EF Core

Map a nested type to a single JSON column with ComplexProperty(...).ToJson(), let EF Core 11 store it in the native SQL Server 2025 json type, then query into it with LINQ that translates to JSON_VALUE, JSON_CONTAINS, and JSON_PATH_EXISTS.

Seed the join table of a many-to-many relationship in EF Core 11: the implicit shadow keys you must name yourself, the UsingEntity HasData pattern, and the runtime UseSeeding alternative that works with skip navigations.

Seed reference data the right way in EF Core 11 with UseSeeding and UseAsyncSeeding: where to configure them, when they run, the idempotency check you cannot skip, and why you must implement both.

Use AsNoTracking for read-only queries by default. Reach for AsNoTrackingWithIdentityResolution only when the result graph contains the same entity more than once and your code depends on getting a single shared instance back.

EF Core 11 Preview 5 ships the EF1004 analyzer. It flags ToAsyncEnumerable() on an IQueryable so you do not accidentally enumerate a database query synchronously inside an await foreach.

EF Core can't find a key for your type. Either name a property Id or {Type}Id, add [Key], call HasKey, or - if it is a view or raw SQL result - call HasNoKey.

EnableRetryOnFailure conflicts with BeginTransaction. Wrap the whole transaction in db.Database.CreateExecutionStrategy().ExecuteAsync(...) so it retries as one unit.

Stamp CreatedBy/ModifiedOn columns and write a full change-trail with an ISaveChangesInterceptor in EF Core 11, including the DI lifetime, current-user, and ExecuteUpdate gotchas.

A decision guide and real benchmark for EF Core 11: use ExecuteUpdate for set-based writes by a predicate, and the load-then-SaveChanges path only when you need the change tracker, interceptors, or a complex object graph.

A version-pinned migration guide from EF Core 6.0 to EF Core 11.0, walking the breaking changes across EF7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 that break real apps: Encrypt=True, OPENJSON Contains, PendingModelChangesWarning, the native json column, and the SqlClient 7.0 split.