dotConnect for Oracle, formerly known as OraDirect .NET, is an enhanced ORM enabled data provider for Oracle that builds on ADO.NET technology to present a complete solution for developing Oracle-based database applications. It introduces new approaches for designing application architecture, boosts productivity, and facilitates the development of database applications.

Fast and Advanced ADO.NET Provider
dotConnect for Oracle offers both high performance native connectivity to the Oracle database and a number of innovative development tools and technologies. It supports a wide range of Oracle-specific features, such as Advanced Queuing, Alerts, Pipes, Direct Path Loading, Change notifications, Transparent Application Failover, REF cursors, objects, packages, and others.

RAD Approach
dotConnect for Oracle provides a vast number of GUI tools that increase your productivity. It integrates into Visual Studio Server Explorer and other tools, and provides advanced visual component editors to simplify component tweaking. DataSet tools, such as DataSet Wizard, DataSet Editor, DataSet Manager, provide you an easy way to create and edit typed and untyped DataSets.

General usability

Direct access to server data. dotConnect for Oracle can be used without Oracle Client Software.
Real RAD for database applications
Fully compliant with ADO.NET
100% managed code
Highly usable design time support
Easy to deploy

Network and connectivity

In Direct mode does not require Oracle Client Software and works directly through TCP/IP
Both connected and disconnected data access models
Support for setting connection timeout values for Direct mode
OS authentication
DBA privileges to open a session with
Proxy Authentication support
Unicode connections
Support for starting and stopping an Oracle database instance

Compatibility

Full support of the latest versions of Oracle, including Personal and Express editions
Support for all versions of Oracle Clients, including Instant Client
Full support for x64 architecture
.NET Compact Framework support
Mono Framework support
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015 support
CodeGear Delphi 2007 support
Embarcadero Delphi Prism support
SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence Solutions support
Publisher policy files for versions compatibility
Sync Framework support

Oracle technology support

Oracle Advanced Queuing support
Oracle package support with powerful OraclePackage component
Ability to manage alerts with OracleAlerter class
Ability to use pipes with OraclePipe class
Support for Direct Path interface with OracleLoader component
Ability to perform SQL and PL/SQL tracing with OracleTrace class
Support for Oracle Change notifications functionality of Oracle 10g
Oracle Transparent Application Failover support
Multiple Oracle Homes support
DML array operations support
Direct LOB access support
Temporary LOB management routines
Temporary LOBs for updating LOB fields
Miscellaneous LOB management modes
OCI Connection Pooling
Statement Caching
ROWID values retrieval
Overloaded stored procedures support
OracleGlobalization for managing culture settings
OCI Statement Caching support
DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO package support

Oracle data types support

All Oracle data types support
TIMESTAMP and INTERVAL data types support
PL/SQL table support
PL/SQL records support
Support for REF CURSORs, including IN, OUT, and IN/OUT
Oracle Object (including NOT FINAL objects) types support
Nested table support
Objects handling in both connected and disconnected modes
XMLTYPE data type support
Auto increment identity columns support

Performance

High overall performance
Intelligent fetch block size control
Advanced connection pooling
High performance batch processing

ADO.NET technology support

Full support for ADO.NET Entity Framework v1 - v6
Server enumeration
Batch update support
Extended metadata information retrieval
Advanced CommandBuilder component with automatic refresh SQL
Enhanced pooling control through connection string
Connection string builder
Provider factory for generating key data access classes
Asynchronous command execution
Provider-specific types support
Password change API
Database Change Notification Support
OracleCommand execution cancelling support

ADO.NET Entity Framework

Conceptual approach to enterprise development
High performance
Wide support for LINQ to Entities
Entity Framework Code First support
Entity Framework Code First Migrations support
Wide support for EntitySQL
Full CRUD (Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete) support
Wide support for server data types
Entity Framework Spatials support
Change tracking support
Object data caching
Inheritance mapping support (TPH, TPT, and TPCT models)
Capability to use stored procedures when manipulating data
Stored procedure import support
Ability to build database-independent applications
Full-text search support
Visual Studio EDM Wizard support
Reverse engineering of database objects to entity model
Support for most Entity Framework Canonical Functions
Visual model creation and code generation with Entity Developer
Update Model From Database functionality for Entity Developer
Update To Database with Mapping Synchronization functionality for Entity Developer
Illustrated tutorial to get started with Entity Framework in 5 minutes

LinqConnect (formerly known as LINQ to Oracle)

Easy to use
High performance
Interchangeable with Microsoft LINQ to SQL
Plain CLR classes used (no need to use a common base class)
Full CRUD (Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete) support
Ability to execute DML statements in batches on SubmitChanges
Fluent Mapping support
Complex type support
PLINQ support (connection manager redesigned for thread safety)
Support for different configurable algorithms for primary key generation
Inheritance mapping support (Table Per Hierarchy and Table Per Type)
Support of Visual Studio Debugger Visualizer for the DataQuery objects
ASP.NET Dynamic Data support with ASP.NET Dynamic Data project templates
Automatic configurable compiled query caching
Change tracking support
Object data caching
Data binding support
Wide support for LINQ capabilities
Wide support for server data types
Load on demand (lazy load)
Database transactions support
Server-independent interface
Visual model creation and code generation with Entity Developer
Update Model From Database functionality for Entity Developer
Update To Database with Mapping Synchronization functionality for Entity Developer
Illustrated tutorial to get started with LinqConnect in 5 minutes

Workflow Foundation Support

Oracle Workflow Instance Store support
OracleTrackingParticipant class to store tracking records in an Oracle database

Extended data access technologies and functionality

Powerful OracleDataTable component for manipulating individual tables or query result
Structural representation and editing of Oracle objects
NonBlocking mode allows fetching data asynchronously in the background
Fill DataSet with several REF CURSOR
Fill DataSet with object, array and nested table data
On-demand data fetch for data-bound controls
Paginal access to query result
Server side master-detail relation based on queries
Ability to refresh individual records in OracleDataTable component
Support for Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block (DAAB)
Object-oriented building of SELECT statements
Extended warning and error information retrieval
Extended interface for processing execution exceptions
OracleDataAdapter.Fill method with sequential fetch support
Ability to defer fetching of some columns in a resultset
Custom Oracle Object mapping with ICustomOracleObject interface

Business Intelligence Solutions Support

SSIS DataFlow Source and Destination components
Analysis Services support
Reporting Services support

WinForms-specific features

Flexible data binding with DataLink component
InterForm technology for cross-form components cooperation
Oracle Object data binding Support
Global position synchronization within a data source

ASP.NET-specific features

ASP.NET Identity 1 and 2 support
ASP.NET data providers: Membership, Role, Session State, Profile, Personalization, Site Map, Web Event
ASP.NET SimpleMembership providers support
OracleDataSource web component
OracleCacheDependency component to control Cache item dependencies in ASP.NET applications

Script execution

Advanced script execution features with OracleScript component
Support for executing individual statements in scripts
Support for executing huge scripts stored in files with dynamic loading
Ability to use standard SQL*Plus tool syntax in scripts

SQL execution monitoring

Extended SQL tracing capabilities with OracleMonitor component
Support for dbMonitor utility for advanced tracing analysis and control
Per-component SQL tracing
Optional log output to IDE toolwindows

Design-time enhancements

Automatic component registration in toolbox
Advanced integration with Visual Studio 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015, including Server Explorer, Data Source wizard, TableAdapter configuration, Query Builder and configuring web component OracleDataSource
DataSet Wizard to create and edit typed Oracle-oriented datasets
DataSet Manager to list and bind datasets in the project
DataSet Editor to edit dataset contents
Oracle Package Wizard that simplifies working with PL/SQL Packages
Oracle Object Wizard that simplifies working with Oracle Objects
Advanced design-time component and property editors
IntelliSense descriptions for dotConnect for Oracle classes
Easy migration from MS OracleClient and ODP.NET with Migration Wizard
Syntax highlighting and SQL code completion in design-time editors
TableMappings editor
Convenient instant data preview and management in design time

dbForge Fusion for Oracle main features

Integration with dotConnect for Oracle for enhanced component designers and drag and drop features
PL/SQL debugger
SQL code completion and navigation
Visual query builder
Database Explorer
Visual object editors
Database search engine
Code template library
Security Manager
Session Manager
Export/Import Wizards

Product clarity

Complete documentation sets integrated into Visual Studio and Embarcadero Delphi
Integration with Visual Studio and MSDN help collections
Documentation available as a standalone chm file
A large amount of helpful demos in C#, VB, C++, and Delphi

Licensing and support

Included annual dotConnect for Oracle Subscription with Priority Support
Licensed royalty-free per developer, per team, or per site