Oracle – Is it ok to use oracle 11g client with a 10g server

When it comes to Oracle, I like to use Oracle Instant Client :

• You don't have to install anything on the target machines (including dev boxes !).
• You can make sure that your application will run with the specific client you picked.
• You could even easily have multiple applications work with different client versions on the same computer.
• As a downside, it adds a significant weight to your application (~19Mb minimum).

Check What is the minimum client footprint required to connect C# to an Oracle database? for more information. To know how to set up a Visual Studio project that will work on x86 as well as x64 machines, check my blog post Oracle Instant Client in Visual Studio.

Yes, it should work. Although, as you might already know, you won't have access to 10g client specific features...