Changing EF's default connection factory from LocalDb to Sql Server

When you create a new project that makes use of Entity Framework 5, you'll notice how it uses LocalDb by default now. But let's assume you have a fully working instance of Sql Server that you wish to work against instead of LocalDb. How do you tell EF to use it? Simple, modify your application's config file. If you are running a web service or a website, your config file is web.config. If you are running a console application or a windows application, look for app.config.

LocalDb

  <entityFramework>

    <defaultConnectionFactory type="System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.LocalDbConnectionFactory, EntityFramework">

      <parameters>

        <parameter value="v11.0" />

      </parameters>

    </defaultConnectionFactory>

  </entityFramework>

Now, replace that portion of the configuration to make use of Sql Server instead of LocalDb.

Sql Server

  <entityFramework>

    <defaultConnectionFactory type="System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.SqlConnectionFactory, EntityFramework">

      <parameters>

        <parameter value="Data Source=.; Integrated Security=True; MultipleActiveResultSets=True" />

      </parameters>

    </defaultConnectionFactory>

  </entityFramework>

You only need to change the configuration to match your appropriate connection string.

David.

Comments

• Anonymous
  March 13, 2013
  More a question than a comment, but how would you change this for Oracle 11g?

• Anonymous
  April 04, 2013
  Thanks. Helped me get deployed.

• Anonymous
  November 01, 2013
  Is there a way to turn it off or to ignore the parameters? I don't want to track another Connection String outside of the connectionStrings section.

• Anonymous
  October 06, 2014
  I'm following the examples of Microsoft ADO.NET Entity Framework Step by Step book, but I was stucked in the example about Code First Workflow. In it there is no any hint about the database server that must be used to automatically créate the database, its tables, and the sample data. ...Then I followed your proposed solution and it worked smoothly. Thanks.

• Anonymous
  October 12, 2014
  yes, It works

• Anonymous
  November 10, 2014
  Thanks

• Anonymous
  November 12, 2014
  Thanks a bunch. This was very confusing.

• Anonymous
  December 14, 2014
  Thanks; it works

• Anonymous
  December 20, 2014
  Great tip! simple and useful!

• Anonymous
  February 16, 2015
  Thanks! I wish there was an automated way to switch data providers in Visual Studio. Maybe there is! Comment. (Note: I know how to connect to a data source with EF, etc.)

• Anonymous
  March 08, 2015
  Thank you; :)

• Anonymous
  November 02, 2015
  It's like you read my mind simply by querying for defaultConnectionFactory. Much obliged for your post!