windows form application to work with Oracle without installing Oracle client

Question

I am using VS2010 and want to deploy a Windows form application developed in C# on Client's PC. I have dedicated Oracle 10g server for handling database. Is there any way to run windows form application to work with Oracle without installing Oracle client on Client PC?

Answer 1

You could use oracle instant client nuget package...

From the package page:

Instant Client allows you to run your applications without installing the standard Oracle client or having an ORACLE_HOME. OCI, OCCI, ProC, ODBC, and JDBC applications work without modification, while using significantly less disk space than before. Even SQLPlus can be used with Instant Client. No recompile, no hassle.

Answer 2

You can use the ODP.NET Managed Provider, you can download it from here: ODP.NET_Managed121020.zip

You only have to provide a copy of Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll with you application, that's it.

Answer 3

Oracle does not allow re-distribution of their client drivers(unless you're Oracle Business partner, i.e. you bought some devel. licenses).

So you can either:

• use Microsoft's ODBC driver(part of Windows installation). But this supports only subset of database types(no TIMESTAMPs, no CLOBs)
• use Devart's alternative db drivers(I never used them)
• ask users to unpack Oracle instant client drivers on their PC(which is quite trivial task).

I'm afraid there is not other solution. And it seems to me, that this question is license related, because technically there is no problem to embed a single .dll on your applications' package.