Can `System.Data.Objects.SqlClient.SqlFunctions` be used from the Views? - entity-framework-4

Question

I'm rendering a dropdownlist that has an integer value and the SelectListItem value attribute only accepts a string thus the need for conversion. .ToString() function cannot be used.
#Html.DropdownList("ddl", Model.recordList.Select(
q => new SelectListItem
{
Text = q.recordName,
Value = SqlFunctions.StringConvert(q.recordId)
}
, "choose one")
// recordId is an Integer
I get assembly reference error on runtime:
The type or namespace name 'Objects' does not exist in the namespace
'System.Data' (are you missing an assembly reference?)
There is a project reference to System.Data.Entity already and #using System.Data.Objects.SqlClient in my View. I'm expecting this too as it doesn't appear in Intellisense. I can use from Controllers but not in Views.
Am I breaking any MVC rule here? Or probably have it misconfigured?

Answer 1

It's a misconfiguration.
To resolve, I had to:
1) add it in the assembly references in the Views/Web.config.
<system.web.webPages.razor>
<host factoryType="System.Web.Mvc.MvcWebRazorHostFactory, System.Web.Mvc, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" />
<pages pageBaseType="System.Web.Mvc.WebViewPage">
<namespaces>
<add namespace="System.Web.Mvc" />
<add namespace="System.Web.Mvc.Ajax" />
<add namespace="System.Web.Mvc.Html" />
<add namespace="System.Web.Optimization" />
<add namespace="System.Web.Routing" />
<add namespace="System.Data.Entity" />
<add namespace="System.Data.Objects.SqlClient" />
</namespaces>
</pages>
</system.web.webPages.razor>
2) Change the Project > References > System.Data.Entity property Copy Local = True. The assembly was not getting copied to the bin and thus identifies as missing.