In the context of inheritance, what role does the Discriminator column play in Entity Framework?

  • Facilitates polymorphic queries
  • Handles foreign key constraints
  • Manages primary keys
  • Stores data type information
In Entity Framework, the Discriminator column plays a crucial role in implementing inheritance strategies, particularly in Table-Per-Hierarchy (TPH) and Table-Per-Type (TPT) approaches. It stores data type information that distinguishes between different types of entities in the inheritance hierarchy. This information helps Entity Framework to determine the appropriate type when querying polymorphically across the hierarchy, facilitating polymorphic queries.

How does Entity Framework manage relationships in a model that uses mixed inheritance strategies (e.g., TPH with TPT)?

  • By creating a separate table for each class and using foreign keys to establish relationships between them
  • By creating a single table for the base class and separate tables for each derived class
  • By creating a table for each class and duplicating columns from the base class in each derived class
  • By creating separate tables for each class in the hierarchy
Entity Framework manages relationships in a mixed inheritance strategy like TPH with TPT by creating a single table for the base class and separate tables for each derived class. This ensures that the shared properties from the base class are stored only once, avoiding redundancy. Relationships are established using foreign keys, linking the derived class tables to the base class table. This approach allows for efficient querying and navigation of the object graph.

In an advanced scenario, how can you customize the mapping of inheritance hierarchies beyond the default strategies provided by Entity Framework?

  • Customizing the SQL queries generated by Entity Framework
  • Extending the base DbContext class to override default behavior
  • Modifying the EDMX file directly
  • Using fluent API to configure entity mappings
In advanced scenarios, you can customize the mapping of inheritance hierarchies beyond the default strategies provided by Entity Framework using the fluent API. This allows for fine-grained control over entity mappings, including specifying table names, column names, and relationships. Modifying the EDMX file directly is not recommended as it can be complex and error-prone. Customizing SQL queries or extending the base DbContext class may not provide the same level of flexibility as using the fluent API.

What are the performance considerations when choosing between TPH, TPT, and TPC inheritance strategies in Entity Framework?

  • All three strategies have similar performance characteristics
  • TPC often leads to redundant data in multiple tables, increasing storage requirements and affecting performance
  • TPH can result in wide tables with many nullable columns, impacting storage and query performance
  • TPT requires additional joins for querying, potentially impacting performance
When choosing between TPH, TPT, and TPC inheritance strategies in Entity Framework, there are several performance considerations to keep in mind. TPH can result in wide tables with many nullable columns, which can impact storage and query performance, especially when dealing with large datasets. TPT requires additional joins for querying, potentially affecting performance, but it can provide better normalization and query performance compared to TPH in certain scenarios. TPC often leads to redundant data in multiple tables, increasing storage requirements and potentially affecting performance negatively. It's essential to analyze the specific requirements and trade-offs of each strategy to determine the most suitable one for a given scenario.

In Table-per-Type (TPT) inheritance, each type in the hierarchy is mapped to a different ________.

  • class
  • context
  • database table
  • entity set
In Table-per-Type (TPT) inheritance, each type in the hierarchy is mapped to a different database table. This means that each concrete type in the inheritance hierarchy gets its own table in the database, which can lead to a normalized database schema.

To implement a TPC inheritance strategy, you need to override the ________ method and configure the mappings.

  • OnConfiguring
  • OnModelCreating
  • OnModelCreating
  • OnModelCreating
To implement a Table-Per-Concrete (TPC) inheritance strategy in Entity Framework, you need to override the OnModelCreating method in your DbContext class and configure the mappings for each concrete type separately.

In advanced inheritance scenarios, the ________ method is used to configure specific mappings between an entity and a database table.

  • ConfigureMap
  • Map
  • MapInheritance
  • MapTo
In Entity Framework Core, the Map method is used in advanced inheritance scenarios to configure specific mappings between an entity and a database table.

In a complex model with mixed inheritance, ________ can be used to resolve ambiguity in the mapping.

  • TPC
  • TPH
  • TPT
  • TableSplitting
In Entity Framework, Table-Per-Concrete (TPC) can be used to resolve ambiguity in the mapping of a complex model with mixed inheritance.

In a scenario where an application requires polymorphic behavior, which Entity Framework inheritance strategy would be most suitable and why?

  • Joined Tables (JT): Each class in the hierarchy maps to its own database table, with a one-to-one relationship between the base class table and derived class tables.
  • Table per Concrete Type (TPC): Each class maps to its own database table, including inherited properties.
  • Table per Hierarchy (TPH): All properties from all classes are mapped to a single database table.
  • Table per Type (TPT): Each class in the hierarchy maps to its own database table.
Joined Tables (JT) strategy would be most suitable. In scenarios requiring polymorphic behavior, Joined Tables allow for efficient querying and maintainability. Each class in the hierarchy maps to its own table, with a one-to-one relationship between the base class table and derived class tables. This strategy ensures database normalization while providing flexibility and clarity in the database structure.

To optimize performance in a TPH scenario, the ________ column should be indexed.

  • BaseType
  • Discriminator
  • DiscriminatorColumn
  • RootType
Indexing the Discriminator column in a Table-Per-Hierarchy (TPH) scenario can significantly improve query performance by quickly identifying the entity type.