Code-First Development with Entity Framework

Take your data access skills to the next level with Entity Framework

About This Book

• Learn how to create, retrieve, update, and delete the data in a relational database using .NET
• Choose from an array of examples in C# and VB.NET that showcase the key concepts of Entity Framework
• This is a fast-paced, practical guide based on the code-first approach for the Entity object-relational mapper

Who This Book Is For

This book is intended for software developers with some prior experience with the Microsoft .NET framework who want to learn how to use Entity Framework. This book will get you up and running quickly, providing many examples that illustrate all the key concepts of Entity Framework.

What You Will Learn

• Understand what ORM tools are and what problems they solve
• Set up a .NET application to use Entity Framework
• Write Entity Framework code that creates, updates, and deletes application data in a database
• Learn how to query the data using LINQ and gain insight into how LINQ fits into Entity Framework
• Create a database structure using the Entity Framework configuration API
• Evolve the database structure using migrations
• Write asynchronous code and handle concurrency
• Work with stored procedures and functions using Entity Framework

In Detail

Entity Framework Code-First enables developers to read and write data in a relational database system using C# or VB.NET. It is Microsoft's answer to demand for an ORM from .NET developers.

This book will help you acquire the necessary skills to program your applications using Entity Framework. You will start with database configuration and learn how to write classes that define the database structure. You will see how LINQ can be used with Entity Framework to give you access to stored data. You will then learn how to use Entity Framework to persist information in a Relational Database Management System. You will also see how you can benefit from writing ORM-based .NET code. Finally, you will learn how Entity Framework can help you to solve database deployment problems using migrations.