title: Entity Framework 5 Code First to Existing Informix Database
body: <p>I am having quite a bit of trouble getting entity framework 5 to work with Informix.  Looking for any help that I can get.  I followed the following procedure:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Installed the client SDK (I was unable to install clientsdk.3.70.FC7DE due to an apparent incompatibility with the InstallAnywhere installer and Windows 8, at the recommendation of a colleague I installed clientsdk.3.50.FC9) </li>
  <li>Verified the connectivity to the database via ODBC</li>
  <li>Verified connectivity using the testconn40.exe tool.</li>
  <li><p>Added the following connection string:  </p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;add name="OpenNet"
      connectionString="Database=*****;
        Server=*****:40411;User ID=*****;Password=******;Persist Security
        Info=True;Authentication=Server;" providerName="IBM.Data.Informix"/&gt;
  </code></pre></li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>When I try to query the database, I get a System.Data.ProviderIncompatibleException with the following message: <em>"A null was returned after calling the 'GetService' method on a store provider instance of type 'IBM.Data.Informix.IfxFactory'. The store provider might not be functioning correctly."</em>  </p>
  
  <p>I de-compiled IBM.Data.Informix.IfxFactory and found the following : </p>
  
  <pre><code>Type type = Type.GetType("IBM.Data.Informix.Entity.IfxProviderServices,  
                   IBM.Data.Informix.Entity, Version=9.7.4.4, 
                   Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=7c307b91aa13d208", false);
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I can't find an assembly for <em>IBM.Data.Informix.Entity</em> anywhere. Perhaps it was included in the later clientsdk.3.70.FC7DE version that I can install.  Can anyone tell me if this is going to be possible or if I went down the wrong track at some point?</p>