We are excited to announce a new wave of updates across our .NET data connectivity and ORM product portfolio, delivering enhanced security, broader platform support, modern SQL Server compatibility, AI-ready capabilities, and productivity improvements for .NET developers.
These releases introduce Microsoft Entra authentication, SQL Server JSON and VECTOR support, demo MCP servers for AI integrations, expanded .NET compatibility, enhanced SSH and PostgreSQL authentication, improvements to Entity Developer, and broader cloud API coverage.
Modern SQL Server connectivity with dotConnect for SQL Server 7.0
The latest version of dotConnect for SQL Server significantly expands support for modern SQL Server environments.
New features include:
- Support for Microsoft Entra authentication in .NET Framework assemblies.
- Additional authentication methods across .NET Standard and .NET Framework assemblies, including Active Directory Managed Identity, Active Directory MSI, Active Directory Default, and Active Directory Workload Identity.
- A new Devart.Data.SqlServer.dll assembly compiled for .NET Framework 4.7.
- Support for the JSON and VECTOR SQL Server data types, enabling developers to build modern data-driven and AI-powered applications.
- Support for additional SQL Server connection string parameters, including options for secure enclaves, retry logic, certificate validation, and network configuration.
- Improved SQL Server version detection through the new ShortServerVersion property in the SqlConnection class.
- An updated connection configuration experience in the Visual Studio integration.
These enhancements help developers build applications that integrate with the latest SQL Server capabilities while simplifying authentication and deployment in cloud and enterprise environments.
Improved SSH connectivity
Devart has added support for PuTTY PPK3 SSH keys across multiple providers, making secure SSH connections easier for developers using newer versions of PuTTY.
This enhancement is available for:
- dotConnect for Oracle 11.2
- dotConnect for MySQL 10.2
- dotConnect for PostgreSQL 9.2
Enhanced PostgreSQL authentication
dotConnect for PostgreSQL 9.2 now supports the SCRAM-SHA-256-PLUS authentication mechanism, providing stronger authentication through TLS channel binding and helping organizations further secure PostgreSQL connections.
Easier installation with expanded NuGet packages
To simplify deployment for developers maintaining .NET Framework applications, Devart has added .NET Framework assemblies to the NuGet packages for Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite providers.
The update is available for:
- dotConnect for Oracle 11.2
- dotConnect for MySQL 10.2
- dotConnect for PostgreSQL 9.2
- dotConnect for SQLite 7.2
Developers can now install assemblies for both modern .NET and .NET Framework directly from NuGet without additional package management steps.
EF Core improvements and ASP.NET Core Identity 10 support
Several dotConnect providers now support ASP.NET Core Identity 10, enabling developers to adopt the latest version of Microsoft’s identity framework while continuing to use Devart data providers.
Support is available for:
- dotConnect for Oracle 11.2
- dotConnect for MySQL 10.2
- dotConnect for PostgreSQL 9.2
- dotConnect for SQLite 7.2
- dotConnect for DB2 5.2
The same providers also introduce new EF Core 10 capabilities, including:
- Support for mapping the unsigned numeric
UInt16,UInt32, andUInt64types. - Support for mapping POCO complex types to JSON columns.
- Support for array collection properties in complex types mapped to JSON columns.
These enhancements provide greater flexibility when modeling application data with EF Core 10, particularly when working with unsigned numeric values and JSON-based data structures.
Improved developer experience in Entity Developer 8.2
Entity Developer 8.2 introduces several enhancements designed to simplify development workflows.
Highlights include:
- Running Entity Developer without administrator privileges, making it easier to use in corporate environments with restricted permissions.
- An improved SQL Server connection interface.
- Support for Microsoft Entra authentication methods when connecting to SQL Server.
- A new Show System Tables option for SQL Server connections, giving developers greater control over metadata retrieval.
Demo MCP servers for AI-powered development
The latest release also includes demo MCP servers that demonstrate how Model Context Protocol (MCP) can connect AI assistants with databases and cloud applications.
Demo MCP servers are now included for a wide range of providers, including SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Dynamics 365, QuickBooks, Salesforce, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Desk.
These ready-to-run samples allow developers to quickly evaluate AI-powered database workflows without building an MCP server from scratch, helping accelerate the adoption of AI-assisted development.
Expanded cloud API support
Devart continues to enhance its cloud connectivity products with broader API coverage.
dotConnect for FreshBooks 3.2
Version 3.2 introduces support for:
- TeamMember
- TeamMemberRate
- ProjectTeamMemberRate
dotConnect for Zoho CRM 3.2
The provider now supports additional Zoho CRM API v2 native types, including:
- IMAGEUPLOAD
- LAYOUT
- LINETAX
- MODULE
- MULTIUSERLOOKUP
- ROLLUP_SUMMARY
- TERRITORIES
These additions allow developers to work with a wider range of FreshBooks and Zoho CRM objects without custom integrations.
Availability
The latest product versions are available for download from the Devart website. Existing customers with an active subscription can upgrade to the latest releases at no additional cost.
By expanding support for modern authentication, AI-ready SQL Server features, the latest .NET technologies, improved developer tooling, and AI integration scenarios, these releases help organizations build secure, modern, and future-ready .NET applications.
