Entity Framework and .NET 7
Entity Framework is an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework for .NET applications that provides a way to interact with a database using an object-oriented programming model. With the release of .NET 7, the latest version of Entity Framework (EF) has been updated with several new features and improvements that bring significant benefits to developers.
Support for Multiple Data Providers: EF in .NET 7 now supports multiple data providers, including SQL Server, SQLite, and Cosmos DB. This allows developers to use the same codebase and programming model to interact with different types of databases.
Improved Performance: EF in .NET 7 includes several performance improvements such as lazy loading, which allows developers to load related entities on-demand, reducing the amount of data retrieved from the database. Additionally, the new version includes the ability to batch multiple database operations together, reducing the number of roundtrips to the database.
Support for Asynchronous Programming: EF in .NET 7 fully supports asynchronous programming, allowing developers to write non-blocking code that can run in parallel with other operations. This can improve the overall performance of an application, especially when interacting with a database.
Better Integration with the .NET Core: EF in .NET 7 is built on .NET Core, which means it can run on any platform that supports .NET Core, including Windows, Linux, and Mac. This allows developers to use EF in a cross-platform environment and take advantage of the benefits of .NET Core.
Support for C# 9 and 10: EF in .NET 7 supports the latest versions of C#, which brings new features such as top-level statements and pattern matching, which can make the development process more efficient and readable.
Improved Modelling Experience: EF in .NET 7 includes several improvements to the modeling experience, such as support for annotations and improved support for working with multiple schemas. This makes it easier to create and maintain a consistent data model across an application.
Support for Distributed Transactions: EF in .NET 7 supports distributed transactions, which allows developers to perform multiple database operations across different databases and ensure that all the operations are committed or rolled back together.
Entity Framework in .NET 7 provides several new features and improvements that bring significant benefits to developers which makes it a powerful tool for building data-driven applications.
Are you using Entity Framework in your applications? If not, why not :-)