Using Microsoft Entity Frameworks to Access Progress Schema Objects with Virtuoso

This document details the steps required to provide Microsoft Entity Framework access to Progress Schema Objects using the OpenLink Virtuoso Universal Server. This is achieved by Linking the required Progress Schema objects into Virtuoso using its built-in Virtual Database engine and then using the Virtuoso ADO.Net Entity Framework provider to query the remote Progress Schema objects linked into the Virtuoso Server.

Prerequisites

The following must be in place to complete this exercise.

1. Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 SP1 (or later)
   Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 (or later) is required, as previous versions do not include the necessary Entity Framework support.
   
   
2. Virtuoso ADO.NET Entity Framework Provider, v5.10 or later
   The ADO.NET Entity Framework Provider must be installed on the Visual Studio development and deployment host(s). Version 5.10.x or later is required, as previous versions do not include the necessary Entity Frameworks support.
   
   
3. Virtuoso Universal Server, v5.10 or later
   Virtuoso Universal Server Release 5.10 or later is required, as previous versions do not include the necessary Entity Frameworks support. This may be on any host which is TCP/IP accessible from the Visual Studio development and deployment host(s).
   
   
4. ODBC Driver for Progress
   The Virtuoso Server uses an ODBC Driver for Progress to link in the Progress Schema Objects. The OpenLink Single-Tier ODBC Driver for Progress (SQL-92) will be used in this document, and a functional ODBC Data Source Name (DSN) of "prs101c" will be assumed to exist on the machine hosting the Virtuoso Server. Any ODBC compliant driver for Progress should work.
   
   
5. Progress DBMS
   An Progress DBMS hosting the required Schema Objects needs to be available. This may be on any host which is TCP/IP accessible from the Virtuoso Server host. In this document, the Progress OpenEdge 10 isports database will be used to demonstrate the process.
   
   

Tasks

1. Ensure Progress Primary Keys (PKs) are not nullable
   The Visual Studio 2008 Entity Data Model (EDM) requires that all primary keys are NOT Nullable, and will fail to generate an EDM if any are. Therefore, ensure any applicable primary keys are defined as not nullable in the Progress database schema before attempting to generate an EDM. In the case of the Progress isports database, several primary keys (PKs) are nullable. This issue is best addressed in the database schema, by redefining those nullable PKs to be non-nullable (or Mandatory, in the terms Progress uses).
   
   
2. Install and configure the OpenLink ODBC Driver for Progress (SQL-92)
   
   
3. Install and configure OpenLink Virtuoso Universal Server
   
   
4. Link Progress tables and other schema objects into OpenLink Virtuoso
   
   
5. Create a Visual Studio-hosted Entity Data Model (EDM)
   
   If entity-linking associations (i.e., Foreign Keys) are not automatically created (as they are not here with Progress), the associations must be created manually.
   
   
6. Use the EDM to create an Entity Frameworks-based ADO.NET Data Service
   
   
7. Use the EDM to create an Entity Frameworks-based Windows DataGrid Form Application
   

CategoryDocumentation CategoryVirtuoso CategoryEntityFrameworks CategoryDotNET CategoryProgress