Introduction
Entity Framework Core (EF Core) is Microsoft’s built-in ORM for .NET applications. It lets developers work with databases using .NET objects. This means teams can query and update their database using C# code instead of SQL. EF Core is lightweight, cross-platform, and supports SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
The framework simplifies data access and lets developers focus on application logic rather than database complexity. For more details, see the official documentation: Entity Framework Core Documentation.
Why this framework matters in your data stack
EF Core is widely used in OLTP environments. These operational databases often feed enterprise data pipelines. ETL tools such as Fivetran or Airbyte load data into warehouses like Snowflake or Azure Synapse. Once in the warehouse, data is transformed using dbt or Azure Data Factory. BI tools such as Power BI or Tableau consume the results.
Any EF Core model change—renaming a column, changing a data type, or removing a field—can break downstream transformations, dashboards, or analytics. Early visibility prevents costly data issues.
How Foundational analyzes this framework
Foundational’s Code Engine automates schema and lineage extraction directly from EF Core models. Teams can detect schema changes during development or inside Pull Requests. Early detection prevents downstream issues once code is deployed.
Foundational analyzes EF Core model classes directly in the codebase. It scans the source code files containing the EF Core models and extracts table names, columns, columns types and relationships.
For example, Foundational analyzes this C# file, and extract the Blogs and Posts tables, along with its columns.
Sample EF Core Code
Advantage of Foundational’s approach
Unlike traditional applications that pull schema information from databases after deployment, Foundational extracts EF Core class files directly from the codebase. This approach allows teams to evaluate downstream impacts before they make a change. It also helps them prevent breaking changes, avoid data incidents, and maintain high data quality.
If the engineering team changes EF Core files that affect the operational database in a way that breaks downstream processing, Foundational detects the EF Core changes, checks for issues, and alerts both the engineering team and the data engineering team. They can then prevent breaking changes by fixing them or by updating downstream consumers to handle the new structure.
Set up EF Core lineage in Foundational
Setup is simple. Connect the repository with your EF Core model classes. The Code Engine detects and extracts schema details automatically.
To connect to your source control, check out the relevant How-to article from the Help Center Connectors and Integrations category.
No additional configuration is required.
Useful links
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A Unique Approach Compared to Traditional Methods
While many tools rely on extracting schema information from the database after changes have been applied, Foundational takes a proactive approach by analyzing the EF Core model classes directly from the codebase. This method allows teams to gain visibility into potential schema changes earlier in the development cycle, reducing the risk of downstream breakages in production.
For example, rather than waiting for a migration to be applied to the database, Foundational inspects EF Core model classes and their relationships to extract schema details such as table names, column types, and constraints. By doing so, teams are informed of potential schema changes before they impact downstream systems.
Setup Instructions
Setting up schema and lineage extraction for EF Core models with Foundational is simple. Connect your repository containing the EF Core model classes, and Foundational’s Code Engine will automatically detect and extract the schema details.
Once connected, the Code Engine processes the EF Core models, providing full visibility into the schema and lineage within your data infrastructure—all without needing direct access to your production database.