Practical Entity Framework Core 6: Database Access for Enterprise Applications

by Brian L. Gorman

Take a developer journey that paves the way to enterprise-level database access from .NET and C# using the object-relational mapper (ORM) of choice. This second edition is revised to cover Entity Framework Core 5 and 6 (EF) and includes new content on table-per-type mapping, LINQ improvements (filtered includes), many-to-many navigation changes, split queries, simple logging using the DBCommandInterceptor, and other improvements available in EF Core 6. Real-world examples and considerations are presented in this book to help you create robust and efficient database solutions. Throughout the text, actual problems, questions, and common pitfalls are provided to help you recognize optimal solutions for maximum success in the different application scenarios you might encounter. 

Practical Entity Framework Core 6 focuses on the code first approach to developing a database. Taking the code first approach allows the entire database to be built and maintained in code using EF Core 6 so there is never a situation in which you cannot restore the database schema. Additionally, the code first approach creates an entirely transparent record of changes to the database that is easily tracked in source control systems such as GitHub. Emphasis throughout the book is on leaving you well positioned to architect and lead data development efforts for your organization.

What You Will LearnBuild robust and maintainable databases using a code first approachCreate and execute stored procedures, triggers, and functionsAnalyze and optimize performance of database queriesEnsure data integrity through keys, constraints, and relationshipsEncrypt your database columns at rest with TDE and Always-On Encryption Leverage the FluentAPI and attributes for entity configuration

Who This Book Is For
.NET developers who work with enterprise-level applications and need to interact with data structures and data within the back end data store, developers who want to take a code first approach to building database applications to prevent conflicts and optimize efficiency, and those who are moving into full-stack roles, or into senior and architectural roles, and will be responsible for database design and implementation

812 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2022

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way how each chapter is structured - brief theory overview, followed by a verbose, step-by-step practical lesson, enriched with code listings, references and numerous screenshots. Very clear and detailed walkthroughs that are easy to follow. Also, easy to read language.

It’s a good book for beginners (even though it claims to be an intermediate level)

As someone, who just wanted to update my knowledge on EF, but being a person with a good background in databases, MS T-SQL, .NET, asynchronous programming, design patterns and unit testing, I found the density of “nuggets” of knowledge in this book wasn’t as high I expected. I’ve finished half of the book (~300 pages) in approximately 4 hours, skimming through the content quickly.

Overall, this is a good book. I will keep it on my shelf as a reference.

Thanks to Brian for his great work on it!

[Matthew Horvat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provided a nice walk through Entity Framework Core. It seemed like finding a book that covered the Core versions of the library was difficult, almost as if all the authors moved to other media.

The strength of this book is the activities in every chapter. Some of which go further than the explanations provided in the rest of the chapter to cover a topic.