| Answers |
What is the difference between Standard and Professional version?
The Standard Edition represents a fully-featured ADO.NET data provider with design time support
and advanced classes. The Professional Edition adds more classes, tools, technologies,
and integration capabilities.
The following list briefly enumerates main advantages of Professional Edition.
- PgSqlLoader class serves to load external data into the PostgreSQL database extremely fast.
- PgSqlDump class serves to store a database or its parts as a script and to restore database
from the generated script.
- DataLink class serves for universal cross-form data binding.
- Powerful PgSqlDataTable component as all-in-one table data access solution.
- PgSqlDataSet class allows using typed and untyped provider-specific datasets.
- DataSet Wizard greatly simplifies process of generating datasets in your application.
- DataSet Manager and DataSet Editor help managing the datasets.
- Support for DBMonitor that performs per-component tracing of database events such as
SQL statement execution, commit, rollback, etc.
- Enterprise Library support allows you to take advantage of Data Access Application Block functionality.
- ASP.NET 2.0 providers support allows using the data provider in ASP.NET 2.0 provider model.
To test this functionality use the Trial Edition, which incorporates all aforementioned features.
|
| Installation and deployment |
I installed PostgreSQLDirect .NET trial, then I have bought and
installed purchased version, but something went wrong.
Make sure you had uninstalled the trial version correctly.
There should be no old (trial) assemblies present in your system. Uninstall
PostgreSQLDirect .NET and check your Global Assembly Cache and local folders for
CoreLab.* assemblies. Remove all CoreLab.* files and reinstall
PostgreSQLDirect .NET.
To upgrade to newer version I have to uninstall PostgreSQLDirect .NET first. How do I do it right?
Close all running IDEs and help collections, then choose Uninstall PostgreSQLDirect .NET
link from Start menu.
You say, there are sample projects, but I can't find any.
Probably you installed PostgreSQLDirect .NET not in full mode. Please choose
full when installing PostgreSQLDirect .NET. All samples are installed by default in
\Program Files\PostgreSQLDirect.NET\Samples folder.
Are there any restrictions for Visual Studio Express editions?
Yes, there are some. First, the provider add-in (and hence menu item) is not available.
Second, components are not registered in toolbox automatically (though you can do it manually). Finally,
advanced Visual Studio integration (DDEX) is not available, except Microsoft Web Developer 2005 Express.
What is required for my application to work on end-user machine?
To deploy applications written with PostgreSQLDirect .NET you should register
necessary run-time assemblies at Global Assembly Cache for
appropriate .NET Framework or place it in the folder of your application (more on that in
the Deployment topic). You can compile the application for .NET Framework 1.1 and
deploy it to .NET Framework 2.0. Another way
to install the *.dll files needed is to launch setup program of PostgreSQLDirect .NET and choose
"compact" option. Note that according to License Agreement this is the only setup mode that you can
use on target machine.
How to install PostgreSQLDirect .NET on machine that does not have
Visual Studio .NET or Delphi installed?
Choose "compact" type when asked by the installer.
How to deploy web projects that use PostgreSQLDirect .NET?
Place CoreLab.PostgreSql.dll and CoreLab.Data.dll in the bin folder of your web project. Another way
to install the *.dll files needed is to launch setup program of PostgreSQLDirect .NET on a target machine and choose
"compact" option.
|
| Subscriptions |
I have a registered version of PostgreSQLDirect .NET. Will I need to pay to upgrade to future versions?
Since PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3.00, all upgrades to future versions are free to users with an active PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription.
Users that have a registration for versions of PostgreSQLDirect .NET prior to PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3.00 will have to first upgrade to
PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3.00 to jump in on the Subscription Program.
What are the benefits of the PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription Program?
The PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription Program is an annual maintenance and support service
for PostgreSQLDirect .NET users.
Users with a valid PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription get the following benefits:
- Access to new versions of PostgreSQLDirect .NET when they are released
- Access to all PostgreSQLDirect .NET updates and bug fixes
- Product support through the PostgreSQLDirect .NET Priority Support program
- Notification of new product versions
Priority Support is an advanced product support program which offers you
expedited individual assistance with PostgreSQLDirect .NET-related questions from the PostgreSQLDirect .NET developers themselves.
Priority Support is carried out over email and has a two business day response policy.
The PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription Program is available for registered users of PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3.00 and higher.
Can I use my version of PostgreSQLDirect .NET after my Subscription expires?
Yes, you can. PostgreSQLDirect .NET version licenses are perpetual.
I want a PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription! How can I get one?
An annual PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription is included when ordering or upgrading to any registered (non-Trial) edition of PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3.00 or higher.
You can renew your PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription on the PostgreSQLDirect .NET Ordering Page. For more information, please contact sales@crlab.com.
Does this mean that if I upgrade to PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3 from PostgreSQLDirect .NET 2.x, I'll get an annual PostgreSQLDirect .NET Subscription for free?
Yes, you will.
How do I upgrade to PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3.00?
To upgrade to PostgreSQLDirect .NET 3.00, you can get a Version Update from the PostgreSQLDirect .NET Ordering Page.
For more information, please contact sales@crlab.com.
|
| Licensing |
What is the licensing you use?
PostgreSQLDirect .NET uses .NET component licensing. To build operational
application PostgreSQLDirect .NET requires valid license. If no license is available,
PostgreSQLDirect .NET does not work.
How to embed license into my application?
Usually you do not have to care about embedding license in your application.
When you install PostgreSQLDirect .NET the system is configured so that licensing is done
transparently. License is automatically added to project when you place a PgSqlConnection
component onto a form.
You may be required to add license manually. It is necessary for console applications,
class libraries, some ASP.NET applications and
existing projects initially built with PostgreSQLDirect .NET version that did not use component
licensing, that is, 3.20 and older. For instructions on how to add license manually refer to
Licensing
topic in PostgreSQLDirect .NET help.
On opening connection I get an exception saying "License not found...". What should I do?
This generally indicates that license information could not be found, or you try to
apply it in some way that does not suit the kind of application. For example:
- File licenses.licx, required for PostgreSQLDirect .NET to function properly, could not be found.
- File licenses.licx is not added as embedded resource.
- File App_Licenses.dll not found in ASP.NET applications.
To fix the problem determine type of your application and read corresponding section of "Licensing" topic.
On opening connection I get an exception saying "License not valid...". What should I do?
This means that license information was found but it is incorrect. It usually happens in the following cases:
- The project was earlier compiled with old or trial version of PostgreSQLDirect .NET.
- File licenses.config used by a class library does not refer to launched executable.
- The App_Licenses.dll belongs to other application or needs to be recompiled.
- Something's wrong with the operating system or installation of PostgreSQLDirect .NET.
If you encounter this problem delete all files from obj folder and rebuild the project. If this does not help send
to our support address small compiled binary with sources so we can investigate the problem detailed.
Deployed application worked fine some time, but in some moment it started
to say "Sorry, your trial period has expired". But I do not use trial version any more.
Probably you compiled the application with Trial edition of PostgreSQLDirect .NET,
and deployed it with assemblies from non-trial version. In this case time limit is actual
as well. To eliminate the problem just recompile the project.
How to license ASP.NET applications?
To support server-side compilation you ought to have special assembly App_Licenses.dll
in the Bin directory of your site. To create this assembly execute Build
Runtime Licenses command in the licenses.licx file context menu in the Solution
Explorer view. Required assembly will be created automatically.
Note that this is not necessary for precompiled ASP.NET applications (if nothing is
compiled on server by user request). Precompiled applications are licensed as usual applications.
How to make PostgreSQLDirect .NET work with SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence Solutions?
To do this install PostgreSQLDirect .NET on same computer where SQL Server 2005 resides.
Do end-users need a license?
No, end-users of your application do not require any license.
|
| Connection pooling |
I call PgSqlConnection.Open(), then Close(). Physical connection is still
visible by server. Isn't it a bug?
No, it is not. This is Connection Pooling feature. Actual connection is not closed in
order to be used later by your application. This boosts performance greatly.
I get exception "Timeout expired. The timeout period elapsed..."
What to do?
The full text of the exception is "Timeout expired. The timeout period elapsed prior to
obtaining a connection from the pool. This may have occurred because all pooled connections were in
use and max pool size was reached." It clearly states that you have run out of connections available.
To solve the problem increase Max Pool Size connection string parameter value. The default
value is 100. Another way to get extra connections is to clear one or all of the pools. Or you can
turn connection pooling off using Pooling connection string parameter.
How to prevent possible pooling problems?
You can clear the pool explicitly. Generally pool is cleared automatically
when connections are idle or closed by the server. To force the operation call ClearPool or
ClearAllPools methods. Another solution is to disable the pool at all (set Pooling=false
in connection string). If this does not help, the problem is not caused by pooling.
|
| Documentation problems |
How to open documentation on PostgreSQLDirect .NET?
There are several ways to open PostgreSQLDirect .NET documentation:
- Use appropriate shortcut in start menu, for instance,
Start - Programs - Core Lab PostgreSQLDirect .NET - PostgreSQLDirect .NET documentation.
- Use command in the IDE: Tools - PostgreSQL - PostgreSQLDirect .NET Help.
- Position cursor on some class from CoreLab.PostgreSql and press F1.
There is also same documentation in chm format. You can download it from our site at the following address:
www.crlab.com/pgsqlnet/pgsqlnet.chm
I can't see the documentation in Visual Studio Help Collection.
Correctly installed documentation appears as separate node in combined collection
of Visual Studio and Borland Delphi. If you can't find PostgreSQLDirect .NET node
there it is because you enabled topics filtering. To reveal the node set filter to "Core Lab
Documentation", or "(unfiltered)", or "Visual C#" etc.
Another possible reason is that you installed some IDE after installation of PostgreSQLDirect .NET.
In this case use aforementioned methods to reach documentation.
All topics in CHM file are blank.
This can happen due to some patches from Microsoft installed on your system.
Please read this page to find possible solutions
for the problem. In most cases it is enough to right-click on the CHM file, select Properties, click on the
"Unblock" button and click "Apply" to show the contents.
|
| ADO.NET Entity Framework |
Are LINQ to SQL and Entity Framework supported?
PostgreSQLDirect .NET supports the latest version of ADO.NET Entity Framework, which is Beta 3 at the moment.
For now the LINQ to SQL technology is not supported as Entity Framework provides much better capabilities.
Where do I start with Entity Framework?
First of all, launch the EDM Wizard, which generates the model, store, and mapping
definitions. Follow the wizard's instructions and in the end you will have all
necessary files ready for your Entity Framework application.
Are there any demo projects to play with?
Yes, PostgreSQLDirect .NET includes two Entity Framework samples in C# and Visual Basic.
The samples demonstrate how to use several entities and a relationship between them.
|
| Miscellaneous |
I get concurrency error when modifying records using PgSqlDataAdapter
or PgSqlDataTable. What can be wrong?
This can happen when PgSqlCommandBuilder generates a query without primary key field.
To avoid it use custom update command instead of generated by PgSqlCommandBuilder.
This problem should not take place if primary key field participates in SELECT statement.
No components can be found in the toolbox.
This can happen if the installation encountered some problems. You can add the
components to toolbox manually. This procedure is described in the Installation article
in the documentation. Note that Microsoft Web Developer 2005 Express edition does not allow to
work with toolbox at all.
PostgreSQLDirect .NET components in Visual Studio .NET 2005 are grey...
Make sure you're in Component Designer view. Do not confuse with Designer
view. To switch between views use context menu of .aspx file in Solution Explorer. This relates to Web projects only.
SQL Server Integration Service (SSIS) can't get the list of tables in my PostgreSQL server.
This is an architecture limitation from Microsoft, SSIS understands metadata of SQL Server only.
To circumvent this you have to write queries manually.
|
| General issues related to PostgreSQL server |
Cannot connect to server on %host name%...
This is actual for mobile edition. Use IP of the server instead of DNS name. It
is recommended to use internal IP address. For information on how to address target machine
refer to network administrator.
How to get result set from a stored procedure?
Set PgSqlCommand.CommandType to StoredProcedure and CommandText
to name of the procedure, then issue PgSqlCommand.ExecuteReader() method.
You can also do it through parameter with Direction set to
System.Data.ParameterDirection.ReturnValue. For example on how to do it refer
to article "Using Parameters" in PostgreSQLDirect .NET documentation.
What about performance?
We regularly carry out performance tests on different databases with miscellaneous environments.
The tests show that PostgreSQLDirect .NET is much better than ODBC, OLEDB, and Npgsql. Besides that
PostgreSQLDirect .NET has much more features than any other data provider.
Non-latin characters in my data are not retrieved correctly.
Use UTF-8 encoding. To enable it, set Connection.Unicode property
to true or include Unicode=true; in connection string. Keep in mind, however, that this
affects performance.
|
|
