Status Update for Entity Framework Support in XAF v2012 Vol 2

In the v2012 vol 2 release, we have significantly improved Entity Framework (EF) support in XAF. You can start using EF in your production applications instead of XPO, but with certain limitations, as described below.

What are the current EF limitations in XAF?

1. EF support was recently introduced in the 12.1 release of XAF, while XPO has been used in XAF from the beginning. This is why the majority of our demos and examples are based on XPO.
2. With EF, you still cannot use complex security system configurations that involve a server-side security engine or XPO-specific integrated mode (the UI-Level mode is supported; see the EFDemoCodeFirst and EFDemoModelFirst demos).
3. Although the most frequently used XAF modules are compatible with EF, there are several extra XAF modules that have not been upgraded/tested for EF compatibility.  The table below lists these modules, and indicates which data access technologies are currently supported by XPO, DC and EF.

   Extra Module \ Data Access Technology	XPO	DC	EF
   Audit Trail Module
   Chart Module
   Clone Object Module
   Conditional Appearance Module
   File Attachments Module
   HTML Property Editor Module
   KPI Module
   Pivot Chart Module
   Pivot Grid Module
   Reports Module
   Scheduler Module
   Script Recorder Module
   State Machine Module
   TreeList Editors Module
   Validation Module
   View Variants Module
   Workflow Module

Choosing between EF and XPO

If you’re trying to decide which ORM to learn (XPO or EF), and you don’t have a preference for either ORM, we recommend XPO. XPO is well-supported by our XAF product, and we provide extensive documentation on how to use XPO in XAF. However, if you are already proficient in EF and would prefer to use this ORM, you can use EF, but with certain limitations. We will be improving support for EF in upcoming releases.

Getting Started with EF in XAF

To learn how to use EF in XAF v12.2, refer to the following topics:

• How to: Get Started with the Entity Framework Code First in XAF
• How to: Get Started with the Entity Framework Model First in XAF

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