ADO.NET Entity Framework

The ADO.NET Entity Framework provides a strongly typed LINQ data access experience over relational databases. The ADO.NET Entity Framework makes it easier to work with your data because it moves the data model up from the physical structure of relational tables to a conceptual model that accurately reflects common business objects. The Entity Framework introduces an Entity Data Model within the familiar ADO.NET environment, allowing developers to map entities to relational data. This enables the creation of new business objects that provide a level of abstraction from the data that helps isolate applications from naming as well as structural changes of the storage schema and allows the application to be portable to most SQL databases. The Entity Framework can be used to provide a common data model across high-level functions such as data query and retrieval services, reporting, synchronization, caching, replication, visualization, and BI.

Blog

MSDN Forum

ADO.NET Entity Framework and LINQ to Entities
Feedback and QA related to current versions of the ADO.NET Entity Framework and LINQ to Entities including object-relational mapping and entity data modeling.

Technical Articles

Introducing LINQ to Relational Data
Learn more about using LINQ against a Relational database with LINQ to SQL and LINQ to Entities. What are the key scenarios for which each of these technologies was designed?

Achieve Flexible Data Modeling with the Entity Framework
The Entity Framework provides a strongly typed LINQ data access experience over relational databases and makes it easier to work with your data. Here we'll focus on the Entity Framework and provide a deeper understanding of how and why choices were made during development.

Next-Generation Data Access: Making the Conceptual Level Real
Eliminate the impedance mismatch for both applications and data services like reporting, analysis, and replication offered as part of the SQL Server product by raising the level of abstraction from the logical (relational) level to the conceptual (entity) level.

MSDN Documentation

MSDN API Reference Documentation

Entity Framework Futures/Transparent Design Process

Entity Framework Design Blog
The goal of this blog is to enable folks that are interested in Entity Framework Futures to follow the design topics as we discuss them, and have the opportunity to provide feedback right during the time where we are actively discussing a certain aspect and before we have made a final decision.

How Do I …

How Do I: Get Started with the ADO.NET Entity Framework?

How Do I: Get Started with the EDM Wizard?

How Do I: Model Table per Type Inheritance with the Entity Framework Tools?

How Do I: Model Table per Hierarchy Inheritance with the Entity Framework Tools?

How Do I: Learn to use LINQ to Entities?

How Do I: Use the Entity Framework and LINQ to Entities for Query and Update?

How Do I: Use the new Entity Data Source?

How Do I: Serialize a Graph with the Entity Framework?

How Do I: use Entity Client?

Entity Framework Providers

Interested in using the Entity Framework to develop against Oracle, DB2, MySQL or other 3^rd Party Databases? Check out our Providers page for more information on where you can find the available providers.