MySQL Connector/Net 6.6.1 Alpha 2 has been released

 MySQL Connector/Net 6.6.1, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released.  This is the second of two alpha releases intended to introduce users to the new features in the release.  This release is not feature complete and there are limitations but it should be stable enough for users to understand the new features and how we expect them to work.  As is the case with all non-GA releases, it should not be used in any production environment.  It is appropriate for use with MySQL server versions 5.0-5.6

It is now available in source and binary form from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/#downloads and mirror sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point-if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)

The 6.6 version of MySQL Connector/Net brings the following new features:

• Stored procedure debugging
  
• Entity Framework 4.3 Code First support
• Pluggable authentication (not available in this alpha)
  

Stored Procedure Debugging
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We are very excited to introduce stored procedure debugging into our Visual Studio integration.  It works in a very intuitive manner by simply clicking 'Debug Routine' from Server Explorer.  As mentioned above, there are still some limitations in the implementation.  These limitations are being resolved for future releases.  The limitations include:

Changes from the 6.6.0 release

• Functions and triggers can now be debugged.  Stepping into and out of them is fully supported.
  
• Improved naming of session variables for in and out parameters.  This reduces the possibility of name collisions
• The debugger now fully supports the 5.1, 5.5, and 5.6 grammars
• You no longer have to save the password of your connection to start a debug session
• You can now evaluate and change session variables during execution
  

There are still some limitations such as the following:

• Intellisense is currently not enabled in the debugger window. 
  
• Some MySQL functions cannot be debugged currently (get_lock, release_lock, begin, commit, rollback, set transaction level)
• Only one debug session may be active on a given server
• The debugger instruments your procedures automatically.  We have seen some instances when the original procedure is not restored correctly. 
  
• Breakpoints are supported however if you put a breakpoint on a line where there is no code it will appear as not bound.  This is harmless
• Conditional breakpoints are not supported

We are excited by the progress we have made since Alpha 1 and look forward to an even better Beta 1.  We look forward to your feedback.

Documentation
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The documentation is still being developed and will be readily available in time for Beta 1.  You can view current Connector/Net documentation at http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.5/en/connector-net.html

You can find our team blog at http://blogs.oracle.com/MySQLOnWindows.  You can also post questions on our forums at http://forums.mysql.com/. 

Enjoy and thanks for the support!