Data Source Wizard

• Jun 01, 2025
• 2 minutes to read

The documents in this section describe the Data Source Wizard pages and the API available for their customization.

• Data Source Wizard Pages

  • Start Pages

    • Enter the Data Source Name
    • Select a Data Connection Type

  • Connect to SQL Databases

    • Select a Data Connection
    • Specify Connection Properties
    • Save the Connection String
    • Create a Query or Select a Stored Procedure
    • Configure Query Parameters

  • Connect to an Entity Framework Data Source

    • Select the Data Context
    • Select the Connection String
    • Bind to a Stored Procedure
    • Select a Data Member

  • Connect to an Object Data Source

    • Select an Assembly
    • Select a Data Source Type
    • Select a Data Source Member
    • Specify the Member Parameters
    • Select the Data Binding Mode
    • Select a Data Source Constructor
    • Specify the Constructor Parameters

  • Connect to an Excel Data Source

    • Select an Excel Workbook or CSV File
    • Specify Import Settings
    • Select a Worksheet, Table or Named Range
    • Choose Columns

  • Connect to a MongoDB Data Source

    • Specify Connection Properties
    • Save a Connection String
    • Configure Queries

  • Connect to a JSON Data Source

    • Specify JSON Data Location
    • Configure Web Service Endpoint Request
    • Save a Connection String
    • Select Data Fields

  • Connect to an XPO Data Source

    • Choose an Entity Type
    • Choose a Data Layer
    • Select a Connection String
    • Specify Conection String Parameters
    • Save the Connection String

  • Custom Connection String

  • Query Builder

  • Data Source Wizard Customization API
  • Runtime Customization
  • Page Views and Presenters

Performance Optimization FAQ

The Data Source Configuration Wizard freezes or crashes when launched in a large WinForms project. How can I improve its performance?

In large WinForms projects, the Data Source Configuration Wizard may appear to freeze or even crash Visual Studio (especially in Visual Studio 2019) during type discovery. In some cases, the wizard takes several minutes (5–10) to initialize.

When the wizard starts, it attempts to enumerate available types via the Visual Studio Provider Service, which inspects your solution and its referenced assemblies.

To reduce the initialization time or prevent Visual Studio from crashing, disable specific type discovery operations via the Windows Registry. The following settings prevent the wizard from scanning the full solution and assembly set:

1. Disable type discovery in referenced assemblies

• Registry key: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Developer Express\Designer
• Value name: SearchTypesInReferencedAssemblies
• Type: REG_SZ
• Value: False

2. Disable the Visual Studio Provider Service for type discovery

• Registry key: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Developer Express\Designer
• Value name: SearchTypesViaDataSourceProviderService
• Type: REG_SZ
• Value: False

After applying these settings, restart Visual Studio.