Oracle Provider to Be Phased Out

The Microsoft ADO.NET provider for Oracle will be deprecated in the upcoming .NET Framework 4, which means that Microsoft advises against it for new development and could remove it in subsequent versions. The provider is a component of the .NET Framework that enables applications to access Oracle databases. Application developers will be able to replace Microsoft’s deprecated provider with options from third parties, but this will entail some costs and complicate solution deployment. The move also raises questions about how Microsoft will support Oracle in its business intelligence products.

Impact Delayed, Third Parties Needed

Microsoft’s ADO.NET provider for Oracle (System.Data.OracleClient) will be marked as deprecated in the .NET Framework 4, which means that developers will see warnings when building applications that use the provider. More important, deprecation implies that Microsoft will limit future work on its provider to bug fixes, and that the provider will probably not be available in the .NET Framework version to follow version 4, some two to three years away. However, Microsoft will continue to support the provider with the .NET Framework 4, even for new application development, which means that paid support will be available for at least 10 years after the .NET Framework 4 ships (probably in mid-2010). Consequently, the immediate impact on developers will be limited.