ef-core-migration

name	ef-core-migration
description	Entity Framework Core migration patterns for PHP Eloquent/Doctrine to EF Core. Use when converting Eloquent models to EF Core entities, migrating relationships, creating DbContext, or setting up EF Core migrations.

EF Core Migration from PHP ORM

Use this skill when migrating PHP ORM (Eloquent/Doctrine) to Entity Framework Core.

When to Use This Skill

• Converting Eloquent models to EF Core entities
• Migrating Doctrine entities to EF Core
• Setting up relationships (hasMany, belongsTo, belongsToMany)
• Creating and running EF Core migrations
• Configuring soft deletes, timestamps, and scopes

Template Files

See the templates directory:

• Entity.cs - Sample entity with relationships
• DbContext.cs - DbContext with configuration
• Migration commands - Common EF Core commands

Eloquent to EF Core Mapping

Model Properties

Eloquent	EF Core
protected $table = 'users'	[Table("users")] or Fluent API
protected $primaryKey = 'user_id'	[Key] or HasKey()
public $incrementing = false	ValueGeneratedNever()
protected $keyType = 'string'	Use string type for key
public $timestamps = false	Don't add timestamp properties
protected $fillable = [...]	Not needed (use DTOs)
protected $guarded = [...]	Not needed (use DTOs)
protected $hidden = [...]	[JsonIgnore] or DTO mapping
protected $casts = [...]	Data annotations or value converters

Relationship Mapping

Eloquent Method	EF Core
hasOne()	Navigation property + HasOne().WithOne()
hasMany()	ICollection<T> + HasMany().WithOne()
belongsTo()	Navigation property + HasOne().WithMany()
belongsToMany()	Join entity + two HasMany()
morphTo()	Discriminator pattern
morphMany()	Polymorphic with discriminator

Common Patterns

Soft Deletes

// Entity
public DateTime? DeletedAt { get; set; }

// DbContext
entity.HasQueryFilter(e => e.DeletedAt == null);

Timestamps

public override Task<int> SaveChangesAsync(...)
{
    foreach (var entry in ChangeTracker.Entries<IHasTimestamps>())
    {
        if (entry.State == EntityState.Added)
            entry.Entity.CreatedAt = DateTime.UtcNow;
        entry.Entity.UpdatedAt = DateTime.UtcNow;
    }
    return base.SaveChangesAsync(...);
}

Scopes → Extension Methods

// Eloquent: $query->active()->inCategory($id)
// EF Core:
public static IQueryable<Product> Active(this IQueryable<Product> query)
    => query.Where(p => p.IsActive);

public static IQueryable<Product> InCategory(this IQueryable<Product> query, int id)
    => query.Where(p => p.CategoryId == id);

// Usage:
var products = await _context.Products
    .Active()
    .InCategory(5)
    .ToListAsync();

Migration Commands

# Create initial migration
dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate

# Apply migrations
dotnet ef database update

# Generate SQL script
dotnet ef migrations script -o migration.sql

# Remove last migration (if not applied)
dotnet ef migrations remove

# Revert to specific migration
dotnet ef database update MigrationName

Data Type Mapping

PHP/MySQL	C#/.NET	SQL Server
int	int	int
bigint	long	bigint
decimal(10,2)	decimal	decimal(18,2)
varchar(255)	string	nvarchar(255)
text	string	nvarchar(max)
boolean / tinyint(1)	bool	bit
datetime	DateTime	datetime2
date	DateOnly	date
time	TimeOnly	time
json	string (with converter)	nvarchar(max)
enum	enum	int or nvarchar

Best Practices

1. Use migrations - Never modify database schema manually
2. Configure in Fluent API - Prefer Fluent API over data annotations for complex config
3. Split configurations - Use IEntityTypeConfiguration<T> for large entities
4. Use async - Always use ToListAsync(), FirstOrDefaultAsync(), etc.
5. Project to DTOs - Use .Select() to project to DTOs instead of loading full entities
6. Include explicitly - Use .Include() for eager loading, avoid lazy loading
7. Use no-tracking - Use AsNoTracking() for read-only queries