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Configuring Connection Strings

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Configuring Connection Strings

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Last Updated: April 16, 2026
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ADO.NET
Documentation

The data provider uses a connection string to provide information needed to connect to a specific database server. The connection information is defined by connection string options.

You can define connection string options directly in a connection string or set values in the Advanced Properties dialog box in Visual Studio (see "Defining Connection String Values in Server Explorer").

You can specify an existing connection in the Entity Framework Wizard, or can define a new connection. The ADO.NET Entity Framework uses information contained in connection strings to connect to the underlying ADO.NET data provider that supports the Entity Framework. The connection strings also contain information about the required model and mapping files. The data provider uses the connection string when accessing model and mapping metadata, and connecting to the data source.

Constructing a Connection String

Oracle Data Provider Connection String Options lists the connection string options supported by the Oracle data provider, and describes each option. The options have the form:

option=value

Each connection string option value pair is separated by a semicolon. For example:

"Host=Accounting1;Port=1521;Service Name=ORCL;User ID=scott;Password=tiger"

See Using Connection Strings for guidelines for the syntax and use of connection string options.

Default Values for Connection String Options

The connection string options are described in Oracle Data Provider Connection String Options. The following table lists the connection string options the Oracle data providers support.

Default Values for Oracle Data Provider Connection String Options

Connection String Option	Default Value
Accounting Info	An empty string
Alternate Servers	An empty string
Application Name	An empty string
Array Send Size	4096
Authentication Method	UserIDPassword
Batch Update Behavior	ArrayBindWhenPossible
Bulk Load Protocol	Auto
Certificate Store Location	CurrentUser
Client Host Name	An empty string
Client User	An empty string
Code Page Override	None
Commit Behavior	ServerDefault
Common Work Arounds	0
Connection Pool Behavior	LeastRecentlyUsed
Connection Reset	False
Connection Retry Count	0
Connection Retry Delay	3
Connection Timeout	15
Credentials Cache	MSLSA:
Cursor Description Cache	True
Data Source	An empty string
Enable Manual Enlistment	False
Enable Server Result Cache	False
Enable Trace	0
Enable XA	False
Encryption Method	NoEncryption
Enlist	False
Fetch Array Size	64000
Floating Point Parameter Behavior	Default
GSS Client	An empty string
Host	An empty string
Host Name In Certificate	An empty string
Initial Command Timeout	30
Initialization String	An empty string
Kerberos Config Path	An empty string
License Path	An empty string
Load Balance Timeout	0
Load Balancing	False
Max Pool Size	100
Max Pool Size Behavior	HardCap
Max Statement Cache Size	10
Min Pool Size	0
Number As Double	False
Packet Buffer Size	16000
Parameter Mode	ADO.NET data provider: ANSI Entity Framework data provider: BindByName
Password	An empty string
Persist Security Info	False
Pooling	True
Port	1521
Procedure Description Cache	True
Program ID	An empty string
Reauthentication Enabled	False
Ref Cursor Mode	Implicit
Schema Collection Timeout	120
Schema Options	0x40 or ShowViewDefinitions
Server Type	An empty string
Service Name	An empty string
Session Data Unit	16384
SID	An empty string
Support Links	False
Synchronize Connection	False
TNSNames File	An empty string
Trace File	An empty string
Transaction Timeout	-1
Use Current Schema	False
Use Kerberos DotNet	False
User ID	An empty string
User ID Privilege	None
Validate Server Certificate	True
Wire Protocol Mode	1
Work Arounds	0

Changes in Default Values for Connection String Options

Most default values of the connection string options used by the ADO.NET Entity Framework Oracle data provider are the same as those used by the ADO.NET Oracle data provider (see Oracle Data Provider Connection String Options for more information). The following table lists the connection string options that have a different default value when used with an ADO.NET Entity Framework application.

Connection String Option Differences with an ADO.NET Entity Framework Application

Connection String Option	Value in ADO.NET Entity Framework Application
Bulk Load Protocol	Ignored
CursorDescriptionCache	Ignored
Number As Double	False is the only supported value. Using True results in an exception.
Parameter Mode	Ignored
Ref Cursor Mode	Ignored
Statement Cache Mode	Ignored