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In one of our environments, we have built a code generator where the power user can create models at runtime and deploy them. No need to mention that we are using EF 5.0 Code First.

Our application itself also has many models that it is using internally. So the dbContext may end up having at least 80 properties and more (80+ tables).

What we are observing is that the initial asp.net application load time is rather high and the memory consumption in the IIS process is high as well (600MB+).

What are the ways that we can configure EF to be more careful with performance and memory usage?

UPDATE: Seems like the only way to do pre-compiled view generation for fixed entities. This way we can boost the performance since ratio of fixed models to dynamic ones is 60% to 40% in our projects

How do we generate per-compiled views for Code-First?

UPDATE: Using EF Power Tools I was able to generate the views. Now i am wondering if I can have two separate Code-First Contexts in the same project. For one I intend to generate views since the models are fixed. The second one models can be changed by administrators, so for now I have no easy way of generating views for them. Do you think this would be possible?

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  • The only feature you can use to reduce the complexity of EF initialization is using pre-generated views. Commented Mar 25, 2013 at 19:46
  • What about the memory consumption in a hosting environment we will have problems with this size of worker process! Commented Mar 25, 2013 at 20:37
  • EF has big memory footprint. You can only try to use pregenerated views and the latest version (try EF6 alpha). If it doesn't help increase memory limits for your worker process. The core issue in your application is most probably your "code generator". If it means deployment of new assemblies at runtime you chose a dead end - that is not an architecture suitable for EF and web. Every change will cause recycling of your worker process and long (and memory consuming) initialization and there will be no workaround. Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 8:26
  • What framework do you recommend that allows us to still have code-based approach (DB table mapped to Models) but would be suitable for such environment as I characterized above? Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 12:28
  • None. If you want to have strongly typed models you cannot modify database schema at runtime. If you want to modify database schema at runtime, use datasets or data reader directly (with SQL script for initial database creation). Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 12:56

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You have a very specific situation - given the dynamic nature of your code-gen vs code-first models -and as @Ladislav mentioned. I'm not sure there is an 'easy answer' if at all.

Normally you can make views at (pre)compile-time - e.g. EF Power Tools. That's not going to work for you.

'EdmGen.exe' is the utility that does most of that, so automating that somehow may be one option - but I haven't tried, and is probably a challenge given what you have.

T4 templates - is the other option.
This is the best source of info for what you require - How to use a T4 template for View Generation

However I'm not sure if that's going to help you either. Problem is it needs the EDMX model generated in the first place - and that's usually done by hand.

Now, you could invoke a tool for that - or try to sort of 'reverse engineer' the EDMX model somehow - and see how it's constructed by EF in the first place. I'm not sure, it's a bit 'speculative'.

Here is the post I made about what I know on the EDMX reader/writer, and how you can use that. Not sure, but maybe expands your horizons a bit:)
EF 4.3 Code First Migrations - Uncompress __MigrationHistory Model

Also I can link in some more info about how to access metadata from code, via DbContext, but again I'm not sure if that is of any use to you, you probably need all that info 'before hand'.

And you'll probably need to engage into EF source code, to be able to follow and understand how it works, and how to do what you need, if you haven't already.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/adonet/archive/2008/06/20/how-to-use-a-t4-template-for-view-generation.aspx
EF 4.3 Code First Migrations - Uncompress __MigrationHistory Model
http://edmxdom.codeplex.com/ (EF 6 but it overlaps, you can also find the EF5)

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6 Comments

Is there a documentation some where that contains the specification of per-complied views? file formats, etc?
I didn't see it, nor I was looking for that specifically - but you can take a look at it if you use the tool - generate a few to see what it is. It's a big code-generation file like for different queries. I don't think you can get a real 'specs' for that. Maybe check the T4 templates as that's closest to specs I think - and yes maybe try to do something like that - given the runtime data you have.
I wish there was a way to programatically create the pre-generated views!
I think you'd need to wrap that utility I mentioned - and there may be some powershell involved - I think it's possible, but I haven't played with that so can't give you any more clues than that
Is it possible to have two Contexts within the same ASP.NET website (possibly in two different DLL files), where for one them pre-generated views are created and for the other one there would be no pre-generated views? We are trying this in-house and we are running into issues... it seems to be all or none. Any help would be appreciated
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