aspnet/EntityFramework
EntityFramework
EntityFramework is a .NET object-relational mapper that translates application objects into database tables and rows. It functions as a query engine that converts high-level expressions into optimized SQL commands for data retrieval.
The project provides a mechanism for monitoring modifications to loaded objects to synchronize application state with the database. It also includes a system for synchronizing database structures with data models using versioned migration scripts.
The framework supports multi-backend database integration through a plugin system, allowing a single application to connect to various storage engines. It enables data manipulation using a typed language to perform database lookups and filters.
Features
- Object-Relational Mapping - Provides a full object-relational mapping system to translate application objects into database tables and rows.
- Database Schema Migrations - Tracks database structure changes via timestamped code files that apply incremental updates to the physical schema.
- Expression-Based Data Querying - Retrieves records from a database using high-level query expressions that convert automatically into optimized commands.
- LINQ Expression Translators - Provides a recursive visitor pattern to translate high-level LINQ expressions into optimized database-specific SQL commands.
- Object-Relational Mappers - Functions as a .NET object-relational mapper that simplifies database interactions by mapping data to objects.
- Object Mappings - Maps application classes to database tables using metadata derived from attributes or fluent configurations.
- Database Provider Plugins - Supports multi-backend database integration through a plugin system to ensure compatibility across different storage engines.
- Identity Maps - Implements an identity map to ensure each database record is represented by a single object instance per session.
- Pluggable Database Providers - Connects a single application to various storage engines through a plugin system to ensure provider compatibility.
- State Change Tracking - Monitors entity state by comparing current object values against cached original snapshots to determine necessary database updates.
- Provider Abstractions - Employs a provider-based abstraction to translate generic operations into dialect-specific commands for different storage engines.
- Object Relational Mapping - Standard data access framework with LINQ and POCO support.
