MySQL Data Source not appearing in Visual Studio

Question

I just installed the ADO.NET connector from here http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

Yet MySQL doesn't appear as a data source like it should. I tried restarting Visual Studio. It doesn't fix my issue. Did I install the wrong connector?

EDIT: STill nothing. I'm using Visual Studio Express For Desktop. Do I need to pay for the Ultimate edition to use a MySQL Data Source?

Answer 1

I was having the same problem just now. I solved it by uninstalling the latest Connector/NET drivers (6.7.4) and then installed the older drivers (6.6.5) and it works.

I am using Visual Studio 2010. I uninstalled the latest ones because I figured they were somehow related to .NET4.5, which I'm not able to use.

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Update #1:

Supposedly another way is to register the MySql Connector with various Visual Studio versions (2010/2012/2013/2015...) during installation: Go to Modify Product Features and select all the relevant Visual Studio versions.

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Update #2 - Visual Studio 2019 Update:

When I installed MySQL Community with the ConnectorNET and VisualStudio Plugin options included - MySQL didn't show up as a data provider in Visual Studio.

The installer I used included the VS Plugin version 1.2.9, which had supposedly fixed installation issues from 1.2.8, but still didn't work for me...

The solution for me was to uninstall the Connector and the Visual Studio Plugin, download them as individual components, and then install them separately (not as part of the MySQLServer Installer). Install the Connector first, then VS plugin after.

• Connector Download
• VS Plugin Download

I found the solution here, Thanks to @LambertHeenan.

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NOTE about Visual Studio Express

The OP asks whether MySQL is supported with Visual Studio Express (which as far as I can tell has been renamed to Visual Studio Community). In the past MySQL officially didn't support Visual Studio Express, as per @Paul's answer below, but they do officially support Visual Studio Community 2017 and 2019, according to this page.

Answer 2

Stuzor and hexcodes solution worked for me as well. However, if you do want the latest connector you have to download another product. From the oracle website:

Starting with version 6.7, Connector/Net will no longer include the MySQL for Visual Studio integration. That functionality is now available in a separate product called MySQL for Visual Studio available using the MySQL Installer for Windows (see http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/mysql-installer-for-windows.html).