* ADO.NET
- The coordinator for the ADO.NET implementation is <a
- href="mailto:rodrigo@ximian.com">Rodrigo Moya</a>, with
- the collaboration of <a href="mailto:danmorg@sc.rr.com">Daniel
- Morgan</a>.
-
-* Action plan
-
- The current plan to implement ADO.NET is as follows:
-
- <b>Step 1:</b> SqlClient:
-
- <ul>
- * Implementation of System.Data.SqlClient based on
- the PostgreSQL C API.
-
- * Once the System.Data.SqlClient code is functional and
- is usable by other people, we willl move it to
- System.Data.PostgreSQL, and will convert the existing
- System.Data.SqlClient to be just a wrapper around
- System.Data.PostgreSQL.
-
- </ul>
-
- <b>Step 2:</b> OleDB:
- <ul>
- * On Unix systems: System.Data.OleDb will use LibGDA as its
- engine.
+** Data Access in Mono
+
+<ul>
+ <li>Today, our goal is to be compatible with .NET 1.1 and .NET 1.0. We also would like
+ to extend data access beyond what is included with .NET 1.0 and .NET 1.1,
+ such as, include access to more databases, such as, PostgreSQL and MySQL,
+ but also provide classes that help in creating data source-agnostic code, such as,
+ Mono.Data.ProviderFactory.</li>
+
+ <li>In the future, we would like to be compatible with .NET 1.2. This includes features
+ like <a href="http://longhorn.msdn.microsoft.com/lhsdk/ndp/daconworkingwithobjectspacesarchitecture.aspx">ObjectSpaces</a></li>
+
+</ul>
- LibGDA is the data access engine that is used by
- Gnome-Db (only libgda, not libgnomedb at all).
+** Bugs and Feature Requests
- * On Windows systems: System.Data.OleDb will use OLE-DB as
- its engine.
- </ul>
+<ul>
- <b>Step 3:</b> System.Data.SqlClient Providers:
+ <li>Bugs with Mono or any data provider in Mono should be reported
+ in Mono's Bugzilla <a href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com/">here</a>. If you
+ do not have a Bugzilla user account, it is free
+ and easy to create
+ one <a href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com/createaccount.cgi">here</a>.</li>
+
+ <li>Any requests for new features or missing functionality
+ can entered as a bug in Bugzilla too</li>
+</ul>
+
+** ADO.NET Data Providers
+
+<p>Mono has many ADO.NET Data Providers to get you connected:
+
+<ul>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/ibmdb2.html">IBM DB2 Universal Database</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/mysql.html">MySQL</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/odbc.html">ODBC</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/oracle.html">Oracle</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/oledb.html">OLE DB</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/postgresql.html">PostgreSQL</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/sqlclient.html">Microsoft SQL Server</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/sqlite.html">SQL Lite</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/sybase.html">Sybase</a></li>
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/tdsclient.html">Older Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase databases</a></li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>External Projects that have created ADO.NET Providers that work on Mono:
+
+<ul>
+
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/firebird.html">Firebird Interbase</a></li> is a
+ Firebird SQL Managed data provider. It can be used with Interbase databases too. It
+ is written in 100%C# and does not require a client library. Works on .NET and Mono.</a>
+ <li><a href="http://gborg.postgresql.org/project/npgsql/projdisplay.php">Npgsql</a> is a
+ PostgreSQL Managed data provider written
+ in 100% C#, does not require a client library, and works on .NET and Mono</li>
+ <li><a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/mysqlnet/">MySQLNet</a> is a
+ MySQL Managed data provider written in 100% C#, does not
+ require a client library, and works on .NET and Mono</li>
+</ul>
+
+** Tools
+
+<p>Some tools that can be used for ADO.NET and other technologies (ASP.NET, XML, etc).
+
+<ul>
+ <li>sqlsharp.exe
+ <ul>
+ <li>SQL# is a command line query tool included with Mono to enter and execute SQL statements</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>xsd.exe
+ <ul>
+ <li>XML Schema Definition tool</li>
+ <ul>
+ <li><b>XDR to XSD</b> - used to generate an XML schema from an XDR (XML Data Reduced schema) file. \r
+ XDR was used by Microsoft prior to XSD becoming a W3C recommendation. So, this needs\r
+ to be supported for legacy reasons</li>\r
+ <li><b>XML to XSD</b> - used to generate an XML schema from an XML file</li> \r
+ <li><b>XSD to DataSet</b> - used to generate DataSet classes from an XSD schema file. The\r
+ DataSet classes created can then be used with XML data</li>\r
+ <li><b>XSD to Classes</b> - used to generate classes from an XSD schema file. The \r
+ classes created can be used with System.XML.Serialization.XMLSerializer \r
+ to read and write XML code that follows the schema</li>\r
+ <li><b>Classes to XSD</b> - used to generate an XML schema \r
+ from type(s) in a assembly file. The \r
+ XML schema created by the tool defines the XML format used \r
+ by System.XML.Serialization.XMLSerializer</li>\r
+ </ul>\r
+ </li>\r
+ </ul>\r
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+** Extra Classes in Mono ADO.NET
+
+ <p>An ADO.NET <a href="http://www.go-mono.com/provider-factory.html">Provider Factory</a>
+ was created by Brian Ritchie. The
+ Provider Factory is a way to dynamically create
+ connections, commands, parameters, and data adapters based on configuration
+ information.
+
+** Database Access from ASP.NET
<ul>
- * System.Data.SqlClient will then become a generic
- proxy for binding to other SQL implementations other
- than PostgreSQL (MySQL on Unix/Windows; MS SQL on
- Window; Interbase on Unix/Windows). Others are welcomed.
+ <li>Take a look at xsp in cvs and look at the examples in test: dbpage1.aspx
+ and dbpage2.aspx:
+ <ul>
+ <li>Notice that the namespace System.Data is imported via <b>import</b></li>
+ <li>A NameValueCollection is gotten using ConfigurationSettings.AppSetings. These
+ settings are gotten from the file server.exe.config which is a XML file. The XML
+ file has a section appSettings. In the appSettings section, you have keys
+ for DBProviderAssembly, DBConnectionType, and DBConnectionString.
+ <ul>
+ <li><b>DBProviderAssembly</b> is the assembly of the ADO.NET provider.
+ For example:
+ "ByteFX.Data"</li>
+ <li><b>DBConnectionType</b> is the System.Type of the class that
+ implements System.Data.IDbConnection that is found
+ in the DBProviderAssembly.
+ For example:
+ "ByteFX.Data.MySqlConnection"</li>
+ <li><b>DBConnectionString</b> is the ConnectionString to set to the
+ IDbConnection object to use in opening a connection to a data source.
+ For Example:
+ "hostaddr=127.0.0.1;user=monotest;password=monotest;dbname=monotest"</li>
+ </ul>
+ <li>The function GetConnectionData() gets the database provider assembly, connection type,
+ and connection string parameters if they exist; otherwise, it uses default values. This is
+ done during the loading of the web page.</li>
+ <li>With the connection parameters, the assembly is loaded, the connection type is verified that
+ it implements IDbConnection and an instance of the class can be created, creates a instance
+ of the class, sets the connection string, and opens the connection.</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
</ul>
- <b>Step 4:</b> Other System.Data providers:
-
- <ul>
- * The idea in MS .NET System.Data seems to be to have
- a managed provider for each supported DBMS. So, apart
- from System.Data.OleDb (generic) and System.Data.SqlClient,
- we'll need to have System.Data.ODBC, System.Data.MySQL,
- System.Data.Oracle, System.Data.PostgreSQL, etc. Others,
- of course, are welcomed.
- </ul>
+** Testing
+
+<ul>
+ <li>Testing connection-oriented classes are done
+ via the provider specific tests
+ found in the mcs source at mcs/class</br>
+ <table border=1>
+ <tr>
+ <td><b>Name</b></td>
+ <td><b>Assembly /</br> Namespace</b></td>
+ <td><b>Test</b></td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td>Microsoft</br> SQL</br> Server</br></td>
+ <td>System.Data /</br> System.Data.SqlClient</td>
+ <td>SqlTest.cs at</br> System.Data/Test</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td>PostgreSQL</br> (Npgsql)</td>
+ <td>Npgsql /</br> Npgsql</td>
+ <td>*.cs at</br> Npgsql/Test</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td>Oracle</br> (Mono)</td>
+ <td>System.Data.OracleClient /</br> System.Data.OracleClient</td>
+ <td>TestOracleClient.cs at</br> System.Data.OracleClient/Test</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td>ODBC</br> (Mono)</td>
+ <td>System.Data.Odbc /</br> System.Data</td>
+ <td>OdbcTest.cs (to connect to MS SQL Server)at</br> System.Data/Test</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ </table>
-* Current Status
-
- We are able now to run basic commands (INSERT, DELETE) into a
- PostgreSQL database (see mcs/class/System.Data/Test/TestSqlInsert.cs).
- To compile that test program, you need:
-
- <b>On Linux</b>
- <ul>
- * update your mono sources.
-
- * get the .dll's and mcs.exe built on windows, and put them on your
- linux machine.
+ <li><a href="http://www.go-mono.com/testing.html">Testing non-connection classes</a> are
+ done via mono's modified version of NUnit.
+ <ul>
+ <li>To run all the NUnit tests for Mono, you need the mcs source. cd to the root
+ of the mcs source. To run it:
+ <ul>
+ <li>make test</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li>If you just want to run the NUnit tests for System.Data, you would cd into
+ the mcs source at class/System.Data/Test and run it:
+ <ul>
+ <li>make test</li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+
+</ul>
- * compile the test program along with the System.Data.Common and
- System.Data.SqlClient files.
- </ul>