Chapter 2. Getting Started

In the previous chapter, we took a look at Entity Framework, including its architecture and its features. We also had a look at the new and enhanced features in Entity Framework 7. Note that Entity Framework 6.0 ships with Visual Studio 2013, but you can also install it via NuGet if needed. Also, Entity Framework 7 is yet to be released.

In this chapter, we will design our Security database, create an Entity Data Model (EDM) on top of it, and then use the EntityDataSource control to bind data exposed by the EDM to a GridView control.

The DataSource controls are those that are used to connect to a data source and then retrieve data from those data sources. If you use DataSource controls, the need of writing tedious code to perform Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD) operations on data-based controls is eliminated. The EntityDataSource control is a DataSource control that can connect to the data exposed by the EDM to perform CRUD operations.

In this chapter, we will...

Designing the UserAuthentication database

Before we begin implementing a simple application that shows how data retrieved from the EDM can be consumed, let's take a quick look at the EDM again:

As you can see in this diagram, our application needs to interact with the CSDL layer. The SSDL layer will connect to the database (the Security database in our example), and the mapping layer will map these two layers so that they can communicate.

The Security database comprises of a list of the following tables:

• Users: This table contains the user details.

• UsersAuthentication: This table contains the user authentication details.

• UserAuthenticationTypes: This table contains user authentication type data. User authentication type can be Windows, Forms, Passport, and Anonymous.

• UsersLoginHistory: This table contains data related to user login history; that is, the user login history data of the user.

• UserRoles: This table contains the user role details.

• Roles: This table contains the role details.

• Controls...

Creating the EDM

Now that the Security database is ready, we will explore how we can create an EDM on top of the Security database.

Note

Note that, before Entity Framework 7, there were two storage models—the EDMX file format based on XML schema or code. With Entity Framework 7, the EDMX file format will be dropped—we will have only the code-based format. Interestingly, this approach is also termed the "code-first only" approach.

You can create the Entity Data Model in one of two ways:

• Use the ADO.NET Entity Data Model Designer

• Use the command-line Entity Data Model Designer called EdmGen.exe

The first approach is preferred to the second. However, as we move through the chapters of the book, we will explore how we can follow the code-first approach to implement the model for our application that uses Entity Framework.

We will first take a look at how we can design an EDM using the ADO.NET Entity Data Model Designer.

Creating the Entity Data Model using the ADO.NET Entity Data Model Designer

To create...

The DataSource controls

The DataSource controls are those that can be bound to data from external data sources. These data sources may include databases, XML files, or even flat files. ASP.NET 2.0 introduced some DataSource controls with a powerful data binding technique, so the need for writing lengthy code for binding data-to-data controls has been eliminated.

Note

In ASP.NET, the term data binding implies binding the controls to data retrieved from a data source and providing read or write connectivity between these controls and the data that they are bound to.

A DataSource control acts like a layer in between your data source and the data bound control. Data bound controls can be any control that actually interacts with the end user while consuming the data services provided by the DataSource control to which it is bound. It defines certain methods and properties that perform data-specific operations like insert, delete, update, and select over the data exposed by the DataSource control...

Implementing our first application using the Entity Framework

In this section, we will learn how to use the EDM and the EntityDataSource control to implement our first program using the Entity Framework. We will use a GridView control to display bound data.

Let's first have the environment ready. I will run you through the steps to download and install Entity Framework 6 now.

In the Solution Explorer, right-click on the project and select EntityFramework from the list of NuGet packages, as shown in the following screenshot:

Click on Install to start downloading and installing Entity Framework 6:

Once Entity Framework 6 has been downloaded, click on Accept to start the installation. After Entity Framework 6 has been successfully installed and the necessary changes applied to your project, you are ready to start writing your first application that makes use of this framework.

Refer to the solution we created earlier using the Entity Data Model Designer. Now follow these steps:

1. Drag and drop an EntityDataSource...

Summary

In this chapter, we discussed how we can get started with Entity Framework. You learned how to create an EDM and use it along with the EntityDataSource control, to bind data to a GridView data control. In this chapter, we created the UserAuthentication database and an EDM that exposed this database. We also explored the EntityDataSource control and used it to bind data in our first application that leverages Entity Framework 6.

In the next chapter, we will continue to explore the EDM including each of its sections and will learn how they are related to each other.