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In NHibernate there is a Save(entityObject) method, which creates a new row in the database with the given entity object, also, has an Update(entityObject) which updates the row corresponding to the entity object with the property values of this object. It also has a SaveOrUpdate(entityObject) method, which checks the whether the entity object corresponds to an existing row in the database, and chooses whether to call Save(…) or Update(…) based on that.

The way I usually do web applications across multiple tiers, when not using view models specifically, makes me encapsulate much code in Services layer that sometimes does not need to care about whether the given entity is persisted in database or not. Thus wanted to have similar method using Entity Framework as ORM.

Of course I have implemented the method number of times and the code evolved based on which version of Entity Framework I’m coding against, and my knowledge of the framework internals as well.  Actually, when you work with so many ORMs like I did, a new ORM or ORM version turns to only sound like “What’s new in the manual?” thing.

While I was planning to write about the same topic and have the draft ready in my Windows Live Writer waiting to complete, I found an interesting question in StackOVerflow and couldn’t just resist to answer:

ORM/Persistence layer Advice

The question starts with:

I’m starting a new project and I’m looking around for either a very good ORM or for a non-SQL-based persistence layer.

Then follows up with a REALLY GOOD summary of what he believes about each known ORM he knew out of his own findings and search. I advice you to go read it.

However, all this investigation didn’t get him to a single choice answer. And I can’t blame him. This is one fo the questions that will remain for so long without a single answer, or maybe having the popular “It depends” answer.

I have had a LONG research in this topic as well. I have read for so long (and watched videos/casts) to make sure of the best usage of many ORMs and then used them sometimes in test projects sometimes in production, and I wanted to share my thoughts based on this. I posted a long answer there on the question in StackOverflow, and I want to share this answer with you here. I may also have a second part of this post based on my existing Windows Live Writer draft, but, based on my previous times, I think I won’t!