How to Add an EDMX File in Visual Studio 2017

Are you perplexed on how to add an EDMX file in your Entity Framework application using Visual Studio 2017? Worry no more! An EDMX file is an essential XML file that models conceptual, mapping, and storage models in your application when working with Entity Framework. The following is a step-by-step guide towards adding an EDMX file in Visual Studio 2017:

Step 1: Launch Visual Studio 2017

Burst into action by launching Visual Studio 2017 and create a new Entity Framework project or open an existing one.

Step 2: Add a New Item

Feeling the adrenaline rush, right-click on your EF project in the Solution Explorer and select “Add” > “New Item” or press “Ctrl+Shift+A,” which will trigger the “Add New Item” dialog box.

Step 3: Choose the Entity Data Model Template

With excitement, select the “Data” category from the left pane of the “Add New Item” dialog box. In the middle pane, select the “ADO.NET Entity Data Model” template, name the file whatever you desire, and click on the “Add” button.

Step 4: Choose the Model Configuration

With your heart beating faster, decide on the model configuration to select from the next screen. You have three options:

• Empty EF Designer Model
• Generate from Database
• Code First from Database

Choose the “Generate from Database” option and click “Next.”

Step 5: Connect to a Database

Feeling the rush of excitement, it’s time to specify the database connection settings. You can either choose an existing connection or create a new one.

Choose the “New Connection…” option and enter the data source, server name, database name, and the corresponding authentication details. Don’t forget to verify your connection details by clicking the “Test Connection” button.

Step 6: Select Database Objects

You’re nearly there! On this step, you will select the database objects that you want to be included in your model. You can select individual tables and views, or include all of them. Additionally, you can specify the entities’ names and the location where the model should be stored in your project.

Step 7: Generate the Model

This is it! Your adrenaline is at an all-time high because you’re about to generate the EDMX file, entity classes, and mappings by clicking the “Finish” button.

Step 8: Use the Model in Your Code

Finally, you’re done! To perform operations such as inserting, updating, and deleting data from the database, create an instance of the model context, and call the corresponding methods on the entities.

The following code is an example:

using(var context = new MyModelContext())
{
   // Insert a new record
   var entity = new MyEntity { Name = "John Doe", Age = 35 };
   context.MyEntities.Add(entity);
   context.SaveChanges();
   
   // Update an existing record
   var entityToUpdate = context.MyEntities.FirstOrDefault(e => e.Id == 1);
   entityToUpdate.Name = "Jane Doe";
   context.SaveChanges();
   
   // Delete a record
   var entityToDelete = context.MyEntities.FirstOrDefault(e => e.Id == 2);
   context.MyEntities.Remove(entityToDelete);
   context.SaveChanges();
}

Conclusion

Hurray! This guide has helped you understand how to add an EDMX file in Visual Studio 2017, where you can map database tables to entity classes, and perform CRUD operations. Have fun coding!