New Features of Entity Framework 7
The .NET developers can automate database operations by using a number of object relational mapping (ORM) systems. But Microsoft recommends .NET developers to automate database operations and activities more efficiently through Entity Framework. In addition to being an object oriented ORM system for .NET, Entity Framework enables developers to work with multiple databases without writing additional data access code.
The developers can further take advantage of the features and tools provided by Entity Framework to work with databases more efficiently through .NET object. Also, Entity Framework has been evolving consistently to meet the new and improved features provided by the latest version of .NET Framework. The developers have completely redesigned Entity Framework 7 to meet the changes made by Microsoft to .NET Framework.
Entity Framework 7 is designed from the scratch as a lightweight, flexible, and extensible ORM system. It further enables developers to build a variety of applications by targeting various platforms, devices, and deployment environments. Also, it comes with a number of new features to enable .NET developers to work with multiple databases and perform database operations more efficiently.
Overview of Important New Features of Entity Framework 7
A Lightweight and Extensible ORM system
Microsoft has already redesigned the core architecture of .NET Framework from the scratch. The developers can now use .NET Core as an open source and cross-platform platform for developing a variety of applications. The developers have redesigned Entity Framework 7 from the scratch to meet the changes made to .NET Framework. In addition to being open source, version 7 of Entity Framework is designed as a lightweight and extensible ORM system. Hence, the developers have option to add or remove specific components to the ORM system according to precise needs of each project.
Supports New Platforms
Despite being designed as a lightweight ORM system, Entity Framework 7 makes it easier for .NET developers to build a variety of applications by supporting several new platforms. The developers can now run applications developed with Entity Framework 7 on three major platforms — Windows, Linux and macOS. At the same time, version 7 of Entity Framework also supports Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and the latest version of ASP.NET. The .NET developers can even use the ORM system to build applications for Windows Store and Phone.
Supports Several New Data Stores
In addition to supporting several new platforms, Entity Framework 7 also supports both relational and non-relational data sources. The support enables developers to work with some of the widely used relational database management systems (RDBMS) and NoSQL databases. The developers can even use version 7 of Entity Framework with work efficiently with widely used databases like SQL Server, SQL Server Compact, SQLite, PostgreSQL, Azure Table Storage, and IBM Data Server.
Optimizes SQL Query Generation
In addition to supporting new relational and non-relational data sources, Entity Framework 7 comes with features to optimize SQL query generation. The redesigned ORM system comes with a SQL generation module which is designed based on the needs and requests of users. The module enables Dot Net developers to create a single SQL SELECT statement by targeting multiple databases. Likewise, the developers also take advantage of the module to generate SQL without additional nested queries.
Comes with Built-in Logging Feature
Entity Framework 7 comes with built-in logging feature which can be implemented through the ILoggerProvider interface. The developers can further take advantage of the logging feature across platforms. The logging feature makes it easier for developers to build better .NET applications by analyzing bugs, root causes, and performance issues based on multiple locations.
Facilitates Unit Testing
Entity Framework 7 makes it easier for programmers to perform create, read, update and delete (CRUD) operations by supporting non-relational data sources and NoSQL databases. At the same time, it makes it easier for developers to perform unit testing by supporting in-memory tables. The developers can take advantage of the InMemory provider to create general-purpose databases for unit testing purposes. They still lack the option to use the provider to mimic a real RDBMS. But the provider enables developers to connect the test components seamlessly to a general-purpose database.
Accelerates Batch Update
The earlier versions of Entity Framework require programmers to perform batch operations through batch update utilities. But Entity Framework 7 supports batch update natively. It does not require developers to perform batch update operations by making multiple trips to the databases. The developers can use the feature to execute insert/update/delete statements through a single command. Also, the version 7 of the ORM system deletes the child records automatically each time the parent data are deleted by supporting cascade delete.
In addition to being open source, Entity Framework 7 is also designed as a lightweight and extensible ORM system. But it does not support some of the features provided by its predecessors like Entity Model Data XML (ENMX) support, Entity SQL (ESQL) support and automatic migration. Hence, the .NET developers must keep in mind some of these deprecated features while availing the new features provided by Entity Framework 7.
