Programming Entity Framework - Cdn.oreilly.com

Code First: Using Entity Framework with No
Model at All
The Entity Framework supports one additional scenario, and that is one which relies
solely on classes and doesn’t include the Entity Framework metadata. There is no EDMX
file at design time, and there are no physical CSDL, MSL, or SSL files to work with at
runtime. This feature is called code-first development. It is not included in .NET 4.0 and
Visual Studio 2010, but it is part of the Entity Framework Feature CTP that is currently
released as an “out of band” addition to Entity Framework. Chapter 23 contains a
preview of using code first for your Entity Framework-based applications.
Summary
In this chapter, you learned about one of the most important features added to Entity
Framework in .NET 4.0: support for classes that do not inherit from the
EntityObject class. You learned how to create simple classes that will still benefit
from the Entity Framework’s modeling, querying, change tracking, and relationship
management features. The ObjectContext can manage these classes by taking
snapshots of their current state or by using proxy EntityObjects to provide change
notification and relationship management on the fly. In later chapters, you will see POCO
classes used in application solutions. You will also see how they fit into more agile
software architectures and can be part of good testing practices.
In the next chapter, we will step back into the mode of creating practical solutions with
Entity Framework as we explore some simple ways to use entities in ASP.NET
applications.