Getting Started with Entity Data Model XML (EDMX) Files in Visual Studio 2017

As a developer, one of the most vital tasks you will encounter is dealing with data. This task includes creating and managing database schemas, designing Entity Framework models, and mapping them to the database. To accomplish these tasks in Visual Studio 2017, developers require an Entity Data Model XML (EDMX) file. The EDMX is a metadata format that describes the structure of objects in a relational database.

Step 1: Creating a New Project

First, open Visual Studio 2017 and create a new project by choosing ‘File’ -> ‘New’ -> ‘Project’. Next, select the ‘Console Application’ template under the ‘Visual C#’ folder. Give your project a name, then click ‘OK’ to create your new project.

Step 2: Adding a New Entity Data Model

Next, you will need to add a new Entity Data Model to your project. To do this, right-click on your project in the Solution Explorer, choose ‘Add’ -> ‘New Item’, and then select ‘Data’ -> ‘ADO.NET Entity Data Model’. From here, give it a name such as ‘MyEDMXModel.edmx’. Click the ‘Add’ button to create the new EDMX file.

Step 3: Choosing the EDMX File Format

After creating a new EDMX file, you will be prompted to choose the type of EDMX file. You have two options: ‘Empty Model’ or ‘Generate from DataBase’. If you select ‘Generate from Database’, you will need to specify the database connection details for Visual Studio to reverse engineer the database schema into your EDMX model.

Step 4: Choosing Your Database Connection

Next, you will need to choose the database connection you want to use. If you have already connected to a database in Visual Studio, you can choose that connection. Otherwise, you can create a new connection by clicking the ‘New Connection’ button and specifying the necessary details such as database server, authentication mode, etc.

Step 5: Selecting Database Schema

After choosing the database connection, specify which database objects you wish to include in the EDMX model. You can choose to include database tables, views, stored procedures, and functions. If you only want to include specific objects, you can use a filter to narrow down the selection.

Step 6: Adjusting Mapping Settings

The next step involves adjusting the mapping settings. This includes setting the key properties and defining associations between entities. You can also customize the mapping of stored procedures and table-valued functions.

Step 7: Generating the EDMX File

Once all the settings are configured, click ‘Finish’ to generate the EDMX file. Visual Studio will create a new EDMX file containing your entity framework objects that you can use in your application.

Conclusion

Creating an EDMX file in Visual Studio 2017 is a straightforward process. By following these simple steps, you can create an EDMX file in no time and start working with your data objects in Entity Framework. With the EDMX file, you have a metadata representation of your database schema, making it easier to manage the data structures and update them when necessary.