dotConnect for Oracle

An enhanced data provider for Oracle that builds on ADO.NET technology for developing Oracle-based database applications.

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

dotConnect for Oracle is available in four editions:

• The Standard Edition represents a fully-featured ADO.NET data provider with design time support and advanced classes.
• The Professional Edition adds more classes, tools, technologies and integration capabilities.
• The Developer Edition combines the whole featureset with including dbForge Fusion for Oracle Standard Edition, an advanced add-in for designing databases and easily managing data and schema objects from your IDE.
• The Mobile Edition is equivalent to the Standard Edition for .NET Compact Framework.

Key Features:

• Direct Mode: Allows your application to work with Oracle directly via TCP/IP without involving Oracle Client.
  
• ASP.net: Implements Role, Session State, Membership, Profile, Site Map and other ASP 2.0 providers.
  
• Enterprise Library: Can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block.
  
• BIS: Enables Integration Services to export and import data to/from Oracle servers.
  
• Monitoring: Allows per-component tracing of database events with a free dbMonitor application.
  
• Compatibility: Supports Oracle 12c, 11g, 10g, 9i, 8i, 8.0 and 7.3 on .NET and .NET Compact Framework 2.0 and higher and Mono.

dotConnect for Oracle - Features

Versions

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

OraDirect .NET introduces new approaches for designing application architecture, boosts productivity, and leverages database application implementation.

Key Features

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

• Direct access mode (without Oracle client)
• 100% managed code
• High performance
• Easy to deploy
• Supports the latest versions of Oracle server, including Personal and Express editions
• All Oracle data types support
• Full Oracle Objects support
• Comprehensive REF CURSOR support
• PL/SQL tables and PL/SQL records support
• .NET Compact Framework support
• Operates in both connected and disconnected models
• Powerful OracleDataTable component as all-in-one table data access solution
• Typed OraclePackage component for wrapping PL/SQL packages
• 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. OraDirect .NET can be used without Oracle Client Software.
• Real RAD for database applications
• Fully compliant with ADO.NET
• 100% managed code
• Highly usable design time support
• Easy to deploy

Network and connectivity

• In Direct mode does not require Oracle Client Software and works directly through TCP/IP
• Both connected and disconnected data access models
• Support for setting connection timeout values for Direct mode
• OS authentication
• DBA privileges to open a session with
• Proxy Authentication support [New]
• Unicode connections

Compatibility

• Full support of the latest versions of Oracle, including Personal and Express editions
• Support for all versions of Oracle Clients, including Instant Client
• Full support for x64 architecture
• .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]
• Publisher policy files for versions compatibility

Oracle technology support

• Oracle Advanced Queuing support
• Oracle package support with powerful OraclePackage component
• Ability to manage alerts with OracleAlerter class
• Ability to use pipes with OraclePipe class
• Support for Direct Path interface with OracleLoader component
• Ability to perform SQL and PL/SQL tracing with OracleTrace class
• Support for Oracle Change notifications functionality of Oracle 10g
• Oracle Transparent Application Failover support
• Multiple Oracle Homes support
• DML array operations support
• Direct LOB access support [Improved]
• Temporary LOB management routines
• Temporary LOBs for updating LOB fields
• Miscellaneous LOB management modes
• OCI Connection Pooling [New]
• Statement Caching
• ROWID values retrieval
• Overloaded stored procedures support
• OracleGlobalization for managing culture settings

Oracle data types support

• All Oracle data types support
• TIMESTAMP and INTERVAL data types support
• PL/SQL table support
• PL/SQL records support
• Support for REF CURSORs, including IN, OUT, and IN/OUT
• Oracle Object (including NOT FINAL objects) types support
• Nested table support
• Objects handling in both connected and disconnected modes
• XMLTYPE data type support

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
• OracleCommand execution cancelling support

LINQ to Oracle [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 OracleDataTable component for manipulating individual tables or query result
• Structural representation and editing of Oracle objects
• NonBlocking mode allows fetching data asynchronously in the background
• Fill DataSet with several REF CURSOR
• Fill DataSet with object, array and nested table data
• 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 OracleDataTable component
• Support for Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block (DAAB)
• Object-oriented building of SELECT statements
• Extended warning and error information retrieval [Improved]
• Extended interface for processing execution exceptions
• OracleDataAdapter.Fill method with sequential fetch support
• Ability to defer fetching of some columns in a resultset
• Custom Oracle Object mapping with ICustomOracleObject interface

WinForms-specific features

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

ASP.NET-specific features

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

Script execution

• Advanced script execution features with OracleScript component
• Support for executing individual statements in scripts
• Support for executing huge scripts stored in files with dynamic loading
• Ability to use standard SQL*Plus tool syntax in scripts

SQL execution monitoring

• Extended SQL tracing capabilities with OracleMonitor 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 OracleDataSource
• DataSet Wizard to create and edit typed Oracle-oriented datasets
• DataSet Manager to list and bind datasets in the project [Improved]
• DataSet Editor to edit dataset contents
• Oracle Package Wizard that simplifies working with PL/SQL Packages
• Oracle Object Wizard that simplifies working with Oracle Objects
• Advanced design-time component and property editors
• IntelliSense descriptions for OraDirect .NET classes
• Easy migration from MS OracleClient and ODP.NET with Migration Wizard
• Syntax highlighting in design-time editors
• TableMappings editor
• Convenient instant data preview and management in design time

OraDeveloper Tools main features

• Integration with OraDirect .NET for enhanced component designers and drag and drop features
• PL/SQL debugger
• SQL code completion and navigation
• Visual query builder
• Database Explorer
• Visual object editors
• Database search engine
• Code template library
• Security Manager
• Session Manager
• Export/Import Wizards

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

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New Features in Version 5.25

• Visual Studio 2010 Beta supported
• ASP.NET Web Providers: Added requiresUniqueEmail functionality
• Performance improvements in Direct mode when executing DML commands

LINQ to Oracle

• Added support of the String.IsNullOrEmpty() method

Entity Developer 2.20

• Advanced mapping with Entity Framework QueryView supported
• Oracle packages supported
• 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 dialogs for suitable storage model editing
• Added advanced search on the model
• Added support for storing connections in the configuration files
• Added Entity Set Pluralization Naming Rule

Features in Version 5.20

LINQ to Oracle

• 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
• Removed redundant TRIM() function calls

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
• Validation schema improved
• Entity Framework Complex Type supported
• Entity Framework Storage Model editing supported
• Many-to-Many associations retrieving added
• Usability improvements
• Stability and performance improvements

Features in Version 5.0

• OraDirect .NET renamed to dotConnect for Oracle
• Supported LINQ to Oracle
• Added Entity Developer for LINQ to Oracle
• Added free Express Edition with basic connectivity features
• Added Developer Edition, which is equivalent to the Professional Edition plus OraDeveloper Tools
• TransactionScope supported
• 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
• Improved performance of EDM Wizard
• EDM Wizard now supports system privileges SELECT ANY TABLE and EXECUTE ANY PROCEDURE
• EDM Wizard now supports grants and privileges of the user's role

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dotConnect for Oracle - System Requirements

dotConnect for Oracle supports Oracle servers 11g, 10g, 9i, 8i, 8.0 and 7.3, including Personal and Express editions. dotConnect for Oracle supports both x86 and x64 versions of the following Oracle clients: 11g, 10g, 9i, 8i and 8.0. The provider works with .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and .NET Compact Framework. dotConnect for Oracle supports Mono version 2.0 and above. The product is compatible with the latest version of ADO.NET Entity Framework (Oracle server 9.2.0.4 or higher is required for Entity Framework).

dotConnect for Oracle and can be used with the following development environments:

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

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