C# – Entity Framework Connection wizard cant find the Database

centity-frameworksql server

I have a unexpected problem.

I create a database on Sql Server 2012. I want to connect this database using Entity Framework on Visual Studio 2012. But Entity framework wizard can't find Servers.

The steps that I followed;

I clicked to "add New İtem ->Add Ado.Net Entity Data Model.

I chose "Generate From Database" on "model content" page. Clicked Next.
On "choose your model connection" page, I clicked "New connection" button. After this, a new window opened.
On this window, I chose "Microsoft Sql Server" as data source and ".Net Framework Provider for sql server" as data provider. Clicked Continue.
After all of them, a window named as "Connection Properties" opened.

On this page, I have to choose Server Name. Unfortunately, there is no Server Name on server name combobox. I refreshed the list of servers. Still, the list is empty. But, I know I have a server. I worked on this. But the Entity Framework wizard can't find it.

Do you have any idea to overcome this problem ?

Thanks!

Best Answer

Manually enter the server name and then click on databases
Ideally it should find the list of servers but sometimes it will not, so enter it manually.
Try and verify that from your system you can connect to the database? If not I think you need to enable some SQL services.

Related Solutions

.net – Entity Framework vs LINQ to SQL

LINQ to SQL only supports 1 to 1 mapping of database tables, views, sprocs and functions available in Microsoft SQL Server. It's a great API to use for quick data access construction to relatively well designed SQL Server databases. LINQ2SQL was first released with C# 3.0 and .Net Framework 3.5.

LINQ to Entities (ADO.Net Entity Framework) is an ORM (Object Relational Mapper) API which allows for a broad definition of object domain models and their relationships to many different ADO.Net data providers. As such, you can mix and match a number of different database vendors, application servers or protocols to design an aggregated mash-up of objects which are constructed from a variety of tables, sources, services, etc. ADO.Net Framework was released with the .Net Framework 3.5 SP1.

This is a good introductory article on MSDN: Introducing LINQ to Relational Data

C# – SQL Server Compact Edition with Entity Framework

Not sure if this is the same problem, but I think had to download SQL Server Management Studio Express 2008 to get CE as an option in the dropdown. I'll look more into it though and give you a better response.

Edit:

If you browse to: C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG\machine.config

you should find the following node:

<configuration>
    <system.data>
        <DbProviderFactories>
            <add name="Microsoft SQL Server Compact Data Provider" invariant="System.Data.SqlServerCe.3.5" description=".NET Framework Data Provider for Microsoft SQL Server Compact" type="System.Data.SqlServerCe.SqlCeProviderFactory, System.Data.SqlServerCe, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89845dcd8080cc91"/>

Let me know if you do not find it.

Edit 2:

I've been running VS 2010 beta 1, and the process you listed allows me to select SQL CE. However, I fired up 2008 and get the same result as you, SQL CE is no longer an option for a datasource.

I first started my project in 2008 a while back, and I had to install "Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP1 Beta for Entity Framework Beta 3", as noted in the following link:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc835494.aspx

However, the download does not seem to be available any longer. I couldn't find it anywhere and the link they provide in the article is broken.

After upgrading to 2010 I ran into the same problem with CE not being an option, so I tried re-installing VS 2008 SP1, and eventually found out that all I had to do was add the node that I mentioned above to the machine.config in C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.20506\Config.

Sorry I couldn't have been more help, but I guess my 2008 SP1 is suffering from the same problem yours is.

Edit 3: It appears 2008 SP1 should 'just work' with no need to install an "Compact 3.5 SP1 Beta for Entity Framework" but when I tried installing Service Pack 1 for 2008 I am still getting the same symptom. Only thought left is trying to re-install some SQL CE 3.5 components.

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