Entity Framework is an ORM framework. ORM stands for Object Relational Mapping.
What is Object Relational Mapping framework Object Relational Mapping framework automatically creates classes based on database tables, and the vice versa is also true, that is, it can also automatically generate necessary SQL to create database tables based on classes.
Let's understand what entity framework can provide with an example. Assume we have the following 2 tables
We want to display the above data from both the tables in a webform as shown below.
To achieve this 1. We need to create Department and Employee classes 2. Write ADO.NET code to retrieve data from the database 3. Once the data is retrieved we need to create Department and Employee objects and populate them with data.
Entity Framework can do all of the above automatically, if we provide it with the database schema.
Installing NuGet Package Manager 1. From Visual Studio 2010 Tools menu, select Extension Manager 2. Click on Online Gallery in the Extension Manager window 3. Search for NuGet 4. Finally Download NuGet Package Manager and install
Please note: You must restart visual studio for the changes to take effect.
Step 1: Create a new "Empty ASP.NET Web Application" with name=Demo.
Step 2: Installing Entity Framework a) Click on Tools - NuGet Package Manager - Manage NuGet Packages for solution b) Click on "Online" tab in "Manage NuGet Packages" window c) Type "EntityFramework" in the search textbox on the top right hand corner d) Finally click on the "Install" button.
At this point Entity Framework version 6.1 is installed and a reference to EntityFramework assembly is also automatically added.
Step 3: Create "Departments" and "Employees" tables. Create table Departments ( ID int primary key identity, Name nvarchar(50), Location nvarchar(50) )
Create table Employees ( ID int primary key identity, FirstName nvarchar(50), LastName nvarchar(50), Gender nvarchar(50), Salary int, DepartmentId int foreign key references Departments(Id) )
Step 4: Populate the tables created in Step 3, with data Insert into Departments values ('IT', 'New York') Insert into Departments values ('HR', 'London') Insert into Departments values ('Payroll', 'Sydney')
Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 60000, 1) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 45000, 3) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 70000, 1) Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 45000, 2) Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 30000, 2) Insert into Employees values ('Valarie', 'Vikings', 'Female', 35000, 3) Insert into Employees values ('John', 'Stanmore', 'Male', 80000, 1)
Step 5: Right click on the project in solution explorer and add ADO.NET Entity Data Model. Change the name from Model1.edmx to EmployeeModel.edmx
Step 6: Select "Generate from database" and click "Next"
Step 7: Choose Your Data Connection a) Click on "New Connection" button b) Select "Microsoft SQL Server" as Data source, and ".Net Framework Data Provider for SQL Server" option from "Data provider" dropdownlist. Click Continue. c) On "Connection Properties" screen, specify SQL Server Name. If you are using local installation of SQL Server then use (local) or . in the "server name" dropdownlist. d) Specify the Authentication you want to use. e) Select the database from "Select or enter database name" dropdownlist. f) Finally "Test connection" and click "OK" g) At this point we should be back on "Choose Your Data Connection" window. Make sure "Save entity connection settings in Web.Config as" checkbox is selected and change the name of the connection string to "EmployeeDBContext" and then Click "Next"
Step 8: On "Choose Your Database Objects" screen, select "Departments" and "Employees" tables. Change the Model Namespace to "EmployeeModel" and click "Finish". At this point you should have EmployeeModel.edmx created.
EmployeeModel.Designer.cs file is also generated. This file contains Employee and Department classes. Tables are mapped to classes and columns are mapped to class properties.
Step 9: Add a webform. Drag and drop a GridView and an EntityDataSource control on the webform.
Step 10: Build the solution. Flip the WebForm1.aspx to design mode. a) Right click on EntityDataSource control and select "Show smart tag" option from the context menu. b) Click on "Configure Data Source" link c) Select "Named Connection" radiobutton and select "EmployeeDBContext" from the dropdownlist. d) Select "EmployeeDBContext" option from "DefaultContainerName" dropdownlist and click "Next" e) On "Configure Data Selection" screen, select "Departments" from "EntitySetName" dropdownlist and click "Finish" f) Right click on "GridView1" control and select "Show smart tag" option. g) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colorful" option from "AutoFormat" window and click "OK". h) Select "EntityDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist. I) Click on "Eidt Columns" link and add a "Template Field". Set HeaderText=Employees and click OK. j) Now click "Edit Templates" link. k) Drag and drop a GridView control l) Select "Edit DataBindings" link m) Select "Custom binding" radiobutton and type Eval("Employees") in "Code expression" textbox and click OK. n) Select "End Template Editing" option from "GridView1" smart tasks pane.
Step 11: Right click on "EntityDataSource1" control and select "Properties". In properties window set Include=Employees
Run the web application and notice that Departments and Employees are displayed as expected. We have achieved all this without writing a single line of code.
In this demo, we have used schema first approach of entity framework. We can also use Model First or Code First approaches. We will discuss these in our subsequent videos.
Part 2 - Entity Framework Model First Approach Suggested Videos Part 1 - What is Entity Framework
In this video we will discuss using Model First Approach of Entity Framework. This is continuation to Part 1. Please watch Part 1 before proceeding.
Entity Framework supports the following three approaches 1. Schema First Approach - Discussed in Part 1 2. Model First Approach - In this video. 3. Code First Approach - Next Video
In the Model First Approach, We first create the Entity Model. That is we create 1. Entities 2. Relationships Between Entities 3. Inheritance hierarchies etc.
We do all this directly on the design surface of the EDMX file. We will be continuing with the same example that we started in Part 1 of Entity Framework Tutorial.
Step 1: First delete the "EmployeeModel.edmx" file from the existing solution
Step 2: Add a new "ADO.NET Entity Data Model" file with name = EmployeeModel.
Step 3: On "Choose Model Contents" screen, select "Empty Model" and click "Finish"
Step 4: At this point, we have a blank EmployeeModel.edmx file added to the solution. Now, right click on the designer surface and then select : Add - Entity. Set, Entity Name = Department Base Type = None Entity Set = Departments Create Key property = Select the check box Property Name = Id Property Type = Int32
Finally click OK.
Step 5: Right click on "Department" entity and select "Add - Scalar Property". Change the property name to "Name". Right click on the "Name" property that we just added and select "properties" from the context menu. Notice that the "Type" of "Name" property is set to "String".
Step 6: Similarly add "Location" property for the "Department" entity. At this point, the "Department" entity should look as shown below.
Step 7: Add "Employee" entity and the following scalar properties. FirstName (Type = string) LastName (Type = string) Gender (Type = string) Salary (Type = int)
Step 8: At this point, Department and Employee entities should look as shown below.
Step 9: We need to add "Employees" navigation property for the "Department" entity, and "Department" navigation property for the "Employee" entity. To do this, right click on the design surface and select "Add - Association". In the "Add Association" window, set values as shown in the image below and click "OK"
Step 10: At this point, we should have the following created. a) Employees navigation property in the Department entity b) Department navigation property in the Employee entity c) DepartmentId scalar property
Step 11: Right click on the design surface, and select "Genedrate Database from Model..." option
Step 12: On "Choose Your Data Connection" screen, click "Next"
Step 13: At this point, we should have the required SQL generated to create a) Departments table b) Employees table c) Primary key constraints for Departments and Employees tables d) Foreign key constraint e) Indexes
Step 14: Click Finish. Now, we should have "EmployeeModel.edmx.sql" file generated with the required SQL. If you already have "Departments" and "Employees" tables in the database, delete them. Right click on the file and select "Execute SQL" option from the context menu.
Step 15: Populate the "Departments" and "Employees" tables with sample data using the script below. Insert into Departments values ('IT', 'New York') Insert into Departments values ('HR', 'London') Insert into Departments values ('Payroll', 'Sydney')
Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 60000, 1) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 45000, 3) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 70000, 1) Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 45000, 2) Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 30000, 2) Insert into Employees values ('Valarie', 'Vikings', 'Female', 35000, 3) Insert into Employees values ('John', 'Stanmore', 'Male', 80000, 1)
Step 16: Run the application by pressing CTRL + F5. We will get the following runtime error. The specified default EntityContainer name 'EmployeeDBContext' could not be found in the mapping and metadata information. Parameter name: defaultContainerName
Step 17: Open WebForm1.aspx in source mode, and set ConnectionString and DefaultContainerName properties of EntityDataSource control as shown below. <asp:EntityDataSource ID="EntityDataSource1" runat="server" ConnectionString="name=EmployeeModelContainer" DefaultContainerName="EmployeeModelContainer" EnableFlattening="False" EntitySetName="Departments" Include="Employees"> </asp:EntityDataSource>
At this point we should get the output we expect.
Part 3 - Entity Framework Code First Approach Suggested Videos Part 1 - What is Entity Framework Part 2 - Entity Framework Model First Approach
Entity Framework supports 1. Database first or schema first approach - Discussed in Part 1 2. Model first appraoch - Discussed in Part 2 3. Code first approach - In this video
Code-first approach allows us to create our custom classes first and based on those custom classes entity framework can generate database automatically for us. Let's understand this with an example. We will be modifying the example we worked with in Part 2.
Step 1: Delete EmployeeModel.edmx && EmployeeModel.edmx.sql files from the solution explorer.
Step 2: Add a class file to the project. Name it Employee.cs. Copy and paste the following code. public class Employee { // Scalar Properties public int Id { get; set; } public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; }
// Navigation Property public Department Department { get; set; } }
Step 3: Add a class file to the project. Name it Department.cs. Copy and paste the following code. public class Department { // Scalar Properties public int Id { get; set; } public string Name { get; set; } public string Location { get; set; }
Step 4: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeDBContext.cs. Copy and paste the following code. // EmployeeDBContext class must inherit from DbContext // present in System.Data.Entity namespace public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Department> Departments { get; set; } public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; } }
Step 5: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeRepository.cs. Copy and paste the following code. public class EmployeeRepository { public List<Department> GetDepartments() { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext(); return employeeDBContext.Departments.Include("Employees").ToList(); } }
Step 6: Add the database connection string in web.config file. <connectionStrings> <add name="EmployeeDBContext" connectionString=" " providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"/> </connectionStrings>
Please Note: If ProviderName is not specified the following runtime error will be thrown. The connection string 'EmployeeDBContext' in the application's configuration file does not contain the required providerName attribute."
Step 7: Configure Object Data Source control a) Delete EntityDataSource control, that is already there in WebForm1.aspx. b) Drag and Drop ObjectDataSource control. c) Right click on ObjectDataSource control and select "Show Smart Tag" option from the context menu d) Click on "Configure Data Source..." link e) On "Choose a Business Object" screen, select "EmployeeRepository" and click "Next" f) On "Define Data Methods" screen, select GetDepartments() method and click "Finish"
Step 8: Configure GridView control a) Right click on GridView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option from the context menu b) Select "ObjectDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist c) Click "No" to "Refresh Fields and Keys for GridView1" when prompted
Step 9: Rebuild the solution.
Step 10: Delete the already existing database from SQL Server Management Studio.
Step 11: Run the application by pressing CTRL + F5. Notice that we don't have any data displayed on WebForm1. This is because we don't have any data in the Departments and Employees tables. At this point We have the following created automatically. a) Sample database b) Departments table c) Employees table
Step 12: Use the SQL script to populate the tables with data. Insert into Departments values ('IT', 'New York') Insert into Departments values ('HR', 'London') Insert into Departments values ('Payroll', 'Sydney')
Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 60000, 1) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 45000, 3) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 70000, 1) Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 45000, 2) Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 30000, 2) Insert into Employees values ('Valarie', 'Vikings', 'Female', 35000, 3) Insert into Employees values ('John', 'Stanmore', 'Male', 80000, 1)
Step 13 : Refresh the Web Form and we should see the data we expect.
Part 4 - Customizing table, column and foreign key column names when using entity framework code first approach Suggested Videos Part 1 - What is Entity Framework Part 2 - Entity Framework Model First Approach Part 3 - Entity Framework Code First Approach
In this vide we will discuss, customizing table, column and foreign key column names when using entity framework code first approach. This is continuation to Part 3. Please watch Part 3 before proceeding.
In Part 3, we have discussed generating Departments and Employees tables using Entity Framework Code first approach.
Entity Framework generated the following Employees table. Notice the column names. Department_Id column has an underscore in it's name. Let's say we want the column to be generated as DepartmenId (without an underscore)
Entity Framework generated the above Employees table based on the following custom Employee class that we created. public class Employee { public int Id { get; set; } public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; } public Department Department { get; set; } }
To achieve this use the ForeignKey attribute present in System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Schema namespace. Modify the Employee class as shown below. public class Employee { public int Id { get; set; } public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; } public int DepartmentId { get; set; } [ForeignKey("DepartmentId")] public Department Department { get; set; } }
Rebuild the solution, and run the application.
You will get the following error. We will discuss the reasons for this error and how to fix it the right way in a later video session. The model backing the 'EmployeeDBContext' context has changed since the database was created. Consider using Code First Migrations to update the database (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=238269).
For now to get around the error, delete the Sample database using SQL Server Management Studio, and then try to run the application again. A blank webform will be displayed. Now check the Employees tables using SQL Server Management Studio and notice that the DepartmentId column is created without an underscore as expected.
To customize the table name, use Table attribute and to customize column name use Column attribute.
For example, to change Table name from Employees to tblEmployees and FirstName column to First_Name
We would modify the Employee class as shown below. [Table("tblEmployees")] public class Employee { public int Id { get; set; } [Column("First_Name")] public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; } public int DepartmentId { get; set; } [ForeignKey("DepartmentId")] public Department Department { get; set; } }
Entity Framework would then generate the following. Notice the table name and First_Name column.
Part 5 - How to handle model changes in entity framework Suggested Videos Part 2 - Entity Framework Model First Approach Part 3 - Entity Framework Code First Approach Part 4 - Customizing table & column names
In this video we will discuss, how to handle model changes after the database is already created. This is continuation to Part 4. Please watch Part 4 before proceeding.
At the moment the Employee class is as shown below [Table("tblEmployees")] public class Employee { public int Id { get; set; } [Column("First_Name")] public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; } public int DepartmentId { get; set; } [ForeignKey("DepartmentId")] public Department Department { get; set; } }
The following is the table Entity Framework has generated based on the above Employee class
Now let us add JobTitle property to the Employee class. The modified Employee class is shown below. [Table("tblEmployees")] public class Employee { public int Id { get; set; } [Column("First_Name")] public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; } public int DepartmentId { get; set; } [ForeignKey("DepartmentId")] public Department Department { get; set; } public string JobTitle { get; set; } }
At this point if we run the application, we get the following error. The model backing the 'EmployeeDBContext' context has changed since the database was created. Consider using Code First Migrations to update the database (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=238269).
This is because the model (i.e Employee class) has changed since the database was created. This means the Model and the database are no longer in sync and hence we get the error. To check if the model has changed since the database was created, entity framework uses __MigrationHistory table that is auto-generated.
To fix this error, we have to tell entity framework what to do when the model changes.
Add Global.asax file to the web application project. Include the following code in Application_Start() method. Here, we are telling the entity framework to drop and recreate database every time the model changes. Database.SetInitializer(new DropCreateDatabaseIfModelChanges<EmployeeDBContext>());
Another option is, to drop and recreate the database always. To drop and recreate the database always we would change the code in Application_Start() method as shown below. Database.SetInitializer(new DropCreateDatabaseAlways<EmployeeDBContext>());
Please Note: Database class is present in System.Data.Entity namespace.
Run the application, and notice that the database is dropped and recreated. But the webform does not display any data, as there is no data in Departments and tblEmployees tables. For now let's manually populate the tables using the followng SQL script. Insert into Departments values ('IT', 'New York') Insert into Departments values ('HR', 'London') Insert into Departments values ('Payroll', 'Sydney')
Insert into tblEmployees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 60000, 1, 'Developer') Insert into tblEmployees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 45000, 3, 'Manager') Insert into tblEmployees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 70000, 1, 'Developer') Insert into tblEmployees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 45000, 2, 'Recruiter') Insert into tblEmployees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 30000, 2, 'Recruiter') Insert into tblEmployees values ('Valarie', 'Vikings', 'Female', 35000, 3, 'Manager') Insert into tblEmployees values ('John', 'Stanmore', 'Male', 80000, 1, 'Developer')
Referesh the webform. Notice that JobTitle is not displayed on the WebForm. To fix this add a boundfield to the GridView control that displays Employees details as shown below. <asp:GridView ID="GridView2" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="False" DataSource='<%# Eval("Employees") %>'> <Columns> <asp:BoundField DataField="FirstName" HeaderText="First Name" /> <asp:BoundField DataField="LastName" HeaderText="Last Name" /> <asp:BoundField DataField="Gender" HeaderText="Gender" /> <asp:BoundField DataField="Salary" HeaderText="Salary" /> <asp:BoundField DataField="JobTitle" HeaderText="Job Title" /> </Columns> </asp:GridView>
Part 6 - How to seed database with test data using entity framework Suggested Videos Part 3 - Entity Framework Code First Approach Part 4 - Customizing table & column names Part 5 - How to handle model changes in entity framework
So far in this video series, we have been manually populating the database with test data using the insert sql script. Entity Framework can automate this. We will be working with the example we worked with in Part 5. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Right click on the project in solution explorer and add a class file with name = EmployeeDBContextSeeder.cs
Step 2: Copy and paste the following code in EmployeeDBContextSeeder.cs file using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Data.Entity; namespace EntityFrameworkDemo { public class EmployeeDBContextSeeder : DropCreateDatabaseIfModelChanges<EmployeeDBContext> { protected override void Seed(EmployeeDBContext context) { Department department1 = new Department() { Name = "IT", Location = "New York", Employees = new List<Employee>() { new Employee() { FirstName = "Mark", LastName = "Hastings", Gender = "Male", Salary = 60000, JobTitle = "Developer" }, new Employee() { FirstName = "Ben", LastName = "Hoskins", Gender = "Male", Salary = 70000, JobTitle = "Sr. Developer" }, new Employee() { FirstName = "John", LastName = "Stanmore", Gender = "Male", Salary = 80000, JobTitle = "Project Manager" } } };
Department department2 = new Department() { Name = "HR", Location = "London", Employees = new List<Employee>() { new Employee() { FirstName = "Philip", LastName = "Hastings", Gender = "Male", Salary = 45000, JobTitle = "Recruiter" }, new Employee() { FirstName = "Mary", LastName = "Lambeth", Gender = "Female", Salary = 30000, JobTitle = "Sr. Recruiter" } } }; Department department3 = new Department() { Name = "Payroll", Location = "Sydney", Employees = new List<Employee>() { new Employee() { FirstName = "Steve", LastName = "Pound", Gender = "Male", Salary = 45000, JobTitle = "Sr. Payroll Admin", }, new Employee() { FirstName = "Valarie", LastName = "Vikings", Gender = "Female", Salary = 35000, JobTitle = "Payroll Admin", } } };
Step 3: Copy and paste the following line in Application_Start() method Global.asax file Database.SetInitializer(new EmployeeDBContextSeeder());
Step 4: Remove the following Table and Column attributes from Employee.cs file. [Table("tblEmployees")] [Column("First_Name")]
At this point Employee class should look as shown below public class Employee { public int Id { get; set; } public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; } public int DepartmentId { get; set; } [ForeignKey("DepartmentId")] public Department Department { get; set; } public string JobTitle { get; set; } }
Step 5: Run the application and notice that the Sample database, Departments and Employees tables are created and populated with test data automatically.
Part 7 - Using stored procedures with entity framework Suggested Videos Part 4 - Customizing table & column names Part 5 - How to handle model changes in entity framework Part 6 - How to seed database with test data using entity framework
In this video we will discuss using our own custom stored procedures to perform Insert, Update and Delete operations using entity framework. We will be using the following Employees table for this demo.
Step 1: Use the following SQL Script to create and populate Employee table. Create table Employees ( ID int primary key identity, Name nvarchar(50), Gender nvarchar(50), Salary int )
Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Male', 60000) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Male', 45000) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Male', 70000) Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Male', 45000) Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Female', 30000) Insert into Employees values ('Valarie', 'Female', 35000) Insert into Employees values ('John', 'Male', 80000)
Step 2: Create Insert, Update and Delete stored procedures Create procedure InsertEmployee @Name nvarchar(50), @Gender nvarchar(50), @Salary int as Begin Insert into Employees values (@Name, @Gender, @Salary) End Go
Create procedure UpdateEmployee @ID int, @Name nvarchar(50), @Gender nvarchar(50), @Salary int as Begin Update Employees Set Name = @Name, Gender = @Gender, Salary = @Salary where ID = @ID End Go
Create procedure DeleteEmployee @ID int as Begin Delete from Employees where ID = @ID End Go
Step 3: Create a new empty asp.net web application
Step 4: Add a new ADO.NET Entity Data Model. a) On Choose Model Contents screen select "Generate from database" option and click Next
b) On "Choose Your Data Connections" screen give a meaningful name for the connection string that will be stored in the web.config file. I have named it EmployeeDBContext. Click Next.
c) On "Choose Your Database Objects" screen, select Employees Table and the 3 stored procedures (InsertEmployee, UpdateEmployee, DeleteEmployee). Provide a meaningful name for the Model namespace. I have named it EmployeeModel. CLick Finish.
At this point on the ADO.NET Entity Model designer surface, we should be able to see the Employee entity but not the stored procedures.
To view the stored procedures, 1. Right click on entity model designer surface and select "Model Broswer" from the context menu.
2. Expand Stored Procedures folder
Step 5: Add a web form to the project. Drag and drop the following 3 controls and build the solution. 1. GridView 2. DetailsView 3. EntityDataSource
Step 6: Configure EntityDataSource control
a). Right click on EntityDataSource control and select "Show Smart Tag" option
b) Click on Configure Data Source link
c) Select EmployeeDBContext from the Named Connection dropdownlist and click Next
d) Select the options on "Configure Data Selection" screen as shown in the image below and click Finish
Step 7: Configure GridView control
a). Right click on GridView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option
b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme
c) Select "EntityDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist
d) Select Enable Editing and Enable Deleting checkboxes
Step 8: Configure DetailsView control a) Right click on DetailsView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme c) Select "EntityDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist d) Select Enable Inserting checkbox e) Set DeafultMode=Insert. Use properties window to set this. f) Set InsertVisible="false" for the ID BoundField. You can do this directly in the HTML Source. g) Generate ItemInserted event handler method for DetailsView control. Copy and paste the following code. protected void DetailsView1_ItemInserted (object sender, DetailsViewInsertedEventArgs e) { GridView1.DataBind(); }
At this point if you run the application, and if you insert, update and delete employees, by default entity framework will use the sql it auto-generates and not our custom stored procedures.
To tell the entity framework to use the stored procedures, we have to map them to the Employee entity.
Here are the steps. 1. Right click on "Employee" entity on "EmployeeModel.edmx" and select "Stored Procedure Mapping" option from the context menu.
2. In the "Mapping Details" windows specify the Insert, Update and Delete stored procedures that you want to use with "Employee" entity
At this point, 1. Run SQL Profiler 2. Run the application 3. Insert, Update and Delete Employee, and notice that the respective stored procedures are being called now.
Part 8 - Using stored procedures with entity framework code first approach Suggested Videos Part 5 - How to handle model changes in entity framework Part 6 - How to seed database with test data using entity framework Part 7 - Using stored procedures with entity framework
In this video we will discuss using stored procedures to perform Insert, Update and Delete operations using entity framework code first approach.
Step 1: Create a new empty asp.net web application project. Name it Demo. Install entity framework if it's not already installed.
Step 2: Add a class file to the project. Name it Employee.cs. Copy and paste the following code. namespace Demo { public class Employee { public int ID { get; set; } public string Name { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public int Salary { get; set; } } }
Step 3: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeDBContext.cs. Copy and paste the following code. using System.Data.Entity; namespace Demo { public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
protected override void OnModelCreating(DbModelBuilder modelBuilder) { // This line will tell entity framework to use stored procedures // when inserting, updating and deleting Employees modelBuilder.Entity<Employee>().MapToStoredProcedures(); base.OnModelCreating(modelBuilder); } } }
Step 4: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeRepository.cs. Copy and paste the following code. using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; namespace Demo { public class EmployeeRepository { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext();
public List<Employee> GetEmployees() { return employeeDBContext.Employees.ToList(); }
public void InsertEmployee(Employee employee) { employeeDBContext.Employees.Add(employee); employeeDBContext.SaveChanges(); }
Step 5: Add the database connection string in web.config file. <connectionStrings> <add name="EmployeeDBContext" connectionString="server=.; database=Sample; integrated security=true;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" /> </connectionStrings>
Step 6: Add a webform to the project. Drag and drop the following 3 controls and build the solution. 1. GridView 2. DetailsView 3. ObjectDataSource
Step 7: Configure ObjectDataSource control a). Right click on ObjectDataSource control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on Configure Data Source link c) Select Demo.EmployeeRepository on Choose a Business Object screen and click Next d) On Define Data Methods screen i) On SELECT tab - Select GetEmployees() method ii) On UPDATE tab - Select UpdateEmployees(Employee employee) method iii) On INSERT tab - Select InsertEmployees(Employee employee) method iv) On DELETE tab - Select DeletEmployees(Employee employee) method
Step 8: Configure GridView control a). Right click on GridView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme c) Select "ObjectDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist d) Select Enable Editing and Enable Deleting checkboxes e) Set DataKeyNames="ID". Do this in the properties window of the GridView control
Step 9: Configure DetailsView control a) Right click on DetailsView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme c) Select "ObjectDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist d) Select Enable Inserting checkbox e) Set DeafultMode=Insert. Use properties window to set this. f) Set InsertVisible="false" for the ID BoundField. You can do this directly in the HTML Source.
Step 10: If you already have Sample database in SQL Server. Delete it from SQL Server Management Studio.
Step 11: Run the application by pressing CTRL + F5. Notice that we don't have any data displayed on WebForm1. This is because we don't have any data in the Employees table.
At this point we have the Sample database and Employees table created automatically. The following stored procedures are also automatically created. Employee_Delete Employee_Insert Employee_Update
By default, the following should be the naming convention for the stored procedures. INSERT stored procedure - [Entity_Name]_Insert. Insert Stored procedure should return the auto- generated identity column value. UPDATE stored procedure - [Entity_Name]_Update DELETE stored procedure - [Entity_Name]_Delete
Step 12: Use the below SQL script to populate Employees tables with test data. Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Male', 60000) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Male', 45000) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Male', 70000) Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Male', 45000) Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Female', 30000) Insert into Employees values ('Valarie', 'Female', 35000) Insert into Employees values ('John', 'Male', 80000)
At this point, 1. Run SQL Prrofiler 2. Run the application 3. Insert, Update and Delete Employees, and notice that the respective stored procedures are being called as expected.
Part 9 - Overriding stored procedure defaults with entity framework code first approach Suggested Videos Part 6 - How to seed database with test data using entity framework Part 7 - Using stored procedures with entity framework Part 8 - Using stored procedures with entity frameowrk code first approach
In this video we will discuss, changing the default Insert, Update and Delete stored procedure names that are auto-generated by entity framework code first approach. This is continuation to Part 8. Please watch Part 8 before proceeding.
public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
By default, the code above generates the following 3 stored procedures for Inserting, Updating and Deleting Employee objects. Employee_Insert Employee_Update Employee_Delete
If you want to override or change the default names of auto-generated stored procedures, change the code in EmployeeDBContext class as shown below. public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
The default parameter names of the stored procedures can also be changed using the following code. public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
At this point drop the Sample database and run WebForm1 again. Notice that the stored procedure parameters have the names we specified.
Part 10 - Entity splitting in entity framework Suggested Videos Part 7 - Using stored procedures with entity framework Part 8 - Using stored procedures with entity frameowrk code first approach Part 9 - Overriding stored procedure defaults with entity frameowrk code first approach
Entity splitting refers to mapping an entity to two or more tables when the tables share a common key. Let us understand Entity splitting with an example.
We have the following 2 tables. Notice that both the table share the common key - EmployeeID.
Employees Table
EmployeeContactDetails Table
SQL Script to create the database objects and populate them with test data Create table Employees ( EmployeeID int primary key identity, FirstName nvarchar(50), LastName nvarchar(50), Gender nvarchar(50) ) GO
Create table EmployeeContactDetails ( EmployeeID int primary key, Email nvarchar(50), Mobile nvarchar(50), LandLine nvarchar(50) ) GO
Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male') Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male') Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male') Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male') Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female')
Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (1, 'Mark@pragimtech.com', '111111111', '111111111') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (2, 'Steve@pragimtech.com', '2222222222', '2222222222') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (3, 'Ben@pragimtech.com', '3333333333', '3333333333') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (4, 'Philip@pragimtech.com', '44444444444', '44444444444') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (5, 'Mary@pragimtech.com', '5555555555', '5555555555')
Now, when we use ADO.NET Entity Framework to generate entities from the database using database first approach, by default 2 entities will be created, i.e Empoyee and EmployeeContactDetail entities.
There is a one to one mapping between tables and entities. We want a single Employee to map to both Employees & EmployeeContactDetails table.
To achieve this 1. Cut Email, Mobile and LandLine properties from EmployeeContactDetail entity and paste them in Employee entity 2. Delete EmployeeContactDetail entity. On "Delete Unmapped Tables and Views" window click NO. 3. Right click on Employee entity and select "Table Mapping" option from the context menu. Map EmployeeId, Email, Mobile and LandLine properties to the respective columns of EmployeeContactDetails table.
At this point we have only one Entity. Build the solution. Add a WebForm. Drag and drop the following 3 controls. 1. GridView 2. DetailsView 3. EntityDataSource
Configure EntityDataSource control a). Right click on EntityDataSource control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on Configure Data Source link c) Select EmployeeDBContext from the Named Connection dropdownlist and click Next d) Select Employees from EntitySetName dropdownlist and enable Inserts, Updates and Deletes.
Configure GridView control a). Right click on GridView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme c) Select "EntityDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist d) Select Enable Editing and Enable Deleting checkboxes
Configure DetailsView control a) Right click on DetailsView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme c) Select "EntityDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist d) Select Enable Inserting checkbox e) Set DeafultMode=Insert. Use properties window to set this. f) Set InsertVisible="false" for the EmployeeID BoundField. You can do this directly in the HTML Source. g) Generate ItemInserted event handler method for DetailsView control. Copy and paste the following code. protected void DetailsView1_ItemInserted(object sender, DetailsViewInsertedEventArgs e) { GridView1.DataBind();
}
At this point run the application. Insert, update and delete an Employee, and notice that both the tables (Employees and EmployeeContactDetails) are updated as expected.
Part 11 - Entity splitting in entity framework with code first approach Suggested Videos Part 8 - Using stored procedures with entity frameowrk code first approach Part 9 - Overriding stored procedure defaults with entity frameowrk code first approach Part 10 - Entity splitting in entity framework
Entity splitting refers to mapping an entity to two or more tables when the tables share a common key. We discussed, Entity splitting with database first approach in Part 10. In this video we will discuss Entity splitting with code first approach.
Step 1: Create a new empty asp.net web application project. Name it Demo. Install entity framework if it's not already installed.
Step 2: Add a class file to the project. Name it Employee.cs. Copy and paste the following code. namespace Demo { public class Employee { // These property values should be stored in Employees Table public int EmployeeId { get; set; } public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; }
// These property values should be stored in EmployeeContactDetails Table public string Email { get; set; } public string Mobile { get; set; } public string Landline { get; set; } } }
Step 3: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeDBContext.cs. Copy and paste the following code. using System.Data.Entity; namespace Demo { public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; } } }
Step 4: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeRepository.cs. Copy and paste the following code. using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; namespace Demo { public class EmployeeRepository { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext();
public List<Employee> GetEmployees() { return employeeDBContext.Employees.ToList(); }
public void InsertEmployee(Employee employee) { employeeDBContext.Employees.Add(employee); employeeDBContext.SaveChanges(); }
Step 5: Add the database connection string in web.config file. <connectionStrings> <add name="EmployeeDBContext" connectionString="server=.; database=Sample; integrated security=SSPI;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" /> </connectionStrings>
Step 6: Add a webform to the project. Drag and drop the following 3 controls and build the solution. 1. GridView 2. DetailsView 3. ObjectDataSource
Step 7: Configure ObjectDataSource control a).Right click on ObjectDataSource control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on Configure Data Source link c) Select Demo.EmployeeRepository on Choose a Business Object screen and click Next d) On Define Data Methods screen i) On SELECT tab - Select GetEmployees() method ii) On UPDATE tab - Select UpdateEmployee(Employee employee) method iii) On INSERT tab - Select InsertEmployee(Employee employee) method iv) On DELETE tab - Select DeletEmployee(Employee employee) method
Step 8: Configure GridView control a). Right click on GridView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme c) Select "ObjectDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist d) Select Enable Editing and Enable Deleting checkboxes e) Set DataKeyNames="EmployeeId". Do this in the properties window of the GridView control f) Set ReadOnly="true" for the EmployeeId BoundField. You can do this directly in the HTML Source.
Step 9: Configure DetailsView control a) Right click on DetailsView control and select "Show Smart Tag" option b) Click on "Auto Format" link and select "Colourful" scheme c) Select "ObjectDataSource1" from "Choose Data Source" dropdownlist d) Select Enable Inserting checkbox e) Set DeafultMode=Insert. Use properties window to set this. f) Set InsertVisible="false" for the EmployeeId BoundField. You can do this directly in the HTML Source. g) Generate ItemInserted event handler method for DetailsView control. Copy and paste the following code. protected void DetailsView1_ItemInserted(object sender, DetailsViewInsertedEventArgs e) { GridView1.DataBind(); }
Step 10: If you already have Sample database in SQL Server. Delete it from SQL Server Management Studio.
Step 11: Run the application by pressing CTRL + F5. By default entity framework creates one Table i.e Employees table. But we want entity framework to create the following 2 tables. a) Employees table with columns EmployeeId, FirstName, LastName and Gender b) EmployeeContactDetails table with columns EmployeeId, Email, Mobile and Landline
Step 12: Override OnModelCreating() method to tell entity framework to generate 2 tables(Employees & EmployeeContactDetails) for the Employee entity. OnModelCreating() method is a virtual method present in DbContext class. So, modify EmployeeDBContext class in EmployeeDBContext.cs file as shown below. public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
protected override void OnModelCreating(DbModelBuilder modelBuilder) { modelBuilder.Entity<Employee>() // Specify properties to map to Employees table .Map(map => { map.Properties(p => new { p.EmployeeId, p.FirstName, p.LastName, p.Gender });
map.ToTable("Employees"); }) // Specify properties to map to EmployeeContactDetails table .Map(map => { map.Properties(p => new { p.EmployeeId, p.Email, p.Mobile, p.Landline });
map.ToTable("EmployeeContactDetails"); });
base.OnModelCreating(modelBuilder); } }
Step 13: Delete the Sample database and run the web application.
Step 14: Notice that now we have 2 tables generated by entity framework as expected.
Step 15: Execute the following SQL script to populate the tables with test data. Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male') Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male') Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male') Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male')
Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female')
Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (1, 'Mark@pragimtech.com', '111111111', '111111111') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (2, 'Steve@pragimtech.com', '2222222222', '2222222222') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (3, 'Ben@pragimtech.com', '3333333333', '3333333333') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values (4, 'Philip@pragimtech.com', '44444444444', '44444444444') Insert into EmployeeContactDetails values
Step 16: At this point run the application. Insert, update and delete an Employee, and notice that both the tables (Employees and EmployeeContactDetails) are updated as expected.
Part 12 - Table splitting in entity framework Suggested Videos Part 9 - Overriding stored procedure defaults with entity frameowrk code first approach Part 10 - Entity splitting in entity framework Part 11 - Entity splitting in entity framework with code first approach
In this video we will discuss Table splitting in entity framework with database first approach. Table Splitting is the opposite of Entity Splitting.
We discussed Entity Splitting in Part 10 and 11 of Entity Framework tutorial.
Entity Splitting refers to mapping an entity to two or more tables when the tables share a common key.
Mapping multiple entities to a single table is called table splitting.
One common entity framework interview question is, What is the main reason for using Table Splitting? Table Splitting is useful when you want to delay the loading of some properties with large data when using lazy loading.
For example, if you have Employee entity and if it contains Photo property that would return large binary data, and if we use this Photo property only on a few pages in our application, then it does not make sense from a performance perspective to load this property every time we load the Employee entity. Using lazy loading load it only on the pages where we need to display Employee photo.
We will be using the following Employees table
SQL script to create the table Create table Employees ( EmployeeID int primary key identity, FirstName nvarchar(50), LastName nvarchar(50), Gender nvarchar(50), Email nvarchar(50), Mobile nvarchar(50), LandLine nvarchar(50) )
Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 'x@x.com', 'XXX', 'XXX') Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 'y@y.com', 'YYY', 'YYY') Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 'z@z.com', 'ZZZ', 'ZZZ') Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 'a@a.com', 'AAA', 'AAA') Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 'b@b.com', 'BBB', 'BBB')
Now, when we use ADO.NET Entity Framework to generate entities from the database using database first approach, by default one entity will be created, i.e Empoyee entity.
Let's say, we will not be using Email, Mobile and Landline properties as often as we would be using FirstName, LastName, and Gender properties. If all of these properties are present in one Employee entity, then every time we load this entity, all the properties will be automatically loaded. So let's create 2 entities (Employee & EmployeeContactDetail). This enables us to load EmployeeContactDetails only when needed.
To achieve this: 1. Right click on the entity designer and select "Add Entity" option from the context menu. Set a) Entity Name = EmployeeContactDetail b) Bae type = (None) c) Entity Set = EmployeeContactDetails d) Create Key Property = Checked e) Property Name = EmployeeID
2. Cut Email, Mobile and LandLine properties from Employee entity and paste them in EmployeeContactDetail entity
3. Right click on the entity designer and select "Add - Association" option from the context menu. Fill the details shown below.
4. Right click on the association and select "Properties". In the Properties window, click on the ellipsis button next to "Referential Constraint" property and fill in the details as shown below.
5. Right click on "EmployeeContactDetail" entity and select "Table Mapping" option from the context menu. Select "Employees" table and map EmployeeId, Email, Mobile and Landline properties of the entity to the respective columns of the table.
6. Add a webform. Copy and paste the following HTML in the ASPX page. <div style="font-family:Arial"> <asp:CheckBox ID="checkBoxIncludeContactDetails" Text="Include Contact Details" runat="server" /> <br /> <asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server" Text="Get Employee Data" onclick="Button1_Click" /> <asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server"> </asp:GridView> </div>
7. Copy and paste the following code in the code-behind file. public partial class WebForm1 : System.Web.UI.Page { private DataTable GetEmployeeData() { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext(); List<Employee> employees = employeeDBContext.Employees.ToList();
DataTable dataTable = new DataTable(); DataColumn[] columns = { new DataColumn("EmployeeID"), new DataColumn("FirstName"), new DataColumn("LastName"), new DataColumn("Gender")};
DataTable dataTable = new DataTable(); DataColumn[] columns = { new DataColumn("EmployeeID"), new DataColumn("FirstName"), new DataColumn("LastName"), new DataColumn("Gender"), new DataColumn("Email"), new DataColumn("Mobile"), new DataColumn("LandLine") }; dataTable.Columns.AddRange(columns);
At this point, run the application and when you retrieve Employees without checking "Include Contact Details" checkbox, the following query is generated by the entity framework. Use SQL Profiler to view the generated query. Notice that Email, Mobile and LandLine column values are not loaded. SELECT [Extent1].[EmployeeID] AS [EmployeeID], [Extent1].[FirstName] AS [FirstName], [Extent1].[LastName] AS [LastName], [Extent1].[Gender] AS [Gender] FROM [dbo].[Employees] AS [Extent1]
When you check "Include Contact Details" checkbox, the following query is generated SELECT [Extent1].[EmployeeID] AS [EmployeeID], [Extent1].[FirstName] AS [FirstName], [Extent1].[LastName] AS [LastName], [Extent1].[Gender] AS [Gender], [Extent1].[Email] AS [Email], [Extent1].[Mobile] AS [Mobile], [Extent1].[LandLine] AS [LandLine] FROM [dbo].[Employees] AS [Extent1]
Part 13 - Table splitting in entity framework with code first approach Suggested Videos Part 10 - Entity splitting in entity framework Part 11 - Entity splitting in entity framework with code first approach Part 12 - Table splitting in entity framework
In this video we will discuss Table splitting in entity framework with code first approach. We discussed Table Splitting with database first approach in Part 12.
Mapping multiple entities to a single table is called table splitting.
Step 1: Create a new empty asp.net web application project. Name it Demo. Install entity framework if it's not already installed.
Step 2: Add a class file to the project. Name it Employee.cs. Copy and paste the following code. namespace Demo { public class Employee { public int EmployeeID { get; set; } public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; }
public EmployeeContactDetail EmployeeContactDetail { get; set; } } }
Step 3: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeContactDetail.cs. Copy and paste the following code. namespace Demo { public class EmployeeContactDetail { public int EmployeeID { get; set; } public string Email { get; set; } public string Mobile { get; set; } public string LandLine { get; set; }
public Employee Employee { get; set; } } }
Step 4: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeDBContext.cs. Copy and paste the following code. using System.Data.Entity; namespace Demo { public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
Step 5: Add the database connection string in web.config file. <connectionStrings> <add name="EmployeeDBContext" connectionString="server=.; database=Sample; integrated security=SSPI;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" /> </connectionStrings>
Step 6: Add a web form to the project. Copy and paste the following HTML in the aspx page <div style="font-family:Arial"> <asp:CheckBox ID="checkBoxIncludeContactDetails" Text="Include Contact Details" runat="server" /> <br /> <asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server" Text="Get Employee Data" onclick="Button1_Click" /> <asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server"> </asp:GridView> </div>
Step 7: Copy and paste the following code in the code-behind file. public partial class WebForm1 : System.Web.UI.Page { private DataTable GetEmployeeData() { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext(); List<Employee> employees = employeeDBContext.Employees.ToList();
DataTable dataTable = new DataTable(); DataColumn[] columns = { new DataColumn("EmployeeID"), new DataColumn("FirstName"), new DataColumn("LastName"), new DataColumn("Gender")};
DataTable dataTable = new DataTable(); DataColumn[] columns = { new DataColumn("EmployeeID"), new DataColumn("FirstName"), new DataColumn("LastName"), new DataColumn("Gender"), new DataColumn("Email"), new DataColumn("Mobile"), new DataColumn("LandLine") }; dataTable.Columns.AddRange(columns);
At this point, run the application. Sample database and Employees table should be created by the entity framework.
Step 8: Insert test data using the following SQL script Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 'x@x.com', 'XXX', 'XXX') Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 'y@y.com', 'YYY', 'YYY') Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 'z@z.com', 'ZZZ', 'ZZZ') Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 'a@a.com', 'AAA', 'AAA') Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 'b@b.com', 'BBB', 'BBB')
When you retrieve Employees without checking "Include Contact Details" checkbox, the following query is generated by the entity framework. Use SQL Profile to view the generated query. Notice that Email, Mobile and LandLine column values are not loaded. SELECT [Extent1].[EmployeeID] AS [EmployeeID], [Extent1].[FirstName] AS [FirstName], [Extent1].[LastName] AS [LastName], [Extent1].[Gender] AS [Gender] FROM [dbo].[Employees] AS [Extent1]
When you check "Include Contact Details" checkbox, the following query is generated SELECT [Extent1].[EmployeeID] AS [EmployeeID], [Extent1].[FirstName] AS [FirstName], [Extent1].[LastName] AS [LastName], [Extent1].[Gender] AS [Gender], [Extent1].[Email] AS [Email], [Extent1].[Mobile] AS [Mobile], [Extent1].[LandLine] AS [LandLine] FROM [dbo].[Employees] AS [Extent1] Part 14 - Conditional Mapping in entity framework Suggested Videos Part 11 - Entity splitting in entity framework with code first approach Part 12 - Table splitting in entity framework Part 13 - Table splitting in entity framework with code first approach
In this video we will discuss Conditional Mapping feature in entity framework with database first approach. Let us understand what Conditional Mapping can do with an example.
We will be using the following Employees table in this demo. IsTerminated column determines if an employee is a terminated employee or not.
SQL Query to create Employees table Create table Employees ( EmployeeID int primary key identity, FirstName nvarchar(50), LastName nvarchar(50), Gender nvarchar(50), IsTerminated bit not null ) GO
Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 1) Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Valarie', 'Vikings', 'Female', 0) Insert into Employees values ('John', 'Stanmore', 'Male', 1)
If the application that we are developing always need only the employees who are not terminated, then in the query we will have to always include the filter across our entire application. Conditional Mapping can be used to apply such a permanent filter on the entity, so that the generated SQL query always have the WHERE clause.
To use Conditional Mapping, 1. Right click on the entity and select "Table Mapping" option from the context menu 2. Add the condition - When Is Terminated = false
At this point, if you build the solution or validate the model, you will get the following error Problem in mapping fragments starting at line 46:Condition member 'Employees.IsTerminated' with a condition other than 'IsNull=False' is mapped. Either remove the condition on Employees.IsTerminated or remove it from the mapping
This is because, a table column cannot be mapped more than once. We have used IsTerminated column in conditional mapping, so it cannot be used in property mapping as well. For this reason delete it from Employee entity.
Add a web form to the project. Drag and drop a GridView control. Copy and paste the following code in the code-behind file. protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext(); GridView1.DataSource = employeeDBContext.Employees; GridView1.DataBind(); }
Open SQL profiler and run the webform. Notice that the select query has a where clause, which will always return employees who are not terminated. SELECT [Extent1].[EmployeeID] AS [EmployeeID], [Extent1].[FirstName] AS [FirstName], [Extent1].[LastName] AS [LastName], [Extent1].[Gender] AS [Gender] FROM [dbo].[Employees] AS [Extent1] WHERE [Extent1].[IsTerminated] = 0
Part 15 - Conditional Mapping in entity framework with code first Suggested Videos Part 12 - Table splitting in entity framework Part 13 - Table splitting in entity framework with code first approach Part 14 - Conditional Mapping in entity framework
In Part 14, we discussed Conditional Mapping in entity framework with database first approach. Please watch Part 14 before proceeding. In this video we will discuss Conditional Mapping in entity framework with code first approach.
Step 1: Create a new empty asp.net web application project. Name it Demo. Install entity framework if it's not already installed.
Step 2: Add a class file to the project. Name it Employee.cs. Copy and paste the following code. namespace Demo { public class Employee { public int EmployeeID { get; set; } public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public string Gender { get; set; } public bool IsTerminated { get; set; } } }
Step 3: Add a class file to the project. Name it EmployeeDBContext.cs. Copy and paste the following code. using System.Data.Entity; namespace Demo { public class EmployeeDBContext : DbContext { public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
Step 4: Add the database connection string in web.config file. <connectionStrings> <add name="EmployeeDBContext" connectionString="server=.; database=Sample; integrated security=SSPI;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" /> </connectionStrings>
Step 5: Add a webform to the project. Drag and drop a GridView control.
Step 6: Copy and paste the following code in the code-behind file. protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext(); GridView1.DataSource = employeeDBContext.Employees.ToList(); GridView1.DataBind(); }
Step 7: If you already have Sample database in SQL Server. Delete it from SQL Server Management Studio.
Step 8: Run the application. Sample database and Employees table must be created at this point.
Step 9: Insert test data using the following SQL script Insert into Employees values ('Mark', 'Hastings', 'Male', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', 'Pound', 'Male', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', 'Hoskins', 'Male', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Philip', 'Hastings', 'Male', 1) Insert into Employees values ('Mary', 'Lambeth', 'Female', 0) Insert into Employees values ('Valarie', 'Vikings', 'Female', 0) Insert into Employees values ('John', 'Stanmore', 'Male', 1)
Step 10: Open SQL profiler and run the webform. Notice that the select query has a WHERE clause, which will always return employees who are not terminated. SELECT [Extent1].[EmployeeID] AS [EmployeeID], [Extent1].[FirstName] AS [FirstName], [Extent1].[LastName] AS [LastName], [Extent1].[Gender] AS [Gender] FROM [dbo].[Employees] AS [Extent1] WHERE [Extent1].[IsTerminated] = 0
Part 16 - Self referencing association in entity framework Suggested Videos Part 13 - Table splitting in entity framework with code first approach Part 14 - Conditional Mapping in entity framework Part 15 - Conditional Mapping in entity framework with code first
In this video, we will discuss self referencing association in entity framework with database first approach. Let us understand self-referencing association with an example.
We will be using the following Employees table in this demo. This table is a self-referencing table because to get the manager of an employee, we take ManagerId column value and look up in the EmployeeId column of the same table.
SQL script to create the table Create table Employees ( EmployeeID int primary key identity, EmployeeName nvarchar(50), ManagerID int foreign key references Employees(EmployeeID) ) GO
Insert into Employees values ('John', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Mark', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Steve', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Tom', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Lara', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Simon', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('David', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Ben', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Stacy', NULL) Insert into Employees values ('Sam', NULL) GO
Update Employees Set ManagerID = 8 Where EmployeeName IN ('Mark', 'Steve', 'Lara') Update Employees Set ManagerID = 2 Where EmployeeName IN ('Stacy', 'Simon') Update Employees Set ManagerID = 3 Where EmployeeName IN ('Tom') Update Employees Set ManagerID = 5 Where EmployeeName IN ('John', 'Sam') Update Employees Set ManagerID = 4 Where EmployeeName IN ('David') GO
Now if you generate an ADO.NET entity data model based on this Employees table, the following Employee entity is generated. Notice that a self-referencing association and 2 navigation properties (Employees1 & Employee1) are automatically created.
Right click on Employees1 navigation property and select properties. In the properties window notice that the Multiplicity is set to Many. So, this navigation property returns employees who are subordinates.
Similarly, right click on Employee1 navigation property and select properties. In the properties window notice that the Multiplicity is set to Zero or One. So, this navigation property returns the manager of an employee.
From a developer perspective the default navigation property names that entity framework generates are not meaningful. If you have to write any code based on these navigation properties, it can get even more complicated.
For example, let us say we want to display Employee names and their respective manager names as shown below.
To achieve this we would drag and drop a GridView control on the web form and write the following code in the code-behind file Page_Load event. Notice that, because of the poor naming of the navigation properties the code is hard to read and maintain. protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext(); GridView1.DataSource = employeeDBContext.Employees.Select(emp => new { EmployeeName = emp.EmployeeName, ManagerName = emp.Employee1 == null ? "Super Boss" : emp.Employee1.EmployeeName }).ToList(); GridView1.DataBind(); }
Now let's give these navigation properties meaningful names. To do this, 1. Right click on Employees1 navigation property and rename it to Subordinates 2. Similarly, right click on Employee1 navigation property and rename it to Manager
Now the code in the code-behind file would change as shown below which is more readable and maintainable. protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { EmployeeDBContext employeeDBContext = new EmployeeDBContext(); GridView1.DataSource = employeeDBContext.Employees.Select(emp => new { EmployeeName = emp.EmployeeName, ManagerName = emp.Manager == null ? "Super Boss" : emp.Manager.EmployeeName }).ToList(); GridView1.DataBind(); }