I am trying to implement a number of base/sub classes using Entity Framework, database first. Following some online tutorials, I have decided to attempt TPT inheritance.
On the database, I have a base class table 'Location', and two sub class tables: 'StreetAddress' and 'RuralRouteAddress'. I have defined a foreign key constraint between the sub class tables and the base class table on their primary keys. 'Location's Primary Key is an auto-increment column, and the two sub class tables' primary keys are not auto-increment.
In Entity Framework, I defined the 'Base Type' of the two sub classes as 'Location'. I then deleted the associations (and their corresponding navigation properties) from the model. I also deleted the ID column mappings from the sub classes, as ID is now inherited from the 'Location' base class.
This seems to have worked. I haven't tried updating/inserting, but querying returns the data with proper inheritance in place.
My problem is that, whenever I 'Update Model from Database', he inheritance association lines stay, but the FK associations between the base class and the sub classes are brought back... . I then have to delete them, and realign the association lines on my diagram (I'm a bit picky about the layout of the model diagram).
This isn't so bad, but the project that I would like to use TPT inheritance in has a lot of inheritance. Having to delete a ton of associations and reorganize my entire diagram every time I update the model is not very appealing.
Did I do something wrong when I implemented inheritance? Is there a way to ignore/exclude certain associations from being created when updating the model?
The relationships you define in the database will always reappear when you update the model from the database. This is by design. If you want to have classes in the model that have a different relationship structure, try creating a complex model from a stored procedure that selects all the columns (or all the columns you want) from the base table. Import that procedure and in the Function Imports, edit the return type by creating a new complex type, or even just renaming the result that EF automatically creates. Then add your associations on that type, and use it as the base type for your inherited classes.
The good part of this is that you can adjust the type structure to match any table changes by editing the stored procedure, then using "Get Column Information" and "Update" to bring the complex type into line. It won't overwrite your associations because they aren't defined in the database, but it is almost as straightforward as using TPT.
Joey
I attempted to update my edmx file by selecting a table. The tool spit out a info message that said the table did not have a primary key.
The entity did not get added to the design surface but it did get added to the .edmx file. In addition, using the model browser I see an Entities.Store and an Entities. My table got added to Entities.Store, but not to Entities.
I cannot access the table that was "added" in the code.
What do I do?
Steps to reproduce:
Create a SQL table with two columns that are both defined as foreign keys to other tables. Make sure the tables that the FKs point to already exist in the model on the design surface.
Right click and choose Update Model from Database...
Next. Under the Add tab, mark the new table under Tables
Click Finish.
An association will be created and it will be selected on the design surface, but it won't start with FK_, it will just be the name of your table. Go to the Model Browser and look under Entity Types. The table will not be there. Look under Associations and you will see your table name there as an association, but it will look out of place (because of the name).
Entity Framework was too smart for me. It created an association instead of an entity. Odd, but it works for how I need to use it.
Entity framwork made a entity for each of my tables except for one, and I'm not sure why. I select it when i generate it from the database.
Here is my entity framework diagram, and the diagram in SQL:
http://imgur.com/a/zY17T
Notice how RecipeMeal is missing from entity framework. Does anyone have an idea why this might be happening?
RecipeMeal is supposed to store if a recipe is breakfast, lunch etc. It's not a column of Recipes because a recipe could be a lunch OR dinner recipe, as an example.
I am using EF 5.0
Thanks.
Entity Framework has built-in support for many-to-many relationships.
The table is exposed through the two ICollection<T> properties in Meal and Recipe.
I also found that if your table doesn't have a primary key it will also get skipped. One of my tables was just a summary table and didn't really need a primary key and it wouldn't be included in the reverse engineer. As soon as I added a primary key it was picked up.
I have database tables that look like this:
A Task can be mapped to a Module, or not mapped at all (0...1). I'm using Entity Framework database-first, and when I generated the model from the database, the Task entity came through with Modules as a collection (0 or more). So I opened up my EDMX and changed the "Modules" navigation property on Task to 0...1.
Now, when I attempt to compile, I get this error:
Error 3003: Problem in mapping fragments starting at line 1241:Given the cardinality of Association End Member Task, it should be mapped to key columns of the table TaskModule. Either fix the mapping or change the multiplicity of this end.
I don't understand what I need to do to fix this. I've looked at the association details and can't see the issue. I know I'm probably missing something stupid, but am totally stuck. Association properties:
Visual Studio 2010 SP1, Entity Framework 4.3.1.0, SQL Server 2008 R2.
One way to do this is to redefine the primary key for the TaskModule table. Instead of the primary key being (TaskId, ModuleName) it needs to be just (TaskId). Then do an update model from database and change any of the associations manually that didn't get picked up from that update.
Well your database schema is not correct with the description you give :
the TaskModule table implicates a many-to-many relationship, not a many-to-oneOrZero.
In edmx, many-to-many relation tables are not displayed, but they still exist in database.
So you should fix your database, or be happy with the relation proposed by EF !
Error 3007: Problem in Mapping Fragments starting at lines 186, 205: Non-Primary-Key column(s) [WheelID] are being mapped in both fragments to different conceptual side properties - data inconsistency is possible because the corresponding conceptual side properties can be independently modified.
I found several places on the web describing this error, but I simply don't understand them. (confused smiley goes here)
One
Two
Three
Four
There is something pretty fundamental here, I must be missing. Can you explain it, so that I understand it? Maybe using my real life example below?
Foreign key 1:N Wheels.Id -> Slices.WheelId
I add them to entity framework, and WheelId is not visible in the Slices-entity.
Doing some workaround (deleting the relationship from the db before adding tables to EF - then re-creating it and updating EF) I managed to get the WheelId to stay in Slices, but then I get the error mentioned at the top.
Since Slices.WheelId is an FK, you cannot expose it in your client model, period. There are ways to get the value, though.
var wheelId = someSlice.Wheels.ID;
Update In EF 4 you can do this by using FK Associations instead of independent associations.
Try to remove foreign property column from Entity set using entity model design it will solve your problem
For example
We have two tables one is customer and other one is order, using entity model design we added association between customers and orders when we do this Ado.net entity framework i will add navigation properties to both below tables.
Like
Customer.Orders - Here order is list
Order.Customer
One - Many relation.
So we need to remove property from with name CustomerId[Foreign key column] from Order entity set.
For reference:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/adodotnetentityframework/thread/2823634f-9dd1-4547-93b5-17bb8a882ac2/
I was able to overcome this problem by the following steps:
right click the designer window
Select 'update model from database'
Select Add AND make sure that the 'Include foreign key columns in the model' checkbox is selected.
click on Finish...
I had set foreign keys up in the database but framework still wasn't pulling them in correctly. So I tried to add the association myself.
However, when I did this I would get a mapping error. It took me A WHILE but I figured out. What I did was set up the association using the entity toolbox association tool and then you have to double click on the association (1 to many) line and set the primary and foreign key there. Hopefully, this to help others who might have the same problem. I couldn't find the answer anywhere.
I had this problem for quite a different reason, and the message was slightly different; it didn't say "data inconsistency is possible because the corresponding conceptual side properties can be independently modified."
I have a table involved in my model with a binary column where I store image data. I only want this data returned when I need it (performance is a feature), so I split the table using a method similar to this. Later on, I added a property to that table, then updated the model from the database. The wizard added the property to both entity types that refer to the table with the added property. I had to delete it from one of them to solve the error.
I've had this happen because Entity Framework Update wizard mismapped some keys (or did not update?). As a result, some columns were mistakenly labeled as keys, while actual key columns were treated as plain columns.
The solution was to manually open EDMX file, find the entities, and update the keys.
Couldn't get any of the answer to work with EF6. The problem seems to be the framework doesn't import the foreign keys correctly as Associations. My solution was removing foreign keys from the tables, and then manually adding the associations using Entity Framework model, using the following steps: Entity Framework - Add Navigation Property Manually
For LinQ to Entities queries in EF1, my workaround for not having access to the foreign key as a property is with the following code, which does not produce a join query to the associated table:
dbContext.Table1s.FirstOrDefault(c => (int?)c.Table2.Id == null)
i.e, the generated SQL is:
...WHERE ([Extent1].[Table2Id] IS NULL)...
Solution is to allow deleting Rule = Cascade on Sql association.
Same thing as to be done on .edmx model, adding element to
association:
<Association Name="FK_Wheels_Slices">
<End Role="Wheels" Type= "your tipe here" Multiplicity="1">
<OnDelete Action="Cascade" />
</End>
</Association>
I had a table already mapped in EF. I added two more tables which had foreign keys in the previously added table. I then got the 3007 error.
To fix the error I deleted all three tables from the EDMX file, and then re-added them all at once together (via "Update Model from Database..."), instead of in stages.
I checked my Error List window and noticed I had errors in the model. Fixed them and all is well
in my case I solved this error by tick (include foreign key columns in the model)
- update Model from database
- tick (include foreign key columns in the model)
- finish