Contents

Getting Started

Find out how the book works, what sorts of problems Entity Framework can help you solve, and get a taste of how it works.

0 Introduction

Fluent learning because...

This book isn’t for everyone

What you’ll learn

What you’ll need

How it works

1 Why Bother?

Information architecture in the kitchen

The impedance mismatch

The database side

The OOA&D side

2 Hello, EF

Setting up

Say hello

Say what?

The Designer

Learn how to use the Entity Framework Designer to build models of your data and create the code you need to work with it.

3 Using the Designer

The designer and the EDMX

Updating the model

Mapping functions

The Model Browser

4 Complex Models

Complex types

Split & partitioned entities

Table-per-type inheritance

Table-per-hierarchy inheritance

5 The Object Model

The ObjectContext API

The DbContext API

Extending the model

6 Designer Options

The Model-First Workflow

Using a template

A quick look at T4

The Code

7 The Code-First Workflow

Code-First basics

Code-First conventions

Controlling the database

8 Controlling the Schema

Explore the Entity Framework code model, and learn how to create models without the Designer and before you have a database.

Data annotations

The Fluent API

Working with Entities

9 Querying Models

Basic LINQ to entities

Entity SQL

API-specific querying

10 Working with Entities

Only you can decide what you need to do with your data, but this section will introduce you to the tools that Entity Framework gives you for queying and manipulating it.

CRUD operations

Entity state

DbContext validation

Final Project

Put all you’ve learned to good use by building a complete data application.

11 On Your Own

Determine the requirements

Choose a platform

Choose an architecture

Choose a workflow & API

Build the model

Build the client