The latest dotConnect release brings Entity Framework Core 11 support and .NET 11 compatibility, along with improvements to server version configuration, MariaDB support, secure connections, and NuGet deployment. The update also introduces action-level authorization for SQLite and improves Firebird client discovery in Visual Studio.
Entity Developer 8.3 joins the release with Entity Framework Core 11 and .NET 11 support for visual model development.
Entity Framework Core 11 and .NET 11 support
The latest release adds Entity Framework Core 11 support and .NET 11 compatibility to dotConnect for Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and DB2. The same support is available in dotConnect for BigCommerce, Dynamics 365, FreshBooks, Magento, Mailchimp, QuickBooks Online, Salesforce, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, SugarCRM, Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Desk.
.NET 11 compatibility is also available in dotConnect for SQL Server 7.1, dotConnect Universal 6.2, and LinqConnect 5.5, helping you update your applications while retaining your existing data access components.
Expanded Entity Framework Core 11 capabilities
Beyond framework compatibility, dotConnect for Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and DB2 introduces support for new Entity Framework Core 11 features. The updates include:
- Enhanced JSON support: Partial updates to JSON columns and support for complex types mapped to JSON.
- Expanded LINQ capabilities: Ordered string aggregation and new date functions, with additional JSON functions available for selected providers.
- Improved migrations: Support for keys and indexes on complex type properties and more control over foreign key generation.
- Collection mapping: Additional options for mapping collection properties to JSON.
The release also adds support for primitive collection properties in Entity Framework Core 8, 9, and 10, with values stored as JSON arrays.
Configure server compatibility without an additional connection
The new UseServerVersion() option lets you specify the target server version when configuring Entity Framework Core compatibility, without opening an additional connection to detect it.
The option is available in:
- dotConnect for Oracle 11.3
- dotConnect for MySQL 10.3
- dotConnect for PostgreSQL 9.3
- dotConnect for SQLite 7.3
- dotConnect for DB2 5.3
For applications with a known target server version, this provides explicit control over compatibility settings and avoids an extra connection during configuration.
Improved MariaDB support
dotConnect for MySQL 10.3 now identifies MariaDB as a distinct server type and generates SQL and DDL appropriate for its version.
For Entity Framework Core applications, the new UseServerVersion() option lets you explicitly specify the target MySQL or MariaDB version without opening an additional connection to detect it.
SSL connections through SSH tunnels
dotConnect for MySQL 10.3 and dotConnect for PostgreSQL 9.3 now support SSL connections through SSH tunnels. Applications can use both mechanisms when required by their connection configuration.
In dotConnect for MySQL, set the Protocol connection string parameter to SshSsl.
In dotConnect for PostgreSQL, combine SSL Mode=Require or SSL Mode=Prefer with the SSH parameters. This configuration is supported for both PostgreSQL and Amazon Redshift.
Faster batch operations in PostgreSQL
dotConnect for PostgreSQL 9.3 improves the performance of PgSqlDataAdapter batch updates and ExecuteArray operations by reducing the number of server round trips and associated communication overhead.
Support for additional MySQL versions
The release adds support for MySQL 9.7 LTS and the MySQL 26.7 and 26.10 Innovation releases across four products:
- dotConnect for MySQL 10.3
- dotConnect Universal 6.2
- LinqConnect 5.5
- Entity Developer 8.3
This extends compatibility across data access and visual model development for applications targeting these MySQL versions.
Easier NuGet deployment for .NET Framework applications
The NuGet packages for dotConnect cloud providers now include .NET Framework assemblies identical to those distributed with the installer. Teams can obtain these assemblies through their NuGet package workflow.
The update applies to dotConnect for BigCommerce, Dynamics 365, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, FreshBooks, Magento, Mailchimp, QuickBooks Online, Salesforce, SugarCRM, Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and Zoho Desk.
dotConnect for DB2 5.3 also adds .NET Framework assemblies to the Devart.Data.DB2 NuGet package, supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.
More control over SQL actions in SQLite
dotConnect for SQLite 7.3 introduces two methods in SQLiteConnection: RegisterAuthorizer() and UnRegisterAuthorizer().
These methods let you register and remove an authorizer callback that allows, denies, or ignores individual database actions. For example, an application can control the use of ATTACH and PRAGMA statements or access to a particular column.
This gives developers finer control over SQL execution, particularly in applications that accept SQL from untrusted sources.
Improved Firebird client discovery in Visual Studio
dotConnect Universal 6.2 simplifies Firebird connection configuration at design time.
When FirebirdSql.Data.FirebirdClient is not installed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC), the Visual Studio connection dialog can now load it from the local NuGet cache. This supports development environments where the Firebird client is managed through NuGet.
Entity Developer 8.3 updates
Entity Developer 8.3 adds support for Entity Framework Core 11 and .NET 11, allowing teams to use the latest framework versions in their visual modeling workflow. The release also introduces support for dotConnect for MongoDB and dotConnect for Google BigQuery.
The update adds support for mapping complex types using the Entity Framework Core ComplexProperty API. New models use ComplexProperty by default, while existing models retain their OwnsOne mappings.
SQL Server temporal tables are now supported in database synchronization workflows. Entity Developer can recognize system-versioned tables, including their period columns and history tables, and generate scripts to create, modify, or drop them.
The new Create Foreign Key Constraint association property allows developers to define relationships without creating corresponding foreign key constraints in the database.
The release also introduces the Target Server page in Model Settings, where developers can retrieve the server version from a connection or specify it manually.
The system requirements have changed: Entity Developer now requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later. The edition for .NET Framework 3.5 has been discontinued.
Get the latest updates
Download the latest dotConnect versions to work with Entity Framework Core 11 and .NET 11, configure SSL connections through SSH tunnels, and simplify NuGet deployment for .NET Framework applications. Update to Entity Developer 8.3 for the new framework support in your visual modeling workflow.
Find your product, download the update, and explore the documentation using the links below.
