dotConnect for SQL Server Frequently Asked Questions

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 Answers

What is the difference between the Standard and Professional editions?
The free Standard Edition represents a fully-featured ADO.NET data provider with design time support and advanced classes. The Professional Edition adds more classes, tools, technologies, and integration capabilities. The following list briefly enumerates main advantages of Professional Edition.
  • Powerful SqlDataTable component as all-in-one table data access solution.
  • SqlDataSet class allows using typed and untyped provider-specific datasets.
  • DataSet Wizard greatly simplifies process of generating datasets in your application.
  • DataSet Manager and DataSet Editor help managing the datasets.
  • DataLink class serves for universal cross-form data binding.
  • Support for DBMonitor that performs per-component tracing of database events such as SQL statement execution, commit, rollback, etc.
  • ASP.NET 2.0 providers support allows using the data provider in ASP.NET 2.0 provider model.
To test this functionality use the Trial Edition, which incorporates all aforementioned features. Installation and deployment I installed dotConnect for SQL Server trial, then I have bought and installed purchased version, but something went wrong.
Make sure you had uninstalled the trial version correctly. There should be no old (trial) assemblies present in your system. Uninstall dotConnect for SQL Server and check your Global Assembly Cache and local folders for Devart.* assemblies. Remove all Devart.* files and reinstall dotConnect for SQL Server. To upgrade to a newer version I have to uninstall dotConnect for SQL Server first. How do I do it right?
Close all running IDEs and help collections, then choose Uninstall dotConnect for SQL Server link from Start menu. You say, there are sample projects, but I can't find any.
Probably you have installed dotConnect for SQL Server not in typical mode. Please choose typical when installing dotConnect for SQL Server. All samples are installed by default in \Program Files\dotConnect\SQL Server\Samples folder. Are there any restrictions for Visual Studio Express editions?
Yes, there are some. First, the provider add-in (and hence menu item) is not available. Second, components are not registered in toolbox automatically (though you can do it manually). Finally, advanced Visual Studio integration (DDEX) is not available, excerpt Microsoft Web Developer 2005 Express. What is required for my application to work on end-user machine?
To deploy applications written with dotConnect for SQL Server you should register necessary run-time assemblies at Global Assembly Cache for appropriate .NET Framework or place it in the folder of your application (more on that in the Deployment topic). Another way to install the *.dll files needed is to launch setup program of dotConnect for SQL Server and choose "Minimal" option. Note that according to License Agreement this is the only setup mode that you can use on target machine. How to install dotConnect for SQL Server on machine that does not have Visual Studio or Delphi installed?
Choose "compact" type when asked by the installer. How to deploy web projects that use dotConnect for SQL Server?
Place Devart.Data.SqlServer.dll and Devart.Data.dll in bin folder of your web project. Another way to install the *.dll files needed is to launch setup program of dotConnect for SQL Server on a target machine and choose "Minimal" option. How do I upgrade my projects to dotConnect for SQL Server 2.00?

In this release there were some important name changes in the product. Particularly, assemblies, namespaces, invariant name, and some types were changed as follows:
"CoreLab.Data" became "Devart.Data";
"CoreLab.SqlServer" became "Devart.Data.SqlServer";
"SqlServerDirectFactory" became "SqlServerProviderFactory";
Invariant name became "Devart.Data.SqlServer";

Your projects must be updated to be compatible with dotConnect for SQL Server 2.0. Here is the list of files you should update:
*.csproj, *.vbproj - references to assemblies
*.cs, *.vb - namespaces
*.licx - namespaces and assembly names
Web.config - assembly names and web provider types

This is done automatically when you invoke the Upgrade wizard from Visual Studio menu: Tools | SQL Server | Upgrade Wizard.

I have received a message that Devart.Data is incompatible...

Devart data providers use a common assembly (Devart.Data.dll), so it is necessary to install compatible providers versions. You can learn the versions of providers compatible with the one you have installed in its documentation (the "Compatibility" topic).

To avoid this compatibility issue install the latest versions of the providers.

 Subscriptions I have a registered version of dotConnect for SQL Server. Will I need to pay to upgrade to future versions?

All upgrades to future versions are free to users with an active dotConnect for SQL Server Subscription.

 What are the benefits of the dotConnect for SQL Server Subscription Program?

The dotConnect for SQL Server Subscription Program is an annual maintenance and support service for dotConnect for SQL Server users.

Users with a valid dotConnect for SQL Server Subscription get the following benefits:

  • Access to new versions of dotConnect for SQL Server when they are released
  • Access to all dotConnect for SQL Server updates and bug fixes
  • Product support through the dotConnect for SQL Server Priority Support program
  • Notification of new product versions

Priority Support is an advanced product support program which offers you expedited individual assistance with dotConnect for SQL Server-related questions from the dotConnect for SQL Server developers themselves. Priority Support is carried out over email and has a two business day response policy.

 Can I use my version of dotConnect for SQL Server after my Subscription expires?

Yes, you can. dotConnect for SQL Server version licenses are perpetual.

 Licensing What is the licensing you use?
dotConnect for SQL Server uses .NET component licensing. To build operational application dotConnect for SQL Server requires valid license. If no license is available, dotConnect for SQL Server does not work. How to embed license into my application?
Usually you do not have to care about embedding license into your application. When you install dotConnect for SQL Server the system is configured so that licensing is done transparently. License is automatically added to project when you place a SqlConnection component onto a form.
You may be required to add license manually. It is necessary for console applications, class libraries, some ASP.NET applications. For instructions on how to add license manually refer to Licensing topic in dotConnect for SQL Server help. On opening connection I get an exception saying "License not found...". What should I do?

This generally indicates that license information could not be found, or you try to apply it in some way that does not suit the kind of application. For example:

  • File licenses.licx, required for dotConnect for SQL Server to function properly, could not be found.
  • File licenses.licx is not added as embedded resource.
  • File App_Licenses.dll not found in ASP.NET applications.

To fix the problem determine type of your application and read corresponding section of "Licensing" topic.

 On opening connection I get an exception saying "License not valid...". What should I do?

This means that license information was found but it is incorrect. It usually happens in the following cases:

  • The project was earlier compiled with trial version of dotConnect for SQL Server.
  • File licenses.config used by a class library does not refer to launched executable.
  • The App_Licenses.dll belongs to other application or needs to be recompiled.
  • Something's wrong with the operating system or installation of dotConnect for SQL Server.

If you encounter this problem delete all files from obj folder and rebuild the project. If this does not help send to our support address small compiled binary with sources so we can investigate the problem detailed.

 Deployed application worked fine some time, but in some moment it started to say "Sorry, your trial period has expired". But I do not use trial version any more.
Probably you compiled the application with Trial edition of dotConnect for SQL Server, and deployed it with assemblies from non-trial version. In this case time limit is actual as well. To eliminate the problem just recompile the project. How to license ASP.NET applications?

To support server-side compilation you ought to have special assembly App_Licenses.dll in the Bin directory of your site. To create this assembly execute Build Runtime Licenses command in the licenses.licx file context menu in the Solution Explorer view. Required assembly will be created automatically.

Note that this is not necessary for precompiled ASP.NET applications (if nothing is compiled on server by user request). Precompiled applications are licensed as usual applications.

 I am having problems with the licensing in my project... What am I to do?

If any problems with licensing occurred in your project, you should use the License Information dialog to resolve them. You can access it from the Visual Studio menu: Tools | SQLServer | License Information.

 Do end-users need a license?
No, end-users of your application do not require any license. Connection pooling I call SqlConnection.Open(), then Close(). Physical connection is still visible by server. Isn't it a bug?
No, it is not. This is Connection Pooling feature. Actual connection is not closed in order to be used later by your application. This boosts performance greatly. I get exception "Timeout expired. The timeout period elapsed..." What to do?
The full text of the exception is "Timeout expired. The timeout period elapsed prior to obtaining a connection from the pool. This may have occurred because all pooled connections were in use and max pool size was reached." It clearly states that you have run out of connections available. To solve the problem increase Max Pool Size connection string parameter value. The default value is 100. Another way to get extra connections is to clear one or all of the pools. Or you can turn connection pooling off using Pooling connection string parameter. How to prevent possible pooling problems?
You can clear the pool explicitly. Generally pool is cleared automatically when connections are idle or closed by server. To force the operation call ClearPool or ClearAllPools methods. Another solution is to disable the pool at all (set Pooling=false in connection string). If this does not help, the problem is not caused by pooling. Documentation problems How to open documentation on dotConnect for SQL Server?
There are several ways to open dotConnect for SQL Server documentation:
  • Use appropriate shortcut in start menu, for instance, Start - Programs - Devart dotConnect for SQL Server - Documentation.
  • Use command in the IDE: Tools - SQL Server - dotConnect for SQL Server Help.
  • Position cursor on some class from Devart.Data.SqlServer and press F1.
There is also same documentation in chm format. You can download it from our site at the following address: www.devart.com/dotconnect/sqlserver/sqlserver.chm I can't see the documentation in Visual Studio Help Collection.
Correctly installed documentation appears as separate node in combined collection of Visual Studio and Borland Delphi. If you can't find dotConnect for SQL Server node there it is because you enabled topics filtering. To reveal the node set filter to "Devart Documentation", or "(unfiltered)", or "Visual C#", etc.
Another possible reason is that you installed some IDE after installation of dotConnect for SQL Server. In this case use aforementioned methods to reach documentation. All topics in CHM file are blank.
This can happen due to some patches from Microsoft installed on your system. Please read this page to find possible solutions for the problem. In most cases it is enough to right-click on the CHM file, select Properties, click on the "Unblock" button and click "Apply" to show the contents. Miscellaneous How to obtain autogenerated value of autoincrement field after INSERT statement?
There are several ways to do it:
  • Execute SELECT @@IDENTITY statement.
 I get concurrency error when modifying records using SqlDataAdapter or SqlDataTable. What can be wrong?
This can happen when SqlCommandBuilder generates a query without primary key field. To avoid it use custom update command instead of generated by SqlCommandBuilder. This problem should not take place if primary key field participates in SELECT statement. No components can be found in the toolbox.
This can happen if the installation encountered some problems. You can add the components to toolbox manually. This procedure is described in the Installation article in the documentation. Note that Microsoft Web Developer 2005 Express edition does not allow working with windows components at all. dotConnect for SQL Server components in Visual Studio .NET 2005 or in Visual Web Developer are grey...
This relates to Web projects only. Make sure you're in Component Designer view. Do not confuse with Designer view. To switch between views use context menu of .aspx file in Solution Explorer.