| If you need... | Use this instead | |----------------|------------------| | ODBC only | Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server | | OLE DB only | Microsoft OLE DB Driver 19 for SQL Server | | .NET / Entity Framework | Microsoft.Data.SqlClient (not native client) | | Lightweight local DB | SQL Server Express + LocalDB (modern version) |
What is SQL Server Native Client? SQL Server Native Client is a standalone data access application programming interface (API) used for both OLE DB and ODBC. It was introduced with SQL Server 2005 as a replacement for the older SQL Server ODBC Driver and SQL Server OLE DB Provider that shipped with Windows. sql 2012 native client
The (version 11.0) is a specific iteration of this technology, designed to work seamlessly with SQL Server 2012 while maintaining backward compatibility with older versions. | If you need