DotNetNuke Integration

DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL is a data access layer based on dotConnect for MySQL. It allows DotNetNuke to work with MySQL server. This topic provides information on installing and using DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL.

What Is DotNetNuke?

DotNetNuke is a well-known open source content management system with rich functionality that covers the widest variety of web developers' needs. It is built on the Microsoft ASP.NET (VB.NET) platform, and is easily installed and hosted. For more information on the product, refer to the DotNetNuke official site. Its architecture allows you to connect to any relational database management system, but as for now there is only database supported by default - Microsoft SQL Server.

However, MS SQL Server is not considered as an ideal solution for web applications. It is not a secret that nowadays MySQL is the most popular database used in web projects, and, naturally, some developers would like to use the MySQL database with DotNetNuke.

Devart offers an easy and efficient solution that provides MySQL connectivity for DotNetNuke projects. Our DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL is a complete replacement for the default DotNetNuke SQL Server data provider. It works in conjunction with our another product – dotConnect for MySQL, and this combination allows you to utilize the MySQL database in your DotNetNuke projects as if it was a MS SQL Server database.

DotNetNuke and MySQL integration scheme

Note that DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL should be downloaded from the site separately from the dotConnect for MySQL installation. To download the file, visit the following page: http://www.devart.com/dotconnect/mysql/download.html

Supported Modules

DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL includes data layers for the following modules:

  • Announcements (v03.04.00)
  • Documents (v03.01.06)
  • Events (v03.03.08)
  • FAQs (v04.04.00)
  • Feedback (v04.04.01)
  • IFrame (v03.02.03)
  • Links (v03.03.07)
  • Repository (v03.01.13)
  • UserDefinedTable (v03.04.00)
  • UsersOnline (v03.01.00)

Requirements

  • MySQL Server version 5.0 and higher
  • Internet Information Server 5, 6 or 7
  • ASP.NET Framework 2.0
  • The user must have sufficient permissions to install applications on the web server
  • An appropriate DotNetNuke version must be installed correctly on the web server
  • An appropriate dotConnect for MySQL version must be installed correctly on the web server

Getting Started

To start using DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL, perform the following steps. Note that these actions should be taken on your development machine, not the production server. For instructions on how to setup your DotNetNuke project on the production server, please refer to the Deployment section.

  • Make sure dotConnect for MySQL* is installed on your development web server.

  • Unpack the compressed file mysqldnn.zip to the root folder of your site. DotNetNuke files should be there already.

    Note that some files will be overwritten, so it is recommended that you make a backup copy.

  • Adjust the connection string to match your configuration for all "SiteMySqlServer" occurrences in the DevartMySql-DNN-4.7.0.0.config file and rename it to Web.config. Also check that the assemblyBinding section contains proper values. The section is well commented, so you will know what to update.

  • Start the initialization routine of the site and follow the wizard. The necessary database objects and data will be created in the database you specified in the connection string.

    Note that upgrade of database objects is not supported.

* If you are a registered user of dotConnect for MySQL, you can use your Standard or Professional Edition in conjunction with DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL. If you do not have a license for dotConnect for MySQL, you can download and use its Trial Edition for the period of 30 days.

Deployment

Follow these instructions if you are deploying your DotNetNuke project on a shared web hosting, where you should not install dotConnect for MySQL.

  • Create the licenses.licx and App_Licenses.dll files for you project. This can be done in License Information Dialog of dotConnect for MySQL. To invoke the dialog, select the Tools | MySQL | License Information menu item. The file App_Licenses.dll should be uploaded to the Bin folder of your site.
  • Copy the assemblies Devart.Data.dll and Devart.Data.MySql.dll to the Bin folder of your site. These assemblies should be uploaded as well.
  • Upload your project to the server. Once again, your site should contain the assemblies App_Licenses.dll, Devart.Data.dll, and Devart.Data.MySql.dll in the Bin folder.

Compatibility

DotNetNuke Data Provider for MySQL has been tested with dotConnect for MySQL 4.50 and DotNetNuke version 4.7.0.0. MySQL Server version should be 5.0 or higher. Please note that compatibility with other versions of DotNetNuke is not guaranteed.