ADO .NET Entity Framework

Entity Framework is our Object Relational Mapping (ORM) platform. It allows us to access the database through c# classes. No SQL required.

Simple description:

1. Entities are represented as classes.
2. A DomainContext class allows you to perform queries, inserts, updates and delete.
3. All changes are tracked.

Once again Microsoft has pulled through for us. They do a fantastic job (through informative videos) of detailing what ADO .NET Entity Framework is and how it can be used. Go here to find the videos.

• Watch all 4 videos in the EF 4.1 Getting Started section
• Watch 1-6 in the EF4 - Part 1 section

Feel free to skip to the end of the videos if you feel like you have a firm understanding of the topic being discussed. They can be repetitive in some peoples minds.

After you watch all those videos, you might feel a bit overwhelmed. Here is a good recap