Model-First Approach
This section describes how to use the Entity Data Model wizard to create the .edmx file and execute queries.
Install and Set Up Entity Framework
Install Entity Framework or add references to the required assemblies for your chosen version of Entity Framework. The assemblies are located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory. See
Using EF 6 for using Entity Framework 6 (EF6). See
Installed Assemblies for more information about all assemblies shipped with the provider
Add a New Item To Your Project
In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click your project and click Add > New Item.
Create an ADO.NET Entity Data Model
In the resulting Add New Item dialog, click ADO.NET Entity Data Model and enter an appropriate title, such as "CompositeEntityDataModel.edmx".
Use the Entity Data Model Wizard
Complete the following steps to create the .edmx file with the Entity Data Model wizard:
• On the first page, select Generate from database.
• On the next page, select the data provider connection you want to use with your project or create a new connection.
• Select whether to include sensitive data (such as passwords) in the connection string. Note that the option to exclude sensitive data means password fields are not copied to the generated config file with the rest of the connection string properties.
• Select the box to save the entity connection settings in App.Config, and enter a name for the context class of the data connection; for example, "CompositeEntities".
After Visual Studio retrieves the necessary information from the live data source, the wizard presents a listing of database objects you can include in your project. Note that this step may take several minutes as Visual Studio retrieves table schemas from TDV.
Perform LINQ Commands in Your Code
You are now ready to start using LINQ in your code.
CompositeEntities context = new CompositeEntities();
var ProductsQuery = from Products in context.Products
orderby Products.ProductName
select Products;
Note: Be sure to declare "using System.Linq" in your file.