Part 5, work with a database in an ASP.NET Core MVC app

Note

This isn't the latest version of this article. For the current release, see the ASP.NET Core 8.0 version of this article.

By Rick Anderson and Jon P Smith.

The MvcMovieContext object handles the task of connecting to the database and mapping Movie objects to database records. The database context is registered with the Dependency Injection container in the Program.cs file:

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddDbContext<MvcMovieContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("MvcMovieContext")));

The ASP.NET Core Configuration system reads the ConnectionString key. For local development, it gets the connection string from the appsettings.json file:

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "MvcMovieContext": "Data Source=MvcMovieContext-ea7a4069-f366-4742-bd1c-3f753a804ce1.db"
}

When the app is deployed to a test or production server, an environment variable can be used to set the connection string to a production SQL Server. For more information, see Configuration.

SQL Server Express LocalDB

LocalDB:

  • Is a lightweight version of the SQL Server Express Database Engine, installed by default with Visual Studio.
  • Starts on demand by using a connection string.
  • Is targeted for program development. It runs in user mode, so there's no complex configuration.
  • By default creates .mdf files in the C:/Users/{user} directory.

Examine the database

From the View menu, open SQL Server Object Explorer (SSOX).

Right-click on the Movie table (dbo.Movie) > View Designer

Right-click on the Movie table > View Designer.

Movie table open in Designer

Note the key icon next to ID. By default, EF makes a property named ID the primary key.

Right-click on the Movie table > View Data

Right-click on the Movie table > View Data.

Movie table open showing table data

Seed the database

Create a new class named SeedData in the Models folder. Replace the generated code with the following:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using System;
using System.Linq;

namespace MvcMovie.Models;

public static class SeedData
{
    public static void Initialize(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
    {
        using (var context = new MvcMovieContext(
            serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<
                DbContextOptions<MvcMovieContext>>()))
        {
            // Look for any movies.
            if (context.Movie.Any())
            {
                return;   // DB has been seeded
            }
            context.Movie.AddRange(
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "When Harry Met Sally",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1989-2-12"),
                    Genre = "Romantic Comedy",
                    Price = 7.99M
                },
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "Ghostbusters ",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1984-3-13"),
                    Genre = "Comedy",
                    Price = 8.99M
                },
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "Ghostbusters 2",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1986-2-23"),
                    Genre = "Comedy",
                    Price = 9.99M
                },
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "Rio Bravo",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1959-4-15"),
                    Genre = "Western",
                    Price = 3.99M
                }
            );
            context.SaveChanges();
        }
    }
}

If there are any movies in the database, the seed initializer returns and no movies are added.

if (context.Movie.Any())
{
    return;  // DB has been seeded.
}

Add the seed initializer

Replace the contents of Program.cs with the following code. The new code is highlighted.

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using MvcMovie.Models;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddDbContext<MvcMovieContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("MvcMovieContext")));

// Add services to the container.
builder.Services.AddControllersWithViews();

var app = builder.Build();

using (var scope = app.Services.CreateScope())
{
    var services = scope.ServiceProvider;

    SeedData.Initialize(services);
}

// Configure the HTTP request pipeline.
if (!app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Home/Error");
    // The default HSTS value is 30 days. You may want to change this for production scenarios, see https://aka.ms/aspnetcore-hsts.
    app.UseHsts();
}

app.UseHttpsRedirection();
app.UseStaticFiles();

app.UseRouting();

app.UseAuthorization();

app.MapControllerRoute(
    name: "default",
    pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

app.Run();

Delete all the records in the database. You can do this with the delete links in the browser or from SSOX.

Test the app. Force the app to initialize, calling the code in the Program.cs file, so the seed method runs. To force initialization, close the command prompt window that Visual Studio opened, and restart by pressing Ctrl+F5.

The app shows the seeded data.

MVC Movie app open in Microsoft Edge showing movie data

The MvcMovieContext object handles the task of connecting to the database and mapping Movie objects to database records. The database context is registered with the Dependency Injection container in the Program.cs file:

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddDbContext<MvcMovieContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("MvcMovieContext")));

The ASP.NET Core Configuration system reads the ConnectionString key. For local development, it gets the connection string from the appsettings.json file:

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "MvcMovieContext": "Data Source=MvcMovieContext-ea7a4069-f366-4742-bd1c-3f753a804ce1.db"
}

When the app is deployed to a test or production server, an environment variable can be used to set the connection string to a production SQL Server. For more information, see Configuration.

SQL Server Express LocalDB

LocalDB:

  • Is a lightweight version of the SQL Server Express Database Engine, installed by default with Visual Studio.
  • Starts on demand by using a connection string.
  • Is targeted for program development. It runs in user mode, so there's no complex configuration.
  • By default creates .mdf files in the C:/Users/{user} directory.

Examine the database

From the View menu, open SQL Server Object Explorer (SSOX).

Right-click on the Movie table (dbo.Movie) > View Designer

Right-click on the Movie table > View Designer.

Movie table open in Designer

Note the key icon next to ID. By default, EF makes a property named ID the primary key.

Right-click on the Movie table > View Data

Right-click on the Movie table > View Data.

Movie table open showing table data

Seed the database

Create a new class named SeedData in the Models folder. Replace the generated code with the following:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using System;
using System.Linq;

namespace MvcMovie.Models;

public static class SeedData
{
    public static void Initialize(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
    {
        using (var context = new MvcMovieContext(
            serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<
                DbContextOptions<MvcMovieContext>>()))
        {
            // Look for any movies.
            if (context.Movie.Any())
            {
                return;   // DB has been seeded
            }
            context.Movie.AddRange(
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "When Harry Met Sally",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1989-2-12"),
                    Genre = "Romantic Comedy",
                    Price = 7.99M
                },
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "Ghostbusters ",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1984-3-13"),
                    Genre = "Comedy",
                    Price = 8.99M
                },
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "Ghostbusters 2",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1986-2-23"),
                    Genre = "Comedy",
                    Price = 9.99M
                },
                new Movie
                {
                    Title = "Rio Bravo",
                    ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1959-4-15"),
                    Genre = "Western",
                    Price = 3.99M
                }
            );
            context.SaveChanges();
        }
    }
}

If there are any movies in the database, the seed initializer returns and no movies are added.

if (context.Movie.Any())
{
    return;  // DB has been seeded.
}

<a name=snippet_"si">

Add the seed initializer

Replace the contents of Program.cs with the following code. The new code is highlighted.

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using MvcMovie.Models;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddDbContext<MvcMovieContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("MvcMovieContext")));

// Add services to the container.
builder.Services.AddControllersWithViews();

var app = builder.Build();

using (var scope = app.Services.CreateScope())
{
    var services = scope.ServiceProvider;

    SeedData.Initialize(services);
}

// Configure the HTTP request pipeline.
if (!app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Home/Error");
    // The default HSTS value is 30 days. You may want to change this for production scenarios, see https://aka.ms/aspnetcore-hsts.
    app.UseHsts();
}

app.UseHttpsRedirection();
app.UseStaticFiles();

app.UseRouting();

app.UseAuthorization();

app.MapControllerRoute(
    name: "default",
    pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

app.Run();

Delete all the records in the database. You can do this with the delete links in the browser or from SSOX.

Test the app. Force the app to initialize, calling the code in the Program.cs file, so the seed method runs. To force initialization, close the command prompt window that Visual Studio opened, and restart by pressing Ctrl+F5.

The app shows the seeded data.

MVC Movie app open in Microsoft Edge showing movie data

The MvcMovieContext object handles the task of connecting to the database and mapping Movie objects to database records. The database context is registered with the Dependency Injection container in the Program.cs file:

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddDbContext<MvcMovieContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("MvcMovieContext")));

The ASP.NET Core Configuration system reads the ConnectionString key. For local development, it gets the connection string from the appsettings.json file:

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "MvcMovieContext": "Server=(localdb)\\mssqllocaldb;Database=MvcMovieContext-7dc5;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true"
}

When the app is deployed to a test or production server, an environment variable can be used to set the connection string to a production SQL Server. For more information, see Configuration.

SQL Server Express LocalDB

LocalDB:

  • Is a lightweight version of the SQL Server Express Database Engine, installed by default with Visual Studio.
  • Starts on demand by using a connection string.
  • Is targeted for program development. It runs in user mode, so there's no complex configuration.
  • By default creates .mdf files in the C:/Users/{user} directory.

Seed the database

Create a new class named SeedData in the Models folder. Replace the generated code with the following:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using System;
using System.Linq;

namespace MvcMovie.Models
{
    public static class SeedData
    {
        public static void Initialize(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
        {
            using (var context = new MvcMovieContext(
                serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<
                    DbContextOptions<MvcMovieContext>>()))
            {
                // Look for any movies.
                if (context.Movie.Any())
                {
                    return;   // DB has been seeded
                }

                context.Movie.AddRange(
                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "When Harry Met Sally",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1989-2-12"),
                        Genre = "Romantic Comedy",
                        Price = 7.99M
                    },

                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "Ghostbusters ",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1984-3-13"),
                        Genre = "Comedy",
                        Price = 8.99M
                    },

                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "Ghostbusters 2",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1986-2-23"),
                        Genre = "Comedy",
                        Price = 9.99M
                    },

                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "Rio Bravo",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1959-4-15"),
                        Genre = "Western",
                        Price = 3.99M
                    }
                );
                context.SaveChanges();
            }
        }
    }
}

If there are any movies in the database, the seed initializer returns and no movies are added.

if (context.Movie.Any())
{
    return;  // DB has been seeded.
}

Add the seed initializer

Replace the contents of Program.cs with the following code. The new code is highlighted.

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using MvcMovie.Models;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddDbContext<MvcMovieContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("MvcMovieContext")));

// Add services to the container.
builder.Services.AddControllersWithViews();

var app = builder.Build();

using (var scope = app.Services.CreateScope())
{
    var services = scope.ServiceProvider;

    SeedData.Initialize(services);
}

// Configure the HTTP request pipeline.
if (!app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Home/Error");
    // The default HSTS value is 30 days. You may want to change this for production scenarios, see https://aka.ms/aspnetcore-hsts.
    app.UseHsts();
}

app.UseHttpsRedirection();
app.UseStaticFiles();

app.UseRouting();

app.UseAuthorization();

app.MapControllerRoute(
    name: "default",
    pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

app.Run();

Delete all the records in the database. You can do this with the delete links in the browser or from SSOX.

Test the app. Force the app to initialize, calling the code in the Program.cs file, so the seed method runs. To force initialization, close the command prompt window that Visual Studio opened, and restart by pressing Ctrl+F5.

The app shows the seeded data.

MVC Movie app open in Microsoft Edge showing movie data

The MvcMovieContext object handles the task of connecting to the database and mapping Movie objects to database records. The database context is registered with the Dependency Injection container in the ConfigureServices method in the Startup.cs file:

public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    services.AddControllersWithViews();

    services.AddDbContext<MvcMovieContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(Configuration.GetConnectionString("MvcMovieContext")));
}

The ASP.NET Core Configuration system reads the ConnectionString key. For local development, it gets the connection string from the appsettings.json file:

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "MvcMovieContext": "Server=(localdb)\\mssqllocaldb;Database=MvcMovieContext-2;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true"
}

When the app is deployed to a test or production server, an environment variable can be used to set the connection string to a production SQL Server. For more information, see Configuration.

SQL Server Express LocalDB

LocalDB:

  • Is a lightweight version of the SQL Server Express Database Engine, installed by default with Visual Studio.
  • Starts on demand by using a connection string.
  • Is targeted for program development. It runs in user mode, so there's no complex configuration.
  • By default creates .mdf files in the C:/Users/{user} directory.

Examine the database

From the View menu, open SQL Server Object Explorer (SSOX).

View menu

Right-click on the Movie table > View Designer

Right-click on the Movie table > View Designer

Movie table open in Designer

Note the key icon next to ID. By default, EF makes a property named ID the primary key.

Right-click on the Movie table > View Data

Right-click on the Movie table > View Data

Movie table open showing table data

Seed the database

Create a new class named SeedData in the Models folder. Replace the generated code with the following:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using System;
using System.Linq;

namespace MvcMovie.Models
{
    public static class SeedData
    {
        public static void Initialize(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
        {
            using (var context = new MvcMovieContext(
                serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<
                    DbContextOptions<MvcMovieContext>>()))
            {
                // Look for any movies.
                if (context.Movie.Any())
                {
                    return;   // DB has been seeded
                }

                context.Movie.AddRange(
                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "When Harry Met Sally",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1989-2-12"),
                        Genre = "Romantic Comedy",
                        Price = 7.99M
                    },

                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "Ghostbusters ",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1984-3-13"),
                        Genre = "Comedy",
                        Price = 8.99M
                    },

                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "Ghostbusters 2",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1986-2-23"),
                        Genre = "Comedy",
                        Price = 9.99M
                    },

                    new Movie
                    {
                        Title = "Rio Bravo",
                        ReleaseDate = DateTime.Parse("1959-4-15"),
                        Genre = "Western",
                        Price = 3.99M
                    }
                );
                context.SaveChanges();
            }
        }
    }
}

If there are any movies in the database, the seed initializer returns and no movies are added.

if (context.Movie.Any())
{
    return;  // DB has been seeded.
}

Add the seed initializer

Replace the contents of Program.cs with the following code:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using MvcMovie.Data;
using MvcMovie.Models;
using System;

namespace MvcMovie
{
    public class Program
    {
        public static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var host = CreateHostBuilder(args).Build();

            using (var scope = host.Services.CreateScope())
            {
                var services = scope.ServiceProvider;

                try
                {
                    SeedData.Initialize(services);
                }
                catch (Exception ex)
                {
                    var logger = services.GetRequiredService<ILogger<Program>>();
                    logger.LogError(ex, "An error occurred seeding the DB.");
                }
            }

            host.Run();

        }

        public static IHostBuilder CreateHostBuilder(string[] args) =>
            Host.CreateDefaultBuilder(args)
                .ConfigureWebHostDefaults(webBuilder =>
                {
                    webBuilder.UseStartup<Startup>();
                });
    }
}

Test the app.

Delete all the records in the database. You can do this with the delete links in the browser or from SSOX.

Force the app to initialize, calling the methods in the Startup class, so the seed method runs. To force initialization, IIS Express must be stopped and restarted. You can do this with any of the following approaches:

  • Right-click the IIS Express system tray icon in the notification area and tap Exit or Stop Site:

    IIS Express system tray icon

    Contextual menu

    • If you were running VS in non-debug mode, press F5 to run in debug mode
    • If you were running VS in debug mode, stop the debugger and press F5

The app shows the seeded data.

MVC Movie app open in Microsoft Edge showing movie data