What's New in Entity Framework 4.1

What's New in Entity Framework 4.1

ADO.NET Entity Framework 4.1 includes two new features:

· DbContext API

The DbContext API is a simplified abstraction over ObjectContext and a number of other types that were included in previous releases of the ADO.NET Entity Framework. The DbContext API surface is optimized for common tasks and coding patterns. DbContext can be used with Database First, Model First and Code First development.

DbSet<TEntity>

This method is a simplified alternative to ObjectSet, and is used to perform CRUD operations (Create, Retrieve, Update, and Delete) against a specific type from the model.

ADO.NET DbContext Generator T4 Templates

The ADO.NET DbContext Generator generates persistence-ignorant entity types, also known as "plain-old CLR objects” (POCO types), and a derivedSystem.Data.Entity.DbContext type that contains System.Data.Entity.DbSet properties for each type in the model.

Validation

DbContext automatically validates entities before saving them to the database. Validation is performed based on model facets as well as on data annotations. Entities can also be validated on demand.

· Code First

Code First is a new development pattern for the ADO.NET Entity Framework and provides an alternative to the existing Database First and Model First patterns. Code First is focused around defining your model using classes, these classes can then be mapped to an existing database or be used to generate a database schema. Additional configuration can be supplied using Data Annotations or via a fluent API.