The Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.NET) features optimized ADO.NET data access to the Oracle database. ODP.NET allows developers to take advantage of advanced Oracle database functionality, including Real Application Clusters, XML DB, and advanced security. The data provider can be used with the latest .NET Framework 3.5 version.
ODP.NET makes using Oracle from .NET more flexible, faster, and more stable. ODP.NET includes many features not available from other .NET drivers, including a native XML data type, self-tuning, RAC optimizations, and Advaned Queuing API.