Backport PR #4063 to release/7.0: Add missing System.Data.Common package reference

[Copilot]

Description

Backports #4063 to the release/7.0 branch.

Adds the missing System.Data.Common (v4.3.0) NuGet package reference that was omitted from the release/7.0 branch. System.Data.Common ships as an inbox assembly on .NET Framework, but the inbox version predates newer APIs such as IDbColumnSchemaGenerator. Without this explicit NuGet dependency, consumers encounter CS0012 compilation errors when using types like IDbColumnSchemaGenerator exposed through Microsoft.Data.SqlClient's public API.

Files changed

• Directory.Packages.props — added central package version entry for System.Data.Common v4.3.0
• src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient/netfx/ref/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj — added PackageReference for System.Data.Common with explanatory XML comment
• src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient/src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj — added PackageReference for System.Data.Common with explanatory XML comment
• tools/specs/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.nuspec — added System.Data.Common v4.3.0 dependency with explanatory XML comment

The XML comments in each file document why the NuGet package must be declared explicitly even though the assembly ships inbox on .NET Framework: the inbox version predates APIs such as IDbColumnSchemaGenerator, and declaring the NuGet package ensures consumers receive the updated assembly (which type-forwards to the inbox assembly when the runtime already provides a newer version) and avoid CS0012 errors.

The branch has also been merged with release/7.0 to incorporate the latest pipeline and workflow changes from that branch.

Issues

Testing

No automated tests were added or modified — this is a package reference and documentation fix only. The change ensures System.Data.Common v4.3.0 is declared as an explicit NuGet dependency for net462 consumers so that they receive the updated assembly and are not required to add a manual reference to avoid CS0012 errors.

Guidelines

Please review the contribution guidelines before submitting a pull request:

• Contributing
• Code of Conduct
• Best Practices
• Coding Style
• Review Process

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[paulmedynski]

@copilot Please document why we are explicitly depending on the NuGet package version of System.Data.Common for .NET Framework, even though it is included with the base common libraries.

[Copilot]

@copilot Please document why we are explicitly depending on the NuGet package version of System.Data.Common for .NET Framework, even though it is included with the base common libraries.

Added XML comments in commit 084eada to all three affected files (src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj, netfx/ref/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj, and Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.nuspec).

The explanation: System.Data.Common ships as an inbox assembly on .NET Framework, but the inbox version predates newer APIs such as IDbColumnSchemaGenerator. The NuGet package provides these newer APIs (type-forwarding to the inbox assembly when the runtime already supplies a newer version). Without this explicit dependency, consumers encounter CS0012 errors — "The type 'IDbColumnSchemaGenerator' is defined in an assembly that is not referenced" — when using types from our public API that involve System.Data.Common types (see issue #4062).

[paulmedynski]

@copilot When this PR merges, please apply the XML documentation you generated to the main branch in a new PR.

[Copilot]

@copilot When this PR merges, please apply the XML documentation you generated to the main branch in a new PR.

Noted. The main branch already has System.Data.Common referenced in the same three files but without the explanatory comments. Once this PR merges, I'll open a follow-up PR targeting main to add the same XML documentation to src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient/src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj, src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient/netfx/ref/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj, and tools/specs/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.nuspec.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Backport to release/7.0 to ensure net462 consumers get an explicit System.Data.Common NuGet dependency, preventing CS0012 compile errors when public APIs (e.g., IDbColumnSchemaGenerator) are referenced.

Changes:

• Added central package version for System.Data.Common 4.3.0.
• Added System.Data.Common PackageReference for the net462 build (implementation) and for the netfx reference-assembly project.
• Added a net462-only System.Data.Common dependency to the .nuspec so the published package declares it for consumers.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File	Description
Directory.Packages.props	Centrally pins System.Data.Common to 4.3.0.
src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient/src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj	Adds System.Data.Common package reference for net462 build output.
src/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient/netfx/ref/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.csproj	Adds System.Data.Common package reference so ref assembly build has the required metadata.
tools/specs/Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.nuspec	Declares System.Data.Common 4.3.0 as a net462 dependency for consumers.

[mdaigle]

@copilot bring this branch up to date with the target branch

[Copilot]

@copilot bring this branch up to date with the target branch

Done — merged origin/release/7.0 (commit 10d2a55) into this branch in bbe1a41. No conflicts.

[cheenamalhotra]

/azp run

[azure-pipelines]

Azure Pipelines successfully started running 2 pipeline(s).

[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
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Additional details and impacted files

@@              Coverage Diff               @@
##             release/7.0    #4074   +/-   ##
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  Coverage               ?   65.70%           
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  Files                  ?      275           
  Lines                  ?    65825           
  Branches               ?        0           
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  Hits                   ?    43249           
  Misses                 ?    22576           
  Partials               ?        0           

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PR-SqlClient-Project	65.70% <ø> (?)

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