I am using Model First to create my database with Entity Framework 6.
I have a class as follows:
public partial class User : IdentityUser
{
}
Where User is a class generated by EF in the designer. However, how can I map the in inherited properties of User to the columns of a table?
My biggest issue is that despite the fact that I am adding the inheritance of IdentityUser to the User class/table, when I go back into the EF designer, the properties of IdentityUser do not show up.
If you are using a non-abstract base class and do not specify a [Table] on your User, and therefore your User and IdentityUser map to a single table, then you are using the TPH (Table Per Hierarchy: Enable polymorphism by denormalizing the SQL schema, and utilize a type discriminator column that holds type information) scenario.
So, it seems like this is the one you need. You don't have to do anything special in Code First to enable TPH. It's the default inheritance mapping strategy. Just map it as any other entity and you're done!
Mapping example:
Related
I have a table and a view which share the same columns and I'm trying to add them to EDM. I created an abstract entity type and 2 derived types A and B.
Initially I tried creating 2 entity sets, one for each of the derived types, and proceeded to add the EntitySetMapping (using IsTypeOf per MS MSL specifications for EntityTypeMapping of derived type) but got an error in the .edmx file that each of the types doesn't have an entity set and isn't mapped.
To solve this, I created a single EntitySet with type as the base EntityType (the abstract one) and used 2 EntityTypeMapping children tags, specifying the StoreEntitySet as the table or the view accordingly. This resolved the issue but created a single DbSet<BaseType> and now I cannot retrieve data from the view or the table using DbContext.
Any ideas on how to properly solve this?
Thanks
I am using EF 4.3 and am adding Audit fields to my classes and tables. I have a service layer which is getting the credentials of the client applications by using the OperationContext, so I am passing that information to my tables through EF mappings. An example of this would be:
class A
{
string CreatedByUser { get; set; }
}
class B : A
{
}
I am using the fluent interface to provide my POCO to table mappings -- when I map the CreatedByUser column in the base and derived class, the derived class mappings do not take effect and the information is not passed to the database.
I have gotten around this by creating fields in my base class for the derived classes to use that are just pass-throughs of the audit columns but this is messy.
Try making class A abstract, I think that will give you the effect you are looking for(add the columns from class A to all class/tables that inherit it)
I'm facing two problems by trying to make a model first or code first using TPH concept.
The problem is that I need to use table per hierarchy at three levels, so that:
When I use Model First, the last hierarchy entity (third level) does not saves in database. I create an instance from this entity which inherits an abstract entity, which inherits another abstract entity. The data of two abstract entities are saved, but the last entity not saves. If the inheritance goes at maximum two levels works fine.
If I try to use Code First the problem is that I cannot share attributes with same name, for example: ClassB and ClassC has a property named "Name", and both inherits ClassA. When I map to generate database, I want to create only a sql table called ClassA, but it does not share the column "Name", it creates Name and Name1 columns.
I need to do one of this models works, otherwise I can't use inheritances in my model.
Hope some help!
Thanks
I have used the Entity Data Model Wizard to generate an EF data model (an edmx with POCO's) based on the Object Catalogue Views in SQL Server, i.e. sys.objects, sys.tables, sys.columns, etc. When I try to access any data through my DbContext's DbSet properties, EF throws a ModelValidationException, complaining that entities don't have keys defined.
I can easily modify the T4 template that generates the entity POCOs to include a dummy property marked with the [Key] attribute, but this seems a bit klunky, as now my entity classes have a 'phantom' property that doesn't belong to them. Choosing a name for the key column is also an issue, but I could do something like generate a GUID for a unique key column name for ever class.
But, isn't there a better, neater way of telling EF I don't need key columns, as this model is strictly read only?
ADDENDUM: If I use the Entity Framework Power Tools - Reverse Engineer Code First tool, it creates a mapping class (derived from EntityTypeConfiguration) for each entity, and where the entity has no define key, it defines one using all the fields in the entity.
I am trying to create a custom Entity Framework (4.2) entity that would be mapped to my database like it would be done in a Code first approach.
The issue is that my entity framework data model is using Database first.
How can I add my custom entity to entity framework's context?
If by the Database first you mean that you already have EDMX created from exiting database you simply cannot use code first. You must create table and update model (EDMX) from the database to include it in EDMX.
Edit based on comment:
I want to create a BriefUser entity that would basically be a lighter
version of User but it would have properties retrieved from User's
foreign keys.
Well this is possible. You can either create BriefUser as common class and use projection in query.
var breifUser = (from x in context.Users
where ...
select new BriefUser
{
// Fill BreifUser's properties here
}).FirstOrDefault();
You can even refactor former code to reusable extension method:
public static IQueryable<BriefUser> ProjectUser(this IQueryable<User> query)
{
return query.Select(x => new BreifUser()
{ // Fill BreifUser's properties here });
}
and use it like:
var briefUser = context.Users.ProjectUser().FirstOrDefault(...);
It is also possible to define your new class as "entity view". The first problem is that each table can be mapped to only one entity (except some advanced concepts like inheritance or splitting) so you cannot define your BriefUser as a new entity type because mapping both User and BriefUser to UserTbl would violate this rule. You must use special construct called QueryView.
QueryView is view in mapping level. It allows you to create new mapped type which is projection of existing mapped entities defined directly in EDMX's MSL part. The projection is defined as custom Entity SQL query. The problem is that QueryView has limitations:
It doesn't offer all Entity SQL features - for example it doesn't support aggregations (which I consider as really missing feature). Without aggregations you for example cannot create a new type which will contain property counting some related entities.
It is not supported in designer. You must edit your EDMX as XML to define QueryView and you must write Entity SQL query yourselves.
Resulting type is a "view" and it is read-only.
I want to keep the EDMX file, but also be able to add an entity
(BriefUser) to EF's context.
This is not possible. Your BreifUser is only projection / view and EF is not able to track changes back to originating tables so you cannot add BreifUser to context and persist it. In case of QueryView you can achieve it if you define custom stored procedures which will no how to decompose BreifUser and modify all related tables. These stored procedures must be imported to the EDMX and mapped to data modification operations of the view entity. Btw. same will happen if you map your entity to the database view because EF takes all views as read-only.