using managed odp.net

You just need to deploy the Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll (CopyLocal) with your application, and make sure that you're using configuration settings within app.config to alleviate the need for TNSNAMES.

Here is a sample 'sanitized' app.config from one of my recent small scripts that touches a RAC database, but does not require TNSNAMES on the target server:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<configuration>

  <configSections>

    <section name="oracle.manageddataaccess.client" type="OracleInternal.Common.ODPMSectionHandler, Oracle.ManagedDataAccess" />

    <section name="log4net" type="log4net.Config.Log4NetConfigurationSectionHandler, log4net" />

  </configSections>

  <startup>

    <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.0"/>

  </startup>

  <oracle.manageddataaccess.client>

    <version number="*">

      <settings>

        <setting name="TraceLevel" value="0" />

        <setting name="TraceOption" value="0" />

        <setting name="TraceFileLocation" value=".\" />

      </settings>

      <dataSources>

        <!-- create your alias here for your test database -->

        <dataSource alias="orcl.company.com" descriptor="(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=(FAILOVER=on)(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=host1.company.com)(PORT=1521))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=host2.company.com)(PORT=1521))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=host3.company.com)(PORT=1521))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=host4.company.com)(PORT=1521)))(CONNECT_DATA=(FAILOVER_MODE=(TYPE=select)(METHOD=basic)(DELAY=50))(SERVER=default)(SERVICE_NAME=BLAHBLAH_SERVICE)))"/>       

      </dataSources>

    </version>

  </oracle.manageddataaccess.client>

  <log4net debug="true">

    <appender name="RollingLogFileAppender" type="log4net.Appender.RollingFileAppender">

      <file value="./TestCase.log" />

      <appendToFile value="true" />

      <rollingStyle value="Size" />

      <maxSizeRollBackups value="10" />

      <maximumFileSize value="50MB" />

      <staticLogFileName value="true" />

      <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">

        <conversionPattern value="%-5p %d %-30.30c{1} %-25.26M - %m%n" />

      </layout>

    </appender>

    <root>

      <level value="ALL" />

      <appender-ref ref="RollingLogFileAppender" />

    </root>

  </log4net>

  <connectionStrings>

    <!-- reference your test db in the connection string -->

    <add name="TestDB" connectionString="user id=scott;password=tiger;data source=orcl.company.com"/>   

  </connectionStrings>

</configuration>

I recommend downloading the full 12c client to your developer workstation, that way you get SQLPLUS and all the goodies. ODP.NET and the ASP.NET stuff comes along with it by default now, so I am not sure you would ever need ODAC if you just install the full client. I always create a folder in my solution structure for dependencies and COPY in the Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll then add a reference from that location. This way, if you're using Source Control (which we all do, right?) then it doesn't complain about a referenced file being outside of the solution folder structure.

So...

C:\blahblah\VSProjects\MySolution\MyProject\ would contain your project

You create:

C:\blahblah\VSProjects\MySolution\ExternalDependancies or something along those lines, and copy the DLL there.

Then, in VS, you right click on  your SOLUTION, then go to Add -> New Solution Folder. Call it "External References" or something.

Then, right click on the new folder and Add -> Existing Item. Select the DLL, and now VS knows about the file. When you're checking in your solution, it will be copied up there.

THEN, right click References in your PROJECT and navigate to the ExternalReferences folder you made and add the DLL that way to your project. Once it's in your references list, go to properties and make sure Copy Local is true. Voila, c'est fini.