.DatabaseName) ||
                 String.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters.Connection.Password) ||
                 String.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters.Connection.ServerName) ||
                 String.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters.Connection.UserName)
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Hosting/Contracts/VersionRequest.cs b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Hosting/Contracts/VersionRequest.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ed7ab358
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Hosting/Contracts/VersionRequest.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+//
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
+//
+
+using Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting.Protocol.Contracts;
+
+namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting.Contracts
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Defines a message that is sent from the client to request
+    /// the version of the server.
+    /// </summary>
+    public class VersionRequest
+    {
+        public static readonly
+           RequestType<object, string> Type =
+           RequestType<object, string>.Create("version");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Hosting/ServiceHost.cs b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Hosting/ServiceHost.cs
index 0f2a0d9a..1270982f 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Hosting/ServiceHost.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/Hosting/ServiceHost.cs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ using Microsoft.SqlTools.EditorServices.Utility;
 using Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting.Contracts;
 using Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting.Protocol;
 using Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting.Protocol.Channel;
+using System.Reflection;
 
 namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting
 {
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting
             // Register the requests that this service host will handle
             this.SetRequestHandler(InitializeRequest.Type, this.HandleInitializeRequest);
             this.SetRequestHandler(ShutdownRequest.Type, this.HandleShutdownRequest);
+            this.SetRequestHandler(VersionRequest.Type, HandleVersionRequest);
         }
 
         #endregion
@@ -69,6 +71,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting
 
         private readonly List<InitializeCallback> initializeCallbacks;
 
+        private static readonly Version serviceVersion = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().GetName().Version;
+
         #endregion
 
         #region Public Methods
@@ -149,6 +153,17 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Hosting
                 });
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Handles the version request. Sends back the server version as result.
+        /// </summary>
+        private static async Task HandleVersionRequest(
+          object versionRequestParams,
+          RequestContext<string> requestContext)
+        {
+            Logger.Write(LogLevel.Verbose, "HandleVersionRequest");
+            await requestContext.SendResult(serviceVersion.ToString());
+        }
+
         #endregion
     }
 }
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Test/Connection/ConnectionServiceTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Test/Connection/ConnectionServiceTests.cs
index 9e3d5339..6333bbd6 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Test/Connection/ConnectionServiceTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Test/Connection/ConnectionServiceTests.cs
@@ -19,6 +19,30 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Test.Connection
     /// </summary>
     public class ConnectionServiceTests
     {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Verify that we can connect to the default database when no database name is
+        /// provided as a parameter.
+        /// </summary>
+        [Theory]
+        [InlineDataAttribute(null)]
+        [InlineDataAttribute("")]
+        public void CanConnectWithEmptyDatabaseName(string databaseName)
+        {
+            // Connect
+            var connectionDetails = TestObjects.GetTestConnectionDetails();
+            connectionDetails.DatabaseName = databaseName;
+            var connectionResult =
+                TestObjects.GetTestConnectionService()
+                .Connect(new ConnectParams()
+                {
+                    OwnerUri = "file:///my/test/file.sql",
+                    Connection = connectionDetails
+                });
+            
+            // check that a connection was created
+            Assert.NotEmpty(connectionResult.ConnectionId);
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Verify that when a connection is started for a URI with an already existing
         /// connection, we disconnect first before connecting.
@@ -99,12 +123,10 @@ namespace Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.Test.Connection
         [Theory]
         [InlineDataAttribute(null, "my-server", "test", "sa", "123456")]
         [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", null, "test", "sa", "123456")]
-        [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", "my-server", null, "sa", "123456")]
         [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", "my-server", "test", null, "123456")]
         [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", "my-server", "test", "sa", null)]
         [InlineDataAttribute("", "my-server", "test", "sa", "123456")]
         [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", "", "test", "sa", "123456")]
-        [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", "my-server", "", "sa", "123456")]
         [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", "my-server", "test", "", "123456")]
         [InlineDataAttribute("file://my/sample/file.sql", "my-server", "test", "sa", "")]
         public void ConnectingWithInvalidParametersYieldsErrorMessage(string ownerUri, string server, string database, string userName, string password)