dotConnect for PostgreSQL

Enhanced data provider for PostgreSQL that builds on ADO.NET technology to present a solution for developing PostgreSQL-based database applications. It is included in the Devart database application development framework.

dotConnect for PostgreSQL formerly known as PostgreSQLDirect .NET, is an enhanced ORM enabled data provider for PostgreSQL that builds on ADO.NET technology to present a complete solution for developing PostgreSQL-based database applications. It introduces new approaches for designing application architecture, boosts productivity, and leverages database applications.

dotConnect for Oracle is available in three editions:

• dotConnect for PostgreSQL Standard Edition: ADO.NET data provider with design time support and advanced classes.
• dotConnect for PostgreSQL Professional Edition: additional classes, tools, technologies and integration capabilities.
• .dotConnect for PostgreSQL Mobile Edition: equivalent to the Standard Edition for .NET Compact Framework.

Key Features:

• Direct Mode: Allows your application to work with PostgreSQL directly via TCP/IP without involving PostgreSQL Client software
• Enterprise Library: Can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block.
• Monitoring: Allows per-component tracing of database events with a free dbMonitor application.
  
• BIS: Enables Integration Services to export and import data to/from PostgreSQL servers.
  
• Compatibility: Supports PostgreSQL servers from 3.23 and higher on .NET and .NET Compact Framework 2.0 and higher and Mono.
• ASP.NET: Implements Role, Session State, Membership, Profile, Site Map and other ASP 2.0 providers.
• Fast and Advanced ADO.NET Provider: dotConnect for PostgreSQL offers both high performance connectivity to the PostgreSQL database and a number of innovative development tools and technologies.
• RAD Approach: Integrates into Visual Studio Server Explorer and other tools and provides advanced visual component editors to simplify component tweaking.
• ORM Solutions: Offers enhanced ORM support with a bundled visual designer for ORM models.

dotConnect for PostgreSQL - Features

dotConnect for PostgreSQL, formerly known as PostgreSQLDirect .NET, is an enhanced data provider for PostgreSQL that builds on ADO.NET technology to present a complete solution for developing PostgreSQL-based database applications. As part of the Devart database application development framework, dotConnect for PostgreSQL offers both high performance native connectivity to the PostgreSQL database and a number of innovative development tools and technologies.

dotConnect for PostgreSQL introduces new approaches for designing application architecture, boosts productivity, and leverages database application implementation.

Key Features

The following list describes the main features of PostgreSQLDirect .NET.

• Direct access to PostgreSQL server
• 100% managed code
• High performance
• Easy to deploy
• Supports the latest versions of PostgreSQL server
• All PostgreSQL data types support
• .NET Compact Framework support
• Entity Framework support
• LINQ to PostgreSQL support
• Operates in both connected and disconnected models
• Powerful PgSqlDataTable component as all-in-one table data access solution
• Auxiliary components for SQL scripts and bulk data transfer
• Extra data binding capabilities
• Cross-form components cooperation
• Ability of monitoring query execution
• Licensed royalty-free per developer, per team, or per site

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General Features

General usability

• Direct access to server data
• Real RAD for database applications
• Fully compliant with ADO.NET
• 100% managed code
• Highly usable design time support
• Easy to deploy

Network and connectivity

• Doesn't require PostgreSQL client library and uses PostgreSQL protocol directly
• Both connected and disconnected data access models
• Unicode connections

Compatibility

• Full support of the latest versions of PostgreSQL
• Full support for x64 architecture [New]
• .NET Compact Framework support
• Mono Framework support
• Visual Studio .NET 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2008 support [Improved]
• Borland Delphi 8, 2005, 2006, Turbos support
• SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence Solutions support [Improved]

PostgreSQL technology support

• All PostgreSQL data types support, including Composite types
• Stored procedures support
• Returning result sets from stored procedures
• PgSqlDump component to store a database or its parts as a script and then restore it
• PgSqlLoader component for fast loading data
• Fill DataSet with multiple query

Performance

• High overall performance
• Intelligent fetch block size control
• Advanced connection pooling
• High performance batch processing

ADO.NET technology support

• Full support for ADO.NET Entity Framework [New]
• Server enumeration
• Batch update support
• Extended metadata information retrieval
• Advanced CommandBuilder component with automatic refresh SQL [Improved]
• Enhanced pooling control through connection string
• Connection string builder
• Provider factory for generating key data access classes
• Asynchronous command execution
• Provider-specific types support [Improved]
• Password change API
• Database Change Notification Support
• Possibility to retrieve OID values

LINQ to PostgreSQL [New]

• Easy to use
• High performance
• Interchangeable with Microsoft LINQ to SQL
• Plain CLR classes used (no need to use a common base class)
• Full CRUD (Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete) support
• Change tracking support
• Object data caching
• Data binding support
• Wide support for LINQ capabilities
• Wide support for server data types
• Load on demand (lazy load)
• Database transactions support
• Inheritance mapping support (table per hierarchy model)
• Server-independent interface
• Visual model creation and code generation with Entity Developer

Extended data access technologies and functionality

• Powerful PgSqlDataTable component for manipulating individual tables or query result
• NonBlocking mode allows fetching data asynchronously in the background
• On-demand data fetch for data-bound controls
• Paginal access to query result
• Server side master-detail relation based on queries
• Ability to refresh individual records in PgSqlDataTable component
• Support for Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block (DAAB)
• Object-oriented building of SELECT statements
• Extended warning and error information retrieval
• Extended interface for processing execution exceptions
• PgSqlDataAdapter.Fill method with sequential fetch support
• Ability to defer fetching of some columns in a resultset
• Named parameters support

WinForms-specific features

• Flexible data binding with DataLink component
• InterForm technology for cross-form components cooperation
• Global position synchronization within a data source

ASP.NET-specific features

• ASP.NET data providers: Membership provider, Role provider, Session State provider, Profile provider
• PgSqlDataSource web component
• PgSqlCacheDependency component to control Cache item dependencies in ASP.NET applications

Script execution

• Advanced script execution features with PgSqlScript component
• Support for executing individual statements in scripts
• Support for executing huge scripts stored in files with dynamic loading

SQL execution monitoring

• Extended SQL tracing capabilities with PgSqlMonitor component
• Support for DBMonitor utility for advanced tracing analysis and control
• Per-component SQL tracing
• Optional log output to IDE toolwindows

Design-time enhancements

• Automatic component registration in toolbox
• Advanced integration with Visual Studio 2005/2008, including Server Explorer, Data Source wizard, TableAdapter configuration, Query Builder and configuring web component PgSqlDataSource
• DataSet Wizard to create and edit typed PostgreSQL-oriented datasets
• DataSet Manager to list and bind datasets in the project [Improved]
• DataSet Editor to edit dataset contents
• Advanced design-time component and property editors
• IntelliSense descriptions for PostgreSQLDirect .NET classes
• Easy migration from ODBC and OLE DB .NET Data Providers with Migration Wizard
• Syntax highlighting in design-time editors
• TableMappings editor
• Convenient instant data preview and management in design time

Product clarity

• Complete documentation sets integrated into Visual Studio .NET and Borland Delphi
• Integration with Visual Studio and MSDN help collections
• Documentation available as a standalone chm file
• A large amount of helpful demos in C#, VB, C++, and Delphi [Improved]

Licensing and support

• Included annual PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription with Priority Support
• Licensed royalty-free per developer, per team, or per site

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New Features in Version 4.55

• Visual Studio 2010 Beta supported
• The behavior of ConnectionTimeout corrected
• Additional SSL paremeters: SslCACert and SslKey added
• ASP.NET Web Providers: Added requiresUniqueEmail functionality

LINQ to PostgreSQL

• Added support of the String.IsNullOrEmpty() method

Entity Developer 2.20

• Advanced mapping with Entity Framework QueryView supported
• Added dialogs for suitable storage model editing
• Displaying of Navigation properties on diagram and project explorer implemented
• Ability to change properties order added
• Ability to edit Referential constraints added
• Ability to set OnDelete action added
• Ability to set Rows Affected parameter added
• Added advanced search on the model
• Added support for storing connections in the configuration files
• Added Entity Set Pluralization Naming Rule

Features in Version 4.50

• Added PgSqlAlerter class to handle LISTEN/NOTIFY commands
• Supported binary mode in PgSqlLoader
• New database object types supported in PgSqlDump
• Added PgSqlArray class to support PostgreSQL ARRAY data type
• Added support for SSL connections
• Added PgSqlLargeObject class to support PostgreSQL large objects

LINQ to PostgreSQL

• Supported extended errors processing
• Supported DataLoadOptions class and Include method for tuning data loading
• Supported DeferredLoadingEnable functionality
• Supported function import
• Supported stored procedures as insert/update/delete behavior
• Supported user-defined functions in selection part of a query
• Supported CreateDatabase() and DeleteDatabase() methods
• Supported SqlMethods class
• Supported returning new Dictionary from query

Entity Developer 2.00

• Supported Entity Framework
• Supported stored procedures and functions for LINQ to SQL
• Added naming rules for database objects
• Added Visual Studio integration
• Stability and performance improvements
• Validation schema improved
• Entity Framework Complex Type supported
• Entity Framework Storage Model editing supported
• Many-to-Many associations retrieving added
• Usability improvements

Features in Version 4.0

• PostgreSQLDirect .NET renamed to dotConnect for PostgreSQL
• Supported LINQ to PostgreSQL
• Added Entity Developer for LINQ to PostgreSQL
• Added free Express Edition with basic connectivity features
• Supported UUID type
• Supported REF Cursors
• Support for .NET Framework 1.x is discontinued
• Renamed assemblies, namespaces, and classes (for information on upgrading your projects please refer to FAQ, section Subscriptions and Upgrades)
• Entity Framework support
• The MONEY type is now mapped to System.Double
• Supported special character type "char"
• NULLs can now be used in typed expressions

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dotConnect for PostgreSQL - System Requirements

dotConnect for PostgreSQL supports PostgreSQL server since version 7.1 to 8.3, EnterpriseDB, Pervasive Postgres SQL servers. The provider works with .NET Frameworks 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and .NET Compact Framework. dotConnect for PostgreSQL supports Mono version 2.0 and above. The product is compatible with the latest version of ADO.NET Entity Framework (PostgreSQL server 8.0 or higher is required for Entity Framework).

dotConnect for PostgreSQL can be used with the following development environments:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
• Delphi Prism
• Delphi 2007

dotConnect for PostgreSQL can be used together with UniDirect .NET that provides universal access to different databases within a single code.