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Birupakhya Dash
Birupakhya Dash

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🚀 EF Core Just Changed the Way We Update Data — Here’s Why It Matters

🚀 EF Core Just Changed the Way We Update Data — Here’s Why It Matters

For years, updating records in Entity Framework followed a familiar pattern:

  1. Fetch data from the database
  2. Modify it in memory
  3. Call SaveChanges()

It worked—but it wasn’t efficient.

🧠 The Problem with the Old Approach 

var data = await _context.FtpRequestDetails
    .Where(x => x.FtpRequestId == ftpRequestId)
    .ToListAsync();

foreach (var item in data)
{
    item.FtpStatusId = 3;
}

await _context.SaveChangesAsync();
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❌ Issues:

  • Loads data into memory unnecessarily
  • Slower for large datasets
  • Requires change tracking
  • More boilerplate code

⚡ The Game-Changer: ExecuteUpdateAsync() (EF Core 7+)

EF Core introduced a set-based update approach that directly executes SQL without loading entities.

await _context.FtpRequestDetails
    .Where(x => x.FtpRequestId == ftpRequestId)
    .ExecuteUpdateAsync(setters => setters
        .SetProperty(x => x.FtpStatusId, 3)
        .SetProperty(x => x.ThreadLocked, (bool?)null)
        .SetProperty(x => x.ThreadUnlockedTime, DateTime.Now)
        .SetProperty(x => x.Comments, "Rejected Details")
    );
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🔍 What’s Happening Behind the Scenes?

This LINQ query is translated into a single SQL statement:

UPDATE FtpRequestDetails
SET 
    FtpStatusId = 3,
    ThreadLocked = NULL,
    ThreadUnlockedTime = GETDATE(),
    Comments = 'Rejected Details'
WHERE FtpRequestId = @ftpRequestId
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👉 No entity loading
👉 No loops
👉 Just pure SQL execution

💡 Why This Matters

🚀 Performance Boost

  • Eliminates unnecessary data fetching
  • Executes directly in the database
  • Ideal for bulk operations

🧹 Cleaner Code

  • No loops
  • No manual tracking
  • Minimal code, maximum impact

⚙️ Better Scalability

  • Handles large datasets efficiently
  • Perfect for background jobs & batch updates

⚠️ Things to Keep in Mind

❌ No Change Tracking

EF Core won’t track these changes.

❌ No SaveChanges()

This executes immediately—no unit of work involved.

❌ No Entity Events

Hooks, validations, or domain events won’t run.

🧭 When Should You Use It?

✔ Bulk updates
✔ Background processing
✔ Performance-critical operations
✔ Updating multiple records at once

🚫 When NOT to Use It

❌ If you rely on:

  • Business logic per entity
  • Validation rules
  • Domain events or auditing

🆚 Old vs New

Feature Old Approach New Approach
Performance ❌ Slower ✅ Faster
Memory Usage ❌ High ✅ Low
Change Tracking ✅ Yes ❌ No
Code Complexity ❌ More ✅ Less

🏁 Final Thoughts

EF Core’s ExecuteUpdateAsync() is a major shift toward modern, high-performance data handling.

It brings the power of SQL directly into LINQ—without sacrificing readability.

👉 If you're still using the old pattern for bulk updates, it's time to upgrade.

💬 Have you started using ExecuteUpdateAsync() yet?
Would love to hear your experience!

DotNet #EFCore #CleanCode #Performance #SoftwareEngineering #CSharp #Developers

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