ODP.NET and ClickOnce possible?

Question

We have a sqlserver (WinForms) application that is deployed with ClickOnce that talks directly to the database. If we are forced to port it to oracle, can ODP.NET be used with ClickOnce.

(The users may not have admin rights on their PCs)

Background

This data import application is used by a handful of users at each customer’s site it uses intergraded logon to connect to SQL Server. Most users access the system var an Asp.net application, or a WinForms (clickOnce) application that talks to a web service.

see also "How to write a .Net application that works with both SqlServer and Oracle "

Answer 1

Instant Client supports xcopy deployment, so the same approach (including them in your ClickOnce deployment) should make it OK to deploy.

However! In many cases it may be more appropriate (with ClickOnce) to use a "smart client" approach, i.e. do the data access via an app-server via web-services. Then you don't need any DAL components in the client.

Answer 2

In short, no.This is because the Oracle Data Provider for .Net needs to be installed on the client machine with the Oracle Universal Installer, though as Marc Gravell points out you can use Oracle's Instant Client (which is a handful of binaries and so easily deployed via ClickOnce).

Our applications work the same way as you describe yours - WinForms talking direct to an Oracle Database, and we're using DevArt's dotConnect for Oracle 3rd party libraries, and I think they're fantastic.

The 'killer' feature for me is that they support a direct connection to an Oracle Database - no Oracle Client Installation or 'TNSNames.ora' required whatsoever.

Answer 3

I have seen this work, though I must say with a few limitations as of now.

I followed a number of different links I dug up explaining further what Marc Gravell has explained - including the DLLs in the VS.Net project as content with "Copy Always" as their deployment.

They are being distributed properly on ClickOnce deployment, and I have them down to roughly 28-30mb work of libraries (of no consequence in our environment, but may be an issue if you have WAN deployment to many machines, or across poor bandwidth).

• I include Oracle.DataAccess.Client just like you would any other reference. And set Copy Local = True.

• I include the following libraries in the root of my project (this is to avoid any issues with path, though I am sure you could more cleanly place them in a subfolder if you wished to fiddle around with path-ing a bit):

  msvcr71.dll - Microsoft runtime library. Not sure why it is needed but it is. oci.dll ociw32.dll orannzsbb11.dll oraocci11.dll oraociicus11.dll oraops11w.dll

  All the "o..." dll's are part of the instant client download available on oracle. I believe the version that I am using is 11.0.6, maybe 11.0.7 - sorry I am unable to find out at the moment. These files are included as Content and Copy Always

• My connection string looks like this:

  *Data Source=(DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = hostname)(PORT = 1521))(CONNECT_DATA = (SERVER = DEDICATED) (SID = oracle_world_here)));User Id=schema_here;Password=password_here;Persist Security Info=TRUE;*

  Basically the Data Source looks like the TNSNAMES.ORA file, and then User ID and Password and security info make up the rest of the connection string.

Summary & Results:

What does this get me? It has allowed me to deploy via ClickOnce my WPF/C# application to XP workstations without fail.

Where it does fail so far is on Windows 2003, and Windows 7 workstations. It deploys, and then when it runs it never shows up. After debugging a little, I found it is choking on some of my CRUD fetch code... but as the application works well, and is still being deployed properly, I can only deduce that it is a compatibility with these OSes or 64-bit architecture.

With WiX or Xcopy there are ways to conditionally deploy client software based on OS, but in ClickOnce I have yet to find a way to accomplish this.

If anyone knows how to do that, I'm all ears.

Ian: Good luck. Let me know how it goes.

Marc: Lucky man. If the State wasn't broke I would beg for dotConnect. That using the Entity Framework would be deliciously easy to work with. No DAL at all, all nice and sexy OR/M done for ya. Congrats on scoring that tool.

-III

Answer 4

XCOPY deployment is the closest you are going to get to a click once deployment with ODP.NET.

I just replied to another one of your posts here will a lot of detail about XCOPY deployment.

Please have a look:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1193066/how-to-write-a-net-application-that-works-with-both-sqlserver-and-oracle-now-th/1209909#1209909

Christian Shay Oracle

Answer 5

It is possible, see http://ora-00001.blogspot.com/2010/01/odpnet-minimal-non-intrusive-install.html