dotConnect Universal is shipped with support for set of ADO.NET providers.
The Standard Edition of dotConnect Universal doesn't include any of the supported providers. You need to install necessary providers separately. The Professional Edition of dotConnect Universal includes the dotConnect for Oracle, dotConnect for MySQL, dotConnect for PostgreSQL, and dotConnect for SQLite data providers (run time of the Standard Edition of these providers).
The Mobile Edition of dotConnect Universal supports only the following database servers: Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.
Following table contains name and description of data providers natively supported by dotConnect Universal:
| Provider | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| .NET Framework Data Provider for SQL Server | SQL Server | The .NET Framework Data Provider for SQL Server uses its own protocol to communicate with SQL Server. It is lightweight and performs well because it is optimized to access a SQL Server directly without adding an OLE DB or Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) layer. For more information refer to the Using dotConnect Universal with SQL Client topic. |
| .NET Framework Data Provider for OLE DB | OLE DB | The .NET Framework Data Provider for OLE DB uses native OLE DB through COM interop to enable data access.* |
| .NET Framework Data Provider for ODBC | ODBC | The .NET Framework Data Provider for ODBC uses native ODBC Driver Manager through COM interop to enable data access. |
| .NET Framework Data Provider for Oracle | OracleClient | The .NET Framework Data Provider for Oracle enables data access to Oracle data sources through Oracle client connectivity software. The data provider supports Oracle client software version 8.1.7 and later. |
| Microsoft Access Provider | MS Access | The provider for MS Access enables data access to Microsoft Access data sources through OLE DB. Recommended for single-tier applications using Microsoft Access databases. |
| dotConnect for Oracle Data Provider | Oracle | dotConnect for Oracle provides direct access to Oracle database server with or without the Oracle Call Interface (OCI). The data provider supports Oracle Client software version 8.0 and later. For more information refer to the Using dotConnect Universal with dotConnect for Oracle topic. |
| dotConnect for MySQL Data Provider | MySQL | dotConnect for MySQL is data provider for direct access to MySQL database server for the Microsoft .NET Framework. Data provider can access MySQL server either using native MySQL network protocol directly or through MySQL client library. For more information refer to the Using dotConnect Universal with dotConnect for MySQL topic. |
| dotConnect for PostgreSQL Data Provider | PostgreSQL | dotConnect for PostgreSQL is data provider for direct access to PostgreSQL database for the Microsoft .NET Framework. Data provider uses native message-based protocol for communication with PostgreSQL database server. For more information refer to the Using dotConnect Universal with dotConnect for PostgreSQL topic. |
| dotConnect for SQLite Data Provider | SQLite | dotConnect for SQLite is data provider for direct access to SQLite database for the Microsoft .NET Framework. Data provider allows you to use full capabilities of the SQLite database engine and all SQLite data types. For more information refer to the Using dotConnect Universal with dotConnect for SQLite topic. |
| Oracle Data Provider for .NET | ODP | The Oracle Data Provider for .NET enables data access to Oracle data sources through Oracle client connectivity software. The data provider supports Oracle client software version 9.2 and later. |
| IBM DB2.NET Data Provider | DB2 | The DB2 .NET Data Provider allows your .NET applications to access Version 8 and higher DB2 Universal Database on Windows, UNIX, and Linux-based computers, and Version 6 or later of DB2 for OS/390 and z/OS via DB2 Connect. |
| Firebird ADO.NET Provider | FirebirdClient | The .NET Data Provider for Firebird 1.x, 2.0, and InterBase 6.0 databases. Available for .NET Framework 2.0 only.** |
* Note that OLE DB providers has their own connection string parameter "Provider". To avoid the conflict, you have to use ole db provider connection string parameter to specify the specific OLE DB provider. For example, OLEDB connection to Oracle server can look as follows: "provider=OLE DB;ole db provider=OraOLEDB.Oracle;Data Source=ora;Password=tiger;User ID=scott."
** We have created a sample wrapper code for Firebird provider for Firebird 2.5 and 3.0, that can be used in dotConnect Universal via its extensibility mechanisms.
To learn how to use the mentioned provider and any other provider see the dotConnect Universal and Arbitrary Data Providers topic.