What if I want to connect to Oracle, MySQL or even MS Access ?
+5
A:
No. It uses the ADO.Net "provider" model to plug in a database provider to give access to any third party database.
A list of available third party EF providers is here.
And here's an example of a prototype Oracle provider with source code.
womp
2009-09-19 17:32:05
For Oracle it says not for production :)Can't see Provider for MS Access, why people always forget Access.
programmernovice
2009-09-20 08:32:21
Yeah I know it's not. I just linked it just because it has source code. The idea behind the provider model is that it should be relatively straightforward to implement ;)
womp
2009-09-20 16:55:44
@programmernovice: If you need Entity Framework, you probably need a better DBMS than Access... Access is OK for simple desktop needs, but it's definitely not a first class DBMS
Thomas Levesque
2009-09-20 17:01:26
@Thomas Define simple and desktop needs.
Tony Toews
2009-09-20 20:47:31
@Tony Entity Framework was designed to work with a full-blown RDBMS with advanced record locking mechanisms and its own engine. Access is a file-based system suitable for desktop applications, not n-tier multi-user systems.
Dave Swersky
2009-09-22 14:51:23
n-tiers has nothing to do with record locking, and access can be usefull to prototype an application before switching to a server db.
programmernovice
2009-09-29 21:52:50
A:
One of the problem with the Entity Framework, is that Microsoft does not provide “providers” for 3rd party databases it's self. At present I don’t think Oracle provides a “provider” for the Entity Framework, so if you wish to use the Entry Framework with Oracle you have to buy in a “provider”.
Ian Ringrose
2009-09-19 17:55:19