ADO.NET Entity Framework Unleashed

This is the most complete and practical reference to developing data applications with Microsoft's powerful new ADO.NET Entity Framework (EF) 2.0. Author Craig Lee is singularly well-qualified: he is the Microsoft product manager who led the team that created the version of Entity Designer that will ship with the next version of Visual Studio. Here, he shares all the inside knowledge you need to maximize you productivity with EF 2.0 - including powerful tips and tricks that have never been published outside Microsoft before. You will understand the "why" of EF 2.0, not just the "how", as you walk through the entire lifecycle of an EF application, and learn how to integrate EF into your development processes. Lee begins by introducing EF's vision, clearly describing its architecture, and showing how EF connects with Microsoft's exciting Linq technology. He thoroughly illuminates the process of Entity Data Modeling; shows how to work with the Entity Designer and create effective mappings; and walks through creating databases from models. He demonstrates the use of Visual Studio to create EF applications, covering topics ranging from data binding to source code control, packaging, and deployment. The book's comprehensive coverage of programming EF 2.0 includes detailed discussions of providers, code generation, object services, performance tuning, tools, best practices, and much more - including advanced topics covered in no other book.     ADO.NET Entity Framework presents a radical new data access technology, and Microsoft will be encouraging all .NET developers to adopt it Fully covers ADO.NET Entity Framework Version 2, which has been radically revised from the previous version Presents powerful tips, tricks, and development best practices direct from a key Microsoft insider

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. The Entity Data Model Vision 2. Entity Framework Architecture 3. Linq To SQL and the Entity Framework 4. What's New in Visual Studio 2010? Part I. Entity Data Modeling 5. "Hello World" for the Entity Framework 6. "Hello World" using Visual Studio 7. Working with the Entity Designer 8. Extending Your Model 9. Mapping Basics 10. Association Mapping 11. Advanced Entity Mapping 12. Keeping the Model Current 13. Creating a Database from the Model Part II. Visual Studio and the Entity Framework 14. Data Binding 15. Connection String Management 16. Working with Visual Studio's Project Systems 17. Dynamic Data Entities 18. Source Code Control 19. Packaging and Deployment Part III. Programming the Entity Framework 20. Entity Framework Providers 21. Entity Client and Entity SQL 22. Generating Code from the Model 23. Object Services 24. LINQ to Entities 25. ADO.NET Data Services 26. Tuning Database Performance Part IV. Advanced Topics 27. Entity Framework Best Practices 28. EF Tools in the .NET Framework 29. Entity Framework Model Files 30. Custom DDEX and EF Providers 31. Moving from L2S to EF