IT Deathmatch: Entity Framework vs' Linq to SQL

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IT DeathmatchEntity Framework vs. Linq to SQL

• Paul Gielens

Alex Thissen
Session Code NE.20
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Agenda

• IT Deathmatch explained
• Introducing the contestants
• Round 1 Architecture
• Round 2 Programming tooling
• Round 3 Overtime
• Announcing the results

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IT Deathmatch explained

• Rules there are no rules
• OK some, but only a few no hitting, biting,
  interrupting
• 3 rounds of 20 minutes
• Can the audience participate?
• Yes! By all means (keep to the rules!)
• The goal for this deathmatch
• Good arguments to make a better decision when
  choosing between EF and L2S

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The contenders
vs
Player 1 Scare aka Paul Gielens
Player 2 LX aka Alex Thissen
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I want some juice in the morning

• Entity Framework

Linq to SQL
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Round 1 Architecture

• Fight!

Round ends
20
15
5
1
10
minutes remaining
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Round 2 Programming tooling

• Fight!

Round ends
20
15
5
1
10
minutes remaining
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Round 3 Overtime

• Fight!

Round ends
20
15
5
1
10
minutes remaining
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Results

• And the winner is ?
• Don't let emotions get in the way
• Choose wisely

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Evaluation form
Vul je evaluatieformulier in en maak kans op een
van de prachtige prijzen!! Fill out your
evaluation form and win one of the great
prizes!! Session Code NE.20
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Features

• L2S only works with the SQL Server provider. By
  design.
• L2S is strongly coupled to the DB, mapping is
  directly build into the classes. Custom code
  required.
• L2S has no support for many-to-many relations.
  Custom code required.
• L2S has no support for creating views of
  Entities. By design.
• L2S has no support for mapping a single entity to
  multiple tables. By design.
• L2S has no support for dynamic queries (eSQL
  ObjectServices EntityClient). By Design.
• L2S designer has no support to regenerate classes
  when the database schema changes. Manual work
  required.
• L2S only support single table inheritance. By
  design.

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Source Roger Jennings Visual Studio Magazine
Online
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Source Roger Jennings Visual Studio Magazine
Online
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What other have to say
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• LINQ to SQL, possibly Microsofts first ORM to
  actually ship in ten years of trying, was never
  even supposed to exist.
• Matt Warren (architect _at_ Microsoft)

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• LINQ to SQL actually stands for LINQ to
  'databases that use SQL' or in other words LINQ
  for the relational data model. LINQ to Entities
  means LINQ for the Entity-Data-Model which is a
  kind of a relational model.
• Matt Warren (architect _at_ Microsoft)

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• Given EF not being positioned as an ORM let's
  open it up so we can take LINQ to SQL forward.
• Ian Cooper (Microsoft MVP)

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• LINQ to SQL is designed around rapid development,
  with direct (11) mapping, while the Entity
  Framework is designed around exposing a rich
  conceptual model with flexible mappings to
  extended ADO.NET Data Providers.
• Mike Pizzo (architect _at_ Microsoft)

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• LINQ to SQL supports rapid development of
  applications that query Microsoft SQL Server
  databases using objects that map directly to SQL
  Server schemas. LINQ to Entities supports more
  flexible mapping of objects to Microsoft SQL
  Server and other relational databases through
  extended ADO.NET Data Providers.
• Mike Pizzo (architect _at_ Microsoft)

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• Over time we will look to customers to help us
  decide whether it makes sense to continue to
  invest in enhancing both stacks or merging into a
  single stack over time.
• Mike Pizzo (architect _at_ Microsoft)

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• There are fears that LINQ to SQL will be ignored
  and slowly forgotten by Microsoft in favor of
  Entity Framework.
• Julie Lerman (independent software developer)

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• LINQ to SQL supports rapid development of
  applications that query all editions of Microsoft
  SQL Server by using programmatic objects that map
  directly to database objects in SQL Server
  schemas, for example, tables, views, stored
  procedures, and user defined functions.
• Microsoft Data Platform Development

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• LINQ to Entities supports a more flexible mapping
  of objects to relational tables, views, stored
  procedures, and user defined functions. You can
  use LINQ to Entities to access data from SQL
  Server and other relational databases through
  extended ADO.NET data providers.
• Microsoft Data Platform Development

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• Microsoft is defining a migration plan for
  customers that start with LINQ to SQL and require
  additional functionality, such as richer mapping
  capabilities or access to other stores, to
  migrate to the ADO.NET Entity Framework.
• Mike Pizzo (architect _at_ Microsoft)

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• If you are writing an application that requires
  any of the following features, you should use the
  ADO.NET Entity Framework
• The ability to define more flexible mapping to
  existing relational schema, for example
• Mapping a single class to multiple tables
• Mapping to different types of inheritance
• Directly Modeling Many to Many relationships
• Mapping to an arbitrary query against the store
• The ability to query relational stores other than
  the Microsoft SQL Server.
• The ability to share a model across Replication,
  Reporting Services, BI, Integration Services,
  etc.
• A full textual query language
• The ability to query a conceptual model without
  materializing results as objects

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• If you do not require any of these features, LINQ
  to SQL may provide a simpler solution for rapid
  development. LINQ to SQL is targeted at
  rapid-development scenarios against Microsoft SQL
  Server and provides a simpler approach and richer
  design experience in the Orcas timeframe for
  applications with data classes that map directly
  to the schema of your Microsoft SQL Server
  database.
• Mike Pizzo (architect _at_ Microsoft)

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• Unfortunately, after using LINQ for several
  months both through the RAD designer and using
  POCOs, I can still only recommend LINQ to SQL as
  a RAD tool for limited scenarios. The concept is
  great, but the implementation is lacking in too
  many key areas to be useful at the enterprise
  level. In particular, the lack of support for
  complex and/or legacy relational database
  structures makes using LINQ with any existing
  database in my organization a non-starter.
• David Nelson