IBM.EntityFrameworkCore 9.0.0.400

About

IBM.EntityFrameworkCore is a NuGet package that serves as the IBM Data Server provider for Entity Framework Core, enabling .NET applications to interact seamlessly with IBM database servers.

Key Features

Compatibility: Targets .NET 8.0, ensuring compatibility with applications running on this framework or higher. 
Dependencies: Requires Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Relational (version 9.0.1 or higher) and Net.IBM.Data.Db2 (version 9.0.0.300 or higher).

How to use

Use package manager to add package to the project, build it and deploy it as any other .NET NuGet package based deployment. 
In cases where Db2Connect license is needed, the license file needs to be copied to clidriver/license folder of Net.IBM.Data.Db2** package as detailed here:
https://community.ibm.com/community/user/blogs/vishwa-hs1/2020/07/12/db2-net-packages-download-and-configure

Main Types

All ADO.NET Entity Framework (ORM) specification types.

What's New

v9.0.0.400
    � Issue Fixes: During insert operations, Linq queries may retrieve incorrect identity column values if identity generation has been restarted or is not configured to generate values in ascending order.
        To ensure correct retrieval of identity values, the INSERT statement should be combined with a SELECT statement using the FINAL TABLE syntax. For example;
            SELECT ID, COLROW FROM FINAL TABLE ( INSERT INTO DUMMYSCHEMA.DUMMYTAB1 (NAME) VALUES (@p8));
        Note: This syntax is supported in Db2 for z/OS version 12.01 or later.

        Configuration for Db2 12.01: If user application targets Db2 for z/OS 12.01, configure the server version explicitly:
             protected override void OnConfiguring(DbContextOptionsBuilder optionsBuilder)
               => optionsBuilder.UseDb2(connectionString, x => x.SetServerInfo(IBMDBServerType.OS390, IBMDBServerVersion.OS390_12_01));

    � Multivalue Insert Support: Db2 for z/OS 13.01 and later supports multivalue insert statements. 
        Linq Query for Table with Identity Column: Generates SQL using FINAL TABLE to retrieve identity values:
            SELECT ID, COLROW FROM FINAL TABLE (INSERT INTO DUMMYSCHEMA.DUMMYTAB1 (NAME)
              VALUES (@p8), (@p9), (@p10));
        Linq Query for Table without Identity Column: Generates a standard multivalue INSERT statement:
            INSERT INTO DUMMYSCHEMA.DUMMYTAB1 (NAME)
              VALUES (@p8), (@p9), (@p10);

        Configuration for Db2 13.01: As the default server version is 13.01, no explicit configuration is needed:
            optionsBuilder.UseDb2(connectionString, x => x.SetServerInfo(IBMDBServerType.OS390));

        Note: If the same application also targets Db2 for z/OS 12.01, using multivalue insert syntax may result in a syntax error. Ensure compatibility by configuring the target version.
   
v9.0.0.300
    � With this version, OFFSET clause is supported for Db2 for LUW, Db2 for IBM i and Db2 for z/OS.
          Note: 
            � To use OFFSET clause, UseRowNumberForPaging() should not be configured in context class.
                For example:
                    protected override void OnConfiguring(DbContextOptionsBuilder optionsBuilder)
                    {
                        base.OnConfiguring(optionsBuilder);
                        optionsBuilder.UseDb2(ConnectionString, p => { p.SetServerInfo(IBMDBServerType.AS400); });
                    }
            � If UseRowNumberForPaging() is configured, the older mechanism using ROW_NUMBER() will be applied instead.
            � There are server-side limitations. For example, in the case of Db2 for z/OS, using OFFSET within a subselect may not work.
          
          Linq Query:
            � context.SampleTable.OrderBy(o => o.SAMPLEID).Skip(2).ToList();
          
          Generated sql:
            SELECT a.ID, a.SAMPLEID, a.EMPLOYEEID
            FROM SAMPLETABLE AS a
            ORDER BY a.SAMPLEID OFFSET  @__p_0 ROWS
          
          Suggestion: 
            � If the column used in the OrderBy clause contains duplicate values, the result may be inconsistent.
              To ensure consistent ordering and predictable paging, it is recommended to include additional columns in the OrderBy clause.

v9.0.0.200
    � With this version, Code First support for Db2 for LUW and Db2 for z/OS is included. v9.0.0.100 version had support for Database First.

v9.0.0.100
    � Support for Microsoft EF Core 9
    � Issue Fixes: The LINQ query may fail with SQL0104N error, when EF application uses table entities, configured with SMALLINT(2) data type against DB2 for z/os database. For example:
	    LINQ Query:
		    _dbContext.Smalltabs.Where(x =>x.IncnstDspstnNoted !=1);
	    Entity Configuration:
		    protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
            {
                modelBuilder.Entity<Smalltab>(entity =>
                {
                    entity
                    .HasNoKey()
                    .ToTable("SMALLTAB", "SCHEMA1");
                    entity.Property(e => e.IncnstDspstnNoted)
                    .HasColumnType("smallint(2)")  //this causes wrong SQL generation
                    .HasColumnName("INCNST_DSPSTN_NOTED");
                    entity.Property(e => e.ItemId)
                    .HasColumnType("bigint(8)")
                    .HasColumnName("ITEM_ID");
                });
            }

Related Packages

� IBM.EntityFrameworkCore  : Windows x64
� IBM.EntityFrameworkCore-lnx.  : Linux AMD64
� IBM.EntityFrameworkCore-osx  : Mac ARM64 M1/M2/M3
� Net.IBM.EntityFrameworkCore-ppc : Linux ppc64le

How to enable logging

To enable Entity Framework Core (EF Core) logging, applications can be configured to use the simple built-in logging system as detailed here:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/core/logging-events-diagnostics/simple-logging

Requesting support

Please reach out to IBM Tech support for any issues in using this package:
https://www.ibm.com/mysupport/s/?language=en_US