Multiple databases with slightly changing models. How do I allow Entity Framework to remove columns at run-time?

Question

This is a followup on \"Multiple databases with slightly changing models. How do I allow EF to work with different database structures at run-time?\" question:

I am work

Answer 1

Ok so I built this nasty thing that allows to remove columns from tables at runtime.

1.You will need to add constructor overload to your DbContext (*.edmx->*.Context.tt ->*.Context.cs) like:

public partial class EcomEntities : DbContext
{
    public EcomEntities(DbConnection connection)
        : base(connection, true)
    {
    }

    public EcomEntities(string connectionString)
        : base(connectionString)
    {
    }

2.You will need database connection changer (I am hardcoding parameters explicitly here for clarity, one normally would get them from SystemToDatabaseMapping). ColumnsToRemove has table and column names that need to be removed, EF connectionString is self explanatory.

public void ChangeConnection(SystemToDatabaseMapping systemToDatabaseMapping)
{  
    if (systemToDatabaseMapping.ColumnsToRemove != null)
        {
            var entityConnection = EntityConnectionExtensions.Create(
                new List<ColumnsToRemove> { new ColumnsToRemove("QUOTE_HOUSE", "UPRN"), new ColumnsToRemove("QUOTE_HOUSE", "INSIGHT_DATA") },
                systemToDatabaseMapping.ConnectionString);
            this.Ecom = new EcomEntities(entityConnection);
        }
        else
        {
            this.Ecom = new EcomEntities(systemToDatabaseMapping.ConnectionString);
        }
 ....
}

And then the guy that actually does nasty things like removes nodes from entity mapping xmls, before feeding them to MetadataWorkspace

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Data.Common;
using System.Data.Entity.Core.EntityClient;
using System.Data.Entity.Core.Mapping;
using System.Data.Entity.Core.Metadata.Edm;
using System.Linq;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Linq;

public static class EntityConnectionExtensions
{
    public static IEnumerable<XElement> ElementsAnyNS<T>(this IEnumerable<T> source, string localName)
        where T : XContainer
    {
        return source.Elements().Where(e => e.Name.LocalName == localName);
    }

    public static IEnumerable<XElement> ElementsAnyNS(this XContainer source, string localName)
    {
        return source.Elements().Where(e => e.Name.LocalName == localName);
    }

    private static void RemoveNodes(XElement element, List<ColumnsToRemove> tableAndColumn)
    {
        if (element.Attribute("Name") != null && tableAndColumn.Any(oo => oo.Table == element.Attribute("Name").Value) ||
            element.Attribute("StoreEntitySet") != null && tableAndColumn.Any(oo => oo.Table == element.Attribute("StoreEntitySet").Value))
        {
            var matchingSelectParts = tableAndColumn.Where(oo => element.Value.Contains(string.Format("\"{0}\".\"{1}\" AS \"{1}\"", oo.Table, oo.Column))).ToList();
            if (matchingSelectParts.Any())
            {
                foreach (var matchingSelectPart in matchingSelectParts)
                {
                    var definingQuery = element.ElementsAnyNS("DefiningQuery").Single();
                    definingQuery.Value = definingQuery.Value.Replace(string.Format(", \n\"{0}\".\"{1}\" AS \"{1}\"", matchingSelectPart.Table, matchingSelectPart.Column), "");
                }
            }
            else
            {
                var nodes = element.Nodes()
                    .Where(o =>
                        o is XElement
                        && ((XElement) o).Attribute("Name") != null
                        && tableAndColumn.Any(oo => ((XElement) o).Attribute("Name").Value == oo.Column));
                foreach (var node in nodes.ToList())
                {
                    node.Remove();
                }
            }
        }
    }

    public static EntityConnection Create(List<ColumnsToRemove> tablesAndColumns, string connString)
    {
        var modelNameRegex = new Regex(@".*metadata=res:\/\/\*\/([a-zA-Z.]*).csdl|.*");
        var model = modelNameRegex.Matches(connString).Cast<Match>().SelectMany(o => o.Groups.Cast<Group>().Skip(1).Where(oo => oo.Value != "")).Select(o => o.Value).First();

        var conceptualReader = XmlReader.Create(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream(model + ".csdl"));
        var mappingReader = XmlReader.Create(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream(model + ".msl"));
        var storageReader = XmlReader.Create(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream(model + ".ssdl"));

        var conceptualXml = XElement.Load(conceptualReader);
        var mappingXml = XElement.Load(mappingReader);
        var storageXml = XElement.Load(storageReader);

        foreach (var entitySet in new[] {storageXml, conceptualXml}.SelectMany(xml => xml.Elements()))
        {
            if (entitySet.Attribute("Name").Value == "ModelStoreContainer")
            {
                foreach (var entityContainerEntitySet in entitySet.Elements())
                {
                    RemoveNodes(entityContainerEntitySet, tablesAndColumns);
                }
            }

            RemoveNodes(entitySet, tablesAndColumns);
        }

        foreach (var entitySet in mappingXml.Elements().ElementAt(0).Elements())
        {
            if (entitySet.Name.LocalName == "EntitySetMapping")
            {
                foreach (var entityContainerEntitySet in entitySet.Elements().First().Elements())
                {
                    RemoveNodes(entityContainerEntitySet, tablesAndColumns);
                }
            }

            RemoveNodes(entitySet, tablesAndColumns);
        }

        var storageCollection = new StoreItemCollection(new [] {storageXml.CreateReader()});
        var conceptualCollection = new EdmItemCollection(new[] { conceptualXml.CreateReader() });
        var mappingCollection = new StorageMappingItemCollection(conceptualCollection, storageCollection, new[] {mappingXml.CreateReader()});

        var workspace = new MetadataWorkspace();

        workspace.RegisterItemCollection(conceptualCollection);
        workspace.RegisterItemCollection(storageCollection);
        workspace.RegisterItemCollection(mappingCollection);

        var connectionData = new EntityConnectionStringBuilder(connString);
        var connection = DbProviderFactories
            .GetFactory(connectionData.Provider)
            .CreateConnection();
        connection.ConnectionString = connectionData.ProviderConnectionString;

        return new EntityConnection(workspace, connection);
    }
}

public class ColumnsToRemove
{
    public ColumnsToRemove(string table, string column)
    {
        Table = table;
        Column = column;
    }

    public string Table { get; set; }
    public string Column { get; set; }
}

public class SystemToDatabaseMapping
{
    public string ConnectionString { get; set; }
    public List<ColumnsToRemove> ColumnsToRemove  { get; set; }
}

Hope this saves you some time.