How to specify table name with Entity Framework Code First Fluent API

Question

I have an Entity and I am to configure Entity Framework to map it to a database table with different name.

I can easily do this with Code First DataAnnotations (DataAnnotations.Schema.TableAttribute).

But due to limitations now I have to use Code First Fluent API (my domain objects will be used by external clients, so they shouldn't be technology-specific - e.g. have any references to DataAnnotations)

I've searched on MSDN but found nothing. So is it possible and how?

Thank you.

In general you should create DTO's (data transfer objects) and map your EF objects to them, you should never use the EF classes directly unless you're working on a small/trivial app. — reggaeguitar, Feb 24 '16 at 23:08

score 240 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 29 '14 at 18:18

240

You can also use the Table annotation:

[Table("InternalBlogs")]
public class Blog

See: Code First Data Annotations

answered Jun 29 '14 at 18:18

Assaf S.

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Thx, but if you carefully read my question - you'll see that apptoach directly in the middle of it :) – bairog Jun 30 '14 at 04:28
3

Even though the annotation is named "Table", it appears to work fine for views as well as for tables. – Jon Schneider May 19 '15 at 21:00
@JonSchneider I'm just arguing definitions here for no reason in particular, but a view is a read-only table. – Erik Bergstedt Aug 10 '15 at 11:57
1

The Table annotation resides in System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Schema;. – Pétur Ingi Egilsson Aug 25 '17 at 08:52
2

How has this got more upvotes, the question clearly asks for the fluent api version – Worthy7 Mar 25 '20 at 04:19

score 124 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 21 '14 at 15:14

124

You'll use the .ToTable() method:

modelBuilder.Entity<Department>().ToTable("t_Department");

Source: MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/jj591617.aspx

edited Oct 21 '14 at 15:14

Jack Allen

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answered Nov 25 '13 at 04:22

Martin Cron

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i prefer this because i want all anotations in one place – rajeemcariazo Mar 20 '16 at 10:49
it there any validation that the table exists? we renamed a table and nothing broke, is this the behavior you'd expect? it obviously can't do CRUD on the renamed table, but it doesn't seem to break anything... – AZ Chad May 11 '16 at 21:12

score 11 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 09 '17 at 19:41

11

Use ToTable method:

public class MyEntityMap : EntityTypeConfiguration<MyEntity>
{
    public const string TableName = "MyEntity";

    public MyEntityMap()
    {                   
        ToTable(TableName);

        Property(t => t.Id);
    }
}

edited Mar 09 '17 at 19:41

Alexey Zimarev

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answered Nov 25 '13 at 04:21

alexmac

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I think breaking out your mappings into classes is the cleanest approach. – SventoryMang Sep 06 '16 at 18:24
3

But then in your `OnModelCreating` method you have to do: `modelBuilder.Configurations.Add(new MyEntityMap());` where instead of you could have just added a `modelBuilder.Entity().ToTable("MyEntityTable");` so no, this is not the cleaner way unless you also had other mapping to do for this entity. – Serj Sagan May 22 '17 at 20:22

How to specify table name with Entity Framework Code First Fluent API

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