Mastering Entity Framework Core with .NET 5 Online Course

Mastering Entity Framework Core with .NET 5 Online Course

This course offers a complete journey into Entity Framework Core, starting with an introduction and updates on .NET 8 before moving into environment setup and project creation in Visual Studio and VS Code. You’ll learn core concepts like data models, database context, and code-first development, along with migrations and reverse engineering. The course then explores querying techniques, data manipulation, and performance optimization, followed by a deep dive into database relationships, raw SQL, views, stored procedures, and integration with ASP.NET Core. It wraps up with advanced topics such as data validation, transactions, and concurrency handling, giving you a well-rounded mastery of EF Core.

Who should take the course?

This course is ideal for .NET developers, software engineers, and students who want to master data access and management using Entity Framework Core with .NET 5. It’s well-suited for those with a basic understanding of C# and .NET who are looking to build scalable, data-driven applications efficiently. Whether you’re an aspiring backend developer, a professional modernizing existing applications, or someone aiming to strengthen their expertise in ORM and database integration, this course will equip you with the practical skills to work confidently with Entity Framework Core.

What you will learn

• Set up and configure your development environment for EF Core
• Create, query, and manipulate databases using EF Core techniques
• Understand and implement various database relationships and loading methods
• Execute advanced querying with LINQ and raw SQL in EF Core
• Integrate EF Core with ASP.NET Core for dynamic web applications
• Manage database changes and migrations efficiently

Course Outline

Introduction

• Introduction
• What is Entity Framework Core?

Environment Setup

• Toolset Overview
• Install Visual Studio – Windows
• Install Visual Studio Code
• Install .NET Core and EF Core Tools

Getting Started with Entity Framework Core

• Section Overview
• Setup Project Solution - Visual Studio
• Setup Project Solution - Visual Studio Code + Dotnet CLI
• What are Data Models?
• Creating the Data Models with EF Core
• Understanding the Database Context
• Adding a Database Context
• EF Core and Database Support
• Specifying the Data Provider and Connection String
• Understanding Code First Development and Migrations
• Setup Console App Project
• Adding a Migration
• Generating a Database (Code-First)
• Understanding Database First Development
• Reverse Engineer Existing Database
• Seeding Data
• Section Review

Using Entity Framework Core to Query a Database

• Section Overview
• Adding Verbose Logging to EF Core's Workload
• Fix: Database Connection String Refactor
• LINQ as Entity Framework Core Syntax
• Querying Basics
• Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Syntax
• Querying for a Single Record
• Add Filters to Queries
• Additional Filtering Features
• Alternative LINQ Syntax
• Aggregate Methods
• Group By
• Order By
• Skip and Take
• Projections and Custom Data Types
• Tracking Vs. No Tracking (Enhancing Performance)
• IQueryables vs List Types
• Efficient Querying Tips and Tricks
• Section Review

Using Entity Framework Core to Manipulate Data

• Section Overview
• Understanding Tracking and Saving Changes
• Simple Insert Operations
• Simple Update Operations
• Simple Delete Operations
• ExecuteUpdate and ExecuteDelete (>= EF Core 7)
• Section Review

Handling Database Changes and Migrations

• Section Overview
• Review Entity Framework Core Migrations
• Adding More Entities
• Updating Database with Migration(s)
• Using Configuration Files
• Generating Migration Scripts
• Rolling Back Migrations and Database Changes
• EF Bundles
• Applying Migrations at Runtime
• Section Review

Interacting With Related Records

• Section Overview
• Database Relationships and Entity Framework Core
• One to Many Relationships
• Adding One-To-Many Relationships
• View Diagram with Entity Framework Core Tools
• Many to Many Relationships
• Adding Many-To-Many Relationships
• Understanding One-To-One Relationships
• Adding One-To-One Relationships
• Update Database With Relationships
• Inserting Related Data
• Understanding Loading Methods
• Including Related Data with Eager Loading
• Including Related Data with Explicit Loading
• Including Related Data with Lazy Loading
• Filtering on Related Records
• Projections and Anonymous Data Types
• Understanding Delete Behaviors
• Section Review

Working With Raw SQL, Views and Stored Procedures

• Section Overview
• Adding Non-Table Objects with Migrations
• Querying Keyless Entities (Like Views)
• Querying with Raw SQL - Part 1
• Querying with Raw SQL - Part 2
• Querying scalar
• Executing User-defined Funcitons
• Limitations of Raw Queries and EF Core
• Section Review

ASP.NET Core and EF Core

• Section Overview
• How EF Core and ASP.NET Core Work
• Create ASP.NET Core Project
• Connect to the Database Context
• Fixing EF Core Design Time Errors
• Scaffolding Code with Visual Studio
• Scaffolding Code with Visual Studio Code
• Exploring Scaffolded Code
• Review Best Practices
• Section Review

Additional Features and Considerations

• Section Overview
• Manipulate Entries Before Saving Changes
• SQL Server Temporal Tables
• Data Validation with Data Annotations
• Pre-convention model configuration
• Support For Database Transactions
• Handling Data Concurrency Issues
• Using Query Filters
• Database Connection Retry and Timeout Policies

Conclusion

• Conclusion