Unable to find the requested .Net Framework Data Provider

Question

Im using Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate, Project is c# MVC3 Razor

I have a project that is running without any problems on local machine using the MySql (from online server) database just fine, but when I upload it and when it gets to the part where needs to get data from MySql server it gives me this error:

Unable to find the requested .Net Framework Data Provider. It may not be installed.

This is my connection string from Web.config for MySql wich like this is running fine when I debug project locally. Reads the info from tables and shows on the page.

<add name="istakipDBContext" 
connectionString="Server=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx; Database=xxx; Uid=xxx;
Pwd=xxx;"  providerName="MySql.Data.MySqlClient" />

And this is the whole stack trace:

Server Error in '/' Application. Unable to find the requested .Net Framework Data Provider. It may not be installed. Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.ArgumentException: Unable to find the requested .Net Framework Data Provider. It may not be installed.

Source Error:

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

Stack Trace:

[ArgumentException: Unable to find the requested .Net Framework Data Provider. It may not be installed.]
System.Data.Common.DbProviderFactories.GetFactory(String providerInvariantName) +1420503
System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalConnection.TryInitializeFromAppConfig(String name) +393
System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalConnection.Initialize() +47
System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalConnection.get_ConnectionHasModel() +9 System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.InitializeContext() +262 System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.GetEntitySetAndBaseTypeForType(Type entityType) +17
System.Data.Entity.Internal.Linq.InternalSet1.Initialize() +63
System.Data.Entity.Internal.Linq.InternalSet1.GetEnumerator() +15
System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DbQuery1.System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<TResult>.GetEnumerator() +40 System.Collections.Generic.List1..ctor(IEnumerable1 collection) +315 System.Linq.Enumerable.ToList(IEnumerable1 source) +58 onlinetercume.Controllers.istakiplerController.Index() in C:\wwwroot\nps\nps\Controllers\istakiplerController.cs:21 lambda_method(Closure , ControllerBase , Object[] ) +62
System.Web.Mvc.ActionMethodDispatcher.Execute(ControllerBase controller, Object[] parameters) +17
System.Web.Mvc.ReflectedActionDescriptor.Execute(ControllerContext controllerContext, IDictionary2 parameters) +208
System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethod(ControllerContext controllerContext, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary2 parameters) +27
System.Web.Mvc.<>c_DisplayClass15.b_12() +55 System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodFilter(IActionFilter filter, ActionExecutingContext preContext, Func1 continuation) +263
System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClass17.<InvokeActionMethodWithFilters>b__14() +19 System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodWithFilters(ControllerContext controllerContext, IList1 filters, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary2 parameters) +191
System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeAction(ControllerContext controllerContext, String actionName) +343
System.Web.Mvc.Controller.ExecuteCore() +116
System.Web.Mvc.ControllerBase.Execute(RequestContext requestContext) +97 System.Web.Mvc.ControllerBase.System.Web.Mvc.IController.Execute(RequestContext requestContext) +10
System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClassb.<BeginProcessRequest>b__5() +37
System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass1.<MakeVoidDelegate>b__0() +21
System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass81.b__7(IAsyncResult ) +12 System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResult`1.End() +62 System.Web.Mvc.<>c_DisplayClasse.b_d() +50
System.Web.Mvc.SecurityUtil.b_0(Action f) +7 System.Web.Mvc.SecurityUtil.ProcessInApplicationTrust(Action action) +22 System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +60
System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.System.Web.IHttpAsyncHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult result) +9
System.Web.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() +8970061 System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously) +184

Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:4.0.30319; ASP.NET Version:4.0.30319.272

Solution 1

The provider needs to be registered in one of the hierarchical config files. For example i have the oracle provider registered in the machine.config file (that seems to be done automaticaly when i instaled odac with setup instaler).

My machine.config looks like that:

<system.data>
<DbProviderFactories>
  <add name="Oracle Data Provider for .NET" invariant="Oracle.DataAccess.Client" description="Oracle Data Provider for .NET" type="Oracle.DataAccess.Client.OracleClientFactory, Oracle.DataAccess, Version=4.112.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342" />
  <add name="ODP.NET, Managed Driver" invariant="Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.Client" description="Oracle Data Provider for .NET, Managed Driver" type="Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.Client.OracleClientFactory, Oracle.ManagedDataAccess, Version=4.121.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342" />
  <add name="Microsoft SQL Server Compact Data Provider 4.0" invariant="System.Data.SqlServerCe.4.0" description=".NET Framework Data Provider for Microsoft SQL Server Compact" type="System.Data.SqlServerCe.SqlCeProviderFactory, System.Data.SqlServerCe, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89845dcd8080cc91" />
</DbProviderFactories>

Be carefull because in Asp.Net aplications there are another cofig file in the hierarchy called aslo web.config. It is in the same folder than machine.config. In this link is explained the configuration hierarchy of Asp.Net: msdn

If the provider is not registered in one of that files the reported error is thrown. In that case i think that the best way to solve it is to add the configuration direcly in your asp.net aplication web.config file. something like that:

<system.data>
<DbProviderFactories>
  <remove invariant="Oracle.DataAccess.Client" />
  <add name="Oracle Data Provider for .NET"
          invariant="Oracle.DataAccess.Client"
          description="Oracle Data Provider for .NET"
          type="Oracle.DataAccess.Client.OracleClientFactory,
              Oracle.DataAccess,
              Version=2.111.7.20,
              Culture=neutral,
              PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342" />
</DbProviderFactories>

Solution 2

The error is clear, it cannot find the MySQL data provider

If you deployed to your production server perhaps you have not deployed the MySQL component, check you have deployed the MySQL dll's to the bin folder of your application

A common problem is when you have the component installed in the GAC in the development sandboxes and they are not present in the production server, verify if the dll is in the GAC:

The Global Assembly Cache (GAC) is located in: %windir%\assembly

You may force the references from your project to be deployed to the production server by selecting the copy always property of the assembly to true, however, if it is configured to resolve the reference from the GAC then it's better to install the component in the GAC in the production box:

These are the steps to install the MySQL data provider in the GAC

http://blog.jeffreymcmanus.com/555/installing-the-mysql-adonet-connector-into-the-global-assembly-cache/

As a summary:

• Solution 1:

  Run the following command to register the MySQL data provider in the GAC (this way that version of your MySQL data provider will be installed globally available to all applications in the server)

  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\Bin\gacutil.exe" /i MySql.Data.dll

• Solution 2:

  Copy the MySql.Data.dll dll to the bin directory of your application

Solution 3

For this particular error in Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2012, simply check the ProviderName :

     <providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"/>