Barskiy - Code-First Development with Entity Framework

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I have been writing applications on the Microsoft platform for almost 2 decades. Many, if not all of them, use databases to persist user data. I have used many technologies to access data, starting with ADO.NET. Object Relational Mapping (ORM) tools, have many advantages over ADO.NET. They allow developers to write data access code faster and safer. ORM tools have been designed to solve impedance mismatch problems between object-oriented programming and relational databases. Microsoft's Entity Framework is the company's answer to the demand for an ORM from .NET developers. This book is the guide that will help you acquire the necessary skills to program your applications using Entity Framework.

This book centers on the Code-First approach with Entity Framework, which has become the most common way of using the technology. Code-First allows developers to control the entire data access layer of their applications from the .NET code. This approach simplifies and streamlines the entire application development life cycle, keeping developers coding inside Visual Studio, the only tool they need to use Entity Framework.

The books starts with the basic concepts of defining the database structure via C# and VB.NET code, then progresses to full data access. Chapters cover create, read, update, and delete operations (CRUD) with Entity Framework. It also shows how to update the Relational Database Management System, (RDBMS) structure, via the migrations API. It explores aspects of data access in both .NET languages using the Languages INtegration Query (LINQ), API. Because of Microsoft's continuous commitment to both C# and VB.NET, the book contains examples in both languages in every chapter.

I have been using Entity Framework since 2008, and I felt that I had the necessary experience to write a book on the subject. I spoke on the topic on many conferences and events and saw tremendous interest in creating a concise guide to Entity Framework. This was one of my primary motivations in creating a shorter textbook. I read many technical books while working in the industry, and I myself, at times, had trouble maintaining the focus while reading 800-page technical books. They definitely have a place in the industry and are very useful. However, I feel they are intimidating for the developers who are just getting started with a particular technology. My hope is that this book will get you going quickly on the new topic and have you writing data access code in a few hours. You should be able to master the foundation behind Entity Framework with this book quickly and easily.