Back in April we announced the release of Entity Framework 4.1 (EF 4.1), today we are releasing Entity Framework 4.1 – Update 1. This is a refresh of the EF 4.1 release that includes a small number of bug fixes and some new types to support the upcoming migrations preview.

What’s in Update 1?

Update 1 includes a small set of changes including:

  • Bug fix to remove the need to specify ‘Persist Security Info=True’ in the connection string when using SQL authentication. In the EF 4.1 release ‘Persist Security Info’ was required for Code First to be able to create a database for a connection using SQL Authentication. The update includes a fix to remove this requirement. Note that ‘Persist Security Info’ is still required if you construct a DbContext using a DbConnection instance that has already been opened and closed.
  • Introduction of new types to facilitate design-time tools for Code First. Update 1 introduces a set of types to make it easier for design time tools to interact with derived DbContexts:
    • DbContextInfo can be used to instantiate and interact with a derived context as well as determine information about the origin of the connection string etc..
    • IDbContextFactory<TContext> is used to let DbContextInfo know how to construct derived DbContext types that do not expose a default constructor. If your context does not expose a default constructor then an implementation if IDbContextFactory should be included in the same assembly as your derived context type.

 

How Do I Get Update 1?

Entity Framework 4.1 – Update 1 is available in a couple of places:

  • Download the stand alone installer
    Note: This is a complete install of EF 4.1 and does not require a previous installation of the original EF 4.1 RTM.
  • Add or upgrade the ‘EntityFramework’ NuGet package
    Note: If you have previously run the EF 4.1 stand alone installer you will need to upgrade or remove the installation before using the updated NuGet package. This is because the installer will add the EF 4.1 assembly to the Global Assembly Cache (GAC). When available the GAC’d version of the assembly will be used at runtime.
    Note:     The NuGet package only includes the EF 4.1 runtime and does not include the Visual Studio item templates for using DbContext with Model First and Database First development.

 

Getting Started with EF 4.1

There are a number of resources to help you get started with EF 4.1:

 

Support

This release can be used in a live operating environment subject to the terms in the License Terms. The ADO.NET Entity Framework Forum can be used for questions relating to this release.

 

ADO.NET Entity Framework Team