How to choose an Oracle provider for .Net application?

Question

I am trying to figure out what is the best way to connect an (existing) ASP.Net application to an Oracle database to read its dictionary information.

There are simpl

Answer 1

Microsoft just announced it is deprecating System.Data.OracleClient.

I think that leaves you with a few choices (at least):

• ODP.NET (free, from Oracle)
• DevArt
• DataDirect

DevArt also has a LINQ to Oracle implementation which could be interesting to you.

Answer 2

I too recommend ODP.NET. Choose the latest provider (http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/windows/odpnet/index.html). It can connect with an Oracle 9.2 database or a newer release of the database.

The MS Data Provider for Oracle is very limited. You can't work with arrays for example and user defined types. And why would Microsoft provide good support for connecting to Oracle?

You can also check out the provider of devart: http://www.devart.com/dotconnect/oracle/ . It supports the entity framework.

Answer 3

Dump OLE DB and ODBC options, if you have direct data access provider there is no need in using OLE DB or ODBC.

I recommend Oracle Data Provider for .NET.