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The latest version of the Entity Framework includes two new main features: the DbContext API and the Code First development pattern. We show you how to use these to develop applications, starting with the basics and moving on to more advanced techniques.

How to use the nHydrate ADO.NET generator and keep your database in sync

Both ASP.NET MVC and the ADO.NET Entity Framework are both very popular topics right now in the developer community.Having spoken at various user group meeting and code camps it is very obvious to me what topics a lot of developers are interested in. I see that sessions about ASP.NET MVC or the Entity Framework are always packed with developers eager for more information. The focus of this article is the Entity Framework, but in the context of an ASP.NET MVC application. As such, I am assuming at least basic understanding of ASP.NET MVC but little-to-none with Entity Framework.

Basic CRUD methods with some other interesting features

The Entity Data Model and ADO.NET vNext let you deal with tabular data as objects, eliminating much of the effort endemic to older data-retrieval and modification code.

The most popular instrument to access database data for .NET applications is ADO.NET. This set of components contains three main classes those are used to manipulate and store data: DataReader, DataSet and DataAdapter. DataReader is only able to read data and can't work as data source for data-aware components like DataGridView; DataSet provides all interfaces to be a data source but disconnected model considers some restrictions that can become important for some kind of applications, especially for desktop programs that work under multiuser concurrent environment and change database data actively. Below we consider main restrictions and popular ways to solve them; non standard solutions are considered also.

ADO.NET vNext is a leap forward in database programming, using mapping files to isolate your applications from relational database schema changes, and letting you choose whether to deal with data directly as objects or as tabular data.

If you use DataAdapters and love their automatic connection-opening and closing capabilities—and ever use transactions, you should first understand what's really going on underneath the covers.

Data is the blood in your system; it sits in its comfortable home of a database, and camps out in the tent of XML, but it deserves to be worked with in a reliable and consistent manner.But why should only data-related operations be reliable? Shouldn't you want to write reliable code for your other operations? The introduction of System.Transactions in .NET 2.0 brings a paradigm shift of how you will write reliable transactional code on the Windows platform. This article dives deep in the depths of how System.Transactions works, and how you can use it to your advantage. You will also see how you can leverage existing System.Transactions integration within ADO.NET, and why you need to really understand what is under the magic carpet.

This installment of "The Baker's Dozen" presents a variety of tips and techniques to become productive with data handling techniques using ADO.NET 2.0 in Visual Studio 2005.