MySQL with Entity Framework - what am I doing wrong?

Question

I am completely new to Entity Framework and even ADO.NET in general (don't typically do much work with databases).

1. I downloaded and installed MySQL Connector/NET 6.3.5.
2. I created a new C# project in Visual Studio 2010.
3. I added a new ADO.NET Entity Data Model to my project and chose "Generate from database."
4. I added a new connection to my local MySQL server w/ server name "localhost" + my user name and password.
5. I checked all of the tables from my MySQL database to generate objects for.
6. I wrote the following code:

(things is just a bogus table I threw together with some arbitrary fields.)

TestDataEntities entities = new TestDataEntities();

var things = entities.things.Execute(MergeOption.AppendOnly); // exception

The above threw a NullReferenceException and I'm really clueless as to why that could be. When I test the connection, it says it succeeded. I have definitely set up the connection with the correct user name and password. I don't even know what else to investigate.

For those of you who actually know about this stuff, here's the exception I got (though, to my untrained eyes, this doesn't actually look like it would be all that helpful):

   at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlClientFactory.get_MySqlDbProviderServicesInstance()
   at MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlClientFactory.System.IServiceProvider.GetService(Type serviceType)
   at System.Data.Common.DbProviderServices.GetProviderServices(DbProviderFactory factory)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.StoreItemCollection.Loader.InitializeProviderManifest(Action`3 addError)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.StoreItemCollection.Loader.OnProviderManifestTokenNotification(String token, Action`3 addError)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.Schema.HandleProviderManifestTokenAttribute(XmlReader reader)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.Schema.HandleAttribute(XmlReader reader)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.SchemaElement.ParseAttribute(XmlReader reader)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.SchemaElement.Parse(XmlReader reader)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.Schema.HandleTopLevelSchemaElement(XmlReader reader)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.Schema.InternalParse(XmlReader sourceReader, String sourceLocation)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.Schema.Parse(XmlReader sourceReader, String sourceLocation)
   at System.Data.EntityModel.SchemaObjectModel.SchemaManager.ParseAndValidate(IEnumerable`1 xmlReaders, IEnumerable`1 sourceFilePaths, SchemaDataModelOption dataModel, AttributeValueNotification providerNotification, AttributeValueNotification providerManifestTokenNotification, ProviderManifestNeeded providerManifestNeeded, IList`1& schemaCollection)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.StoreItemCollection.Loader.LoadItems(IEnumerable`1 xmlReaders, IEnumerable`1 sourceFilePaths)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.StoreItemCollection.Init(IEnumerable`1 xmlReaders, IEnumerable`1 filePaths, Boolean throwOnError, DbProviderManifest& providerManifest, DbProviderFactory& providerFactory, Memoizer`2& cachedCTypeFunction)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.StoreItemCollection..ctor(IEnumerable`1 xmlReaders, IEnumerable`1 filePaths)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.MetadataCache.StoreMetadataEntry.LoadStoreCollection(EdmItemCollection edmItemCollection, MetadataArtifactLoader loader)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.MetadataCache.StoreItemCollectionLoader.LoadItemCollection(StoreMetadataEntry entry)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.MetadataCache.LoadItemCollection[T](IItemCollectionLoader`1 itemCollectionLoader, T entry)
   at System.Data.Metadata.Edm.MetadataCache.GetOrCreateStoreAndMappingItemCollections(String cacheKey, MetadataArtifactLoader loader, EdmItemCollection edmItemCollection, Object& entryToken)
   at System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.LoadStoreItemCollections(MetadataWorkspace workspace, DbConnection storeConnection, DbProviderFactory factory, DbConnectionOptions connectionOptions, EdmItemCollection edmItemCollection, MetadataArtifactLoader artifactLoader)
   at System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.GetMetadataWorkspace(Boolean initializeAllCollections)
   at System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.InitializeMetadata(DbConnection newConnection, DbConnection originalConnection, Boolean closeOriginalConnectionOnFailure)
   at System.Data.EntityClient.EntityConnection.Open()
   at System.Data.Objects.ObjectContext.EnsureConnection()
   at System.Data.Objects.ObjectQuery`1.GetResults(Nullable`1 forMergeOption)
   at System.Data.Objects.ObjectQuery`1.Execute(MergeOption mergeOption)
   at EntityFrameworkTest.Form1..ctor() in D:\Development\EntityFrameworkTest\Form1.cs:line 23
   at EntityFrameworkTest.Program.Main() in D:\Development\EntityFrameworkTest\Program.cs:line 18
   at System.AppDomain._nExecuteAssembly(Assembly assembly, String[] args)
   at System.AppDomain.ExecuteAssembly(String assemblyFile, Evidence assemblySecurity, String[] args)
   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.HostingProcess.HostProc.RunUsersAssembly()
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()

Answer 1

I got past this error by adding a reference to MySql.Data.Entity.dll (and MySql.Web.dll)