The 'SQLNCLI' provider is not registered on the local machine

Question

I have a NAnt-based script which that I run on my local PC that connects to SQL Server 2008 Express also running on my local PC to drop and recreate databases using .sql fil

Answer 1

Could it be a problem with x86/x64? If the workstation in question is x64, and you've installed the x64 version of the client, but the application you're trying to run is in the x86 space, you may need the x86 version of the client on that workstation as well. An x86 app will only check for an x86 version of the provider, and seeing none, will give an error like this one. The x64 version is probably smart enough to check for either version, though maybe you'd have the same situation.

This same thing happens with ODBC - x86 and x64 data sources aren't available to the other type of application - if you want something to be visible from both builds of applications, you'll need to create an ODBC source in each version's Admin tool.

Answer 2

The correct provider for SQL Server 2008 is SQLNCLI10.1.
For SQL Server 2012, that would be SQLNCLI11. ^_(source)

Sadly, the migration to 2008 did not pick up the change...