**Course Title:** Mastering C#: From Fundamentals to Advanced Programming **Section Title:** Database Connectivity with ADO.NET and Entity Framework **Topic:** Entity Framework basics and ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) **Introduction to Entity Framework and ORM** As we discussed in the previous topic, ADO.NET provides a low-level access to databases. However, it requires a lot of manual work to interact with the database. This is where Entity Framework comes in. Entity Framework is an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework that allows you to interact with the database using .NET objects. **What is Object-Relational Mapping (ORM)?** Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) is a programming technique that converts data between incompatible type systems using OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) concepts. It's a technique that allows you to interact with a relational database using .NET objects. **What is Entity Framework?** Entity Framework is a set of libraries that provide a framework for building data-oriented applications using .NET. It's an object-relational mapper (ORM) that allows you to define conceptual models of your business data and interact with your database using .NET objects. **Key Features of Entity Framework** Here are the key features of Entity Framework: 1. **Object-Relational Mapping**: Entity Framework provides an object-relational mapper that converts data between your .NET objects and the relational database. 2. **Data Context**: Entity Framework uses a data context class to manage the interaction between your .NET objects and the database. 3. **Entities**: Entities are .NET objects that represent your database tables. Entity Framework allows you to define entities using classes or using a visual designer. 4. **Navigation Properties**: Navigation properties are properties that represent the relationships between your entities. 5. **Change Tracking**: Entity Framework provides a built-in change tracking mechanism that allows you to detect changes to your entities and commit them to the database. **Types of Entity Framework** There are two main types of Entity Framework: 1. **Entity Framework Core**: This is the cross-platform version of Entity Framework. It's designed to work with .NET Core, .NET 5, and later versions. 2. **Entity Framework 6**: This is the full .NET framework version of Entity Framework. It's designed to work with the full .NET framework. **Getting Started with Entity Framework** Here's a step-by-step guide to getting started with Entity Framework: 1. **Install the Entity Framework NuGet Package**: You can install the Entity Framework NuGet package using Visual Studio or by running the following command in the Package Manager Console: ```powershell Install-Package EntityFramework ``` 2. **Create a Database Context Class**: A database context class is used to manage the interaction between your .NET objects and the database. You can create a database context class by inheriting from the `DbContext` class: ```csharp public class MyDbContext : DbContext { public DbSet<MyEntity> MyEntities { get; set; } } ``` 3. **Create Entities**: Entities are .NET objects that represent your database tables. You can create entities using classes: ```csharp public class MyEntity { public int Id { get; set; } public string Name { get; set; } } ``` 4. **Use the Database Context Class to Interact with the Database**: You can use the database context class to interact with the database. For example, you can use the `Add` method to add a new entity to the database: ```csharp using (var dbContext = new MyDbContext()) { var myEntity = new MyEntity { Name = "John Doe" }; dbContext.MyEntities.Add(myEntity); dbContext.SaveChanges(); } ``` **Conclusion** In this topic, we covered the basics of Entity Framework and ORM. We discussed the key features of Entity Framework, the types of Entity Framework, and how to get started with Entity Framework. We also provided examples of how to use Entity Framework to interact with a database. **Additional Resources:** Here are some additional resources that you can use to learn more about Entity Framework: * [Entity Framework Documentation:](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/) * [Entity Framework Tutorial on Microsoft Docs](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/core/get-started/overview/first-app?tabs=netcore-cli) **What's Next?** In the next topic, we'll cover working with migrations and database-first vs code-first approaches. Migrations are a way to evolve your database schema over time. We'll discuss how to create and apply migrations using Entity Framework. **Leave a Comment/Ask for Help:** If you have any questions or need help with the material covered in this topic, please leave a comment below.