What are some good Entity Framework Alternatives [closed]

Answer 1

I feel if I am going to sometimes write inline sql I might as well do all of it in inline sql

Seriously? When using any ORM, you're always going to hit situations where it is better, cleaner, or more performant, to use SQL or call a stored proc. You shouldn't just blindly trust it do absolutely everything for you in all situations.

Answer 2

Mindscape LightSpeed is an o/r mapper for .NET that supports full text search (via Lucene but extensible so you could add your own).

It also supports LINQ, has a Visual Studio integrated designer with full schema round tripping so you can work model-first or database-first - whichever takes your fancy :-)

There is also a free version that you can use to decide if it is right for you.

I hope that helps.

Answer 3

You might look at LLBLGen Pro or Telerik's OpenAccess, but NHibernate is going to be the solution with the largest community around it.

Answer 4

Like most people here I'd recommend NHibernate, but you may want to look into using it in conjunction with CastleProject's ActiveRecord implementation. NHibernate by itself can take a bit of getting used to, but when you throw ActiveRecord on top of it things get a lot easier. I was able to do an EntityFramework->NHibernate/ActiveRecord conversion really quickly.

Answer 5

NHibernate is one of the bigger OR/M alternatives and Open Source that I like. It is can do some pretty "advanced" things but has a steep learning curve.

Answer 6

I'm a fan of SubSonic by Rob Conery. It is (was) simple and easy to set up and use.