Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
The Entity Framework is optimized for rich-client applications that retrieve and manipu-
late a relatively small number of records at a time. However, by turning off the object
tracking options, its performance can be improved for multi-threaded web applications as
well as applications working with a large number of records in batch mode. Although the
Entity Framework generates high-quality, parameterized SQL code appropriate for most
common data access scenarios, it also allows the use of stored procedures to create, read,
update, and delete entities/database records.
Entity Framework supports the
TransactionScope
class from the
System.Transactions
namespace and optimistic concurrency for conflict detection in multi-user scenarios. It
does not support pessimistic locking out of the box; however, implementing it is possible
with the help of custom stored procedures.
The Entity Framework represents a long-term strategic investment for Microsoft. As of
.NET version 4, it is a powerful framework appropriate for use on most enterprise applica-
tion projects. It offers significant productivity improvements compared to the classic
ADO.NET and has become a recommended choice with some of the new technologies
developed by Microsoft, including ASP.NET Dynamic Data. The Entity Framework is under
active development. Version 4.1, added support for Code-First approach, making it possi-
ble to define entity model directly in application code, as classes. The upcoming version
4.5 will bring significant enhancements to the Entity Designer, including support for
enumerated types and multiple diagrams, making developers using the database-first
approach, discussed in this chapter, as well as the model-first approach, much more
productive.
