No Entity Framework provider found for the ADO.NET provider with invariant name 'System.Data.SqlClient'.

.net, asp.net, c#, entity-framework-6, sql-server

Solution

You need to create a reference, so it will be copied in the debug folder. So later it can accessed in runtime.

Don't to copy any files, just create this reference:

private volatile Type _dependency;

public MyClass()
{
    _dependency = typeof(System.Data.Entity.SqlServer.SqlProviderServices);
}

Problem

We are using EntityFramework 6 with Code First. We have a console app that has no reference to EntityFramework but reads the connection string from its App.config. It calls the DatabaseInitializationUtilities assembly passing the connection string as a parameter. DatabaseInitializationUtilities has the reference to EF6 (EntityFramework and EntityFramework.SqlServer). Its App.config is this: ``` <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <configuration> <configSections> <!-- For more information on Entity Framework configuration, visit http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=237468 --> <section name="entityFramework" type="System.Data.Entity.Internal.ConfigFile.EntityFrameworkSection, EntityFramework, Version=6.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" requirePermission="false" /> </configSections> <system.serviceModel> <bindings> <basicHttpBinding> <binding name="BasicHttpBinding_IAuthentication" /> </basicHttpBinding> </bindings> <client> <endpoint address="http://localhost/SecurityServices/Authentication.svc" binding="basicHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="BasicHttpBinding_IAuthentication" contract="SecurityService.IAuthentication" name="BasicHttpBinding_IAuthentication" /> </client> </system.serviceModel> <entityFramework> <defaultConnectionFactory type="System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.LocalDbConnectionFactory, EntityFramework"> <parameters> <parameter value="v11.0" /> </parameters> </defaultConnectionFactory> <providers> <provider invariantName="System.Data.SqlClient" type="System.Data.Entity.SqlServer.SqlProviderServices, EntityFramework.SqlServer" /> </providers> </entityFramework> </configuration> ``` When execution reaches a line where DatabaseInitializationUtilities attempts to run a script ``` context.Database.ExecuteSqlCommand(script.ScriptText) ``` the error is thrown: No Entity Framework provider found for the ADO.NET provider with invariant name 'System.Data.SqlClient'. Make sure the provider is registered in the 'entityFramework' section of the application config file. See http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=260882 for more information. I believe the remedy is exactly what I have in my config file, so I don't understand the problem. NOTE: Resharper is bluelining the node and reporting "The element 'EntityFramework' has an invalid child element 'providers'. However, the section was injected by NuGet when I installed EF6. Any ideas?

Original source

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