MetadataException when using Entity Framework Entity Connection

Question

This code:

using (EntityConnection conn = new EntityConnection("name=ELSCommonEntities"))

{
  conn.Open();
}

Gives me the following error:

Test method ELS.Service.Business.IntegrationTest.Base.ServiceBaseIntegrationTest.StartLoggingTestMethod threw exception: System.Data.MetadataException: Unable to load the specified metadata resource..

With the following stack trace:

System.Data.Metadata.Edm.MetadataArtifactLoaderCompositeResource.LoadResources(String assemblyName, String resourceName, ICollection`1 uriRegistry, MetadataArtifactAssemblyResolver resolver)
System.Data.Metadata.Edm.MetadataArtifactLoaderCompositeResource.CreateResourceLoader(String path, ExtensionCheck extensionCheck, String validExtension, ICollection`1 uriRegistry, MetadataArtifactAssemblyResolver resolver)
System.Data.Metadata.Edm.MetadataArtifactLoader.Create(String path, ExtensionCheck extensionCheck, String validExtension, ICollection`1 uriRegistry, MetadataArtifactAssemblyResolver resolver)
System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.SplitPaths(String paths)
System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.GetMetadataWorkspace(Boolean initializeAllCollections)
System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.InitializeMetadata(DbConnection newConnection, DbConnection originalConnection, Boolean closeOriginalConnectionOnFailure)
System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.Open()
ELS.Service.Business.Base.ServiceBase.StartLogging(String userWindowsLogon) in C:\C-TOM\ELS-RELEASE1\ELS.Service.Business\Base\ServiceBase.cs: line 98
ELS.Service.Business.IntegrationTest.Base.ServiceBaseIntegrationTest.StartLoggingTestMethod() in C:\C-TOM\ELS-RELEASE1\ELS.Service.Business.IntegrationTest\Base\ServiceBaseIntegrationTest.cs: line 65

However, this code which uses the same connection string:

        using (ELSCommonEntities db = new ELSCommonEntities())
        {
            var res = from c in db.Logging
                      select c;

            int i = res.Count();
        }

Does not give an error.

The connection string is:

  <add name="ELSCommonEntities" connectionString="metadata=res://*/Common.CommonModel.csdl|res://*/Common.CommonModel.ssdl|res://*/Common.CommonModel.msl;provider=System.Data.SqlClient;provider connection string=&quot;Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=els5_demo;Integrated Security=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=True&quot;" providerName="System.Data.EntityClient" />

I have also opened up the dll in reflector and the metadata looks ok.

Thanks

Shiraz

Answer 1

Found the problem.

The standard metadata string looks like this:

metadata=res:///Model.csdl|res:///Model.ssdl|res://*/Model.msl

And this works fine in most cases. However, in some (including mine) Entity Framework get confused and does not know which dll to look in. Therefore, change the metadata string to:

metadata=res://nameOfDll/Model.csdl|res://nameOfDll/Model.ssdl|res://nameOfDll/Model.msl

And it will work. It was this link that got me on the right track:

http://itstu.blogspot.com/2008/07/to-load-specified-metadata-resource.html

Although I had the oposite problem, did not work in unit test, but worked in service.

Answer 2

i had the same problem, and i use the solution provided here, and it works :)

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/689355/metadataexception-unable-to-load-the-specified-metadata-resource