Newbie: how to execute MyData.edmx.sql

Question

I created a simple Entity Framework model application in VS 2012 by creating an MVC 4 project and adding a single data object using the constructor.

The first time I right-click on the surface of the designer and select "Create Database", it will offer me data about the connection to the database. I suggest using the local database file in the App_data folder. When this is done, he created my (empty) database file and presents me with the brilliant new file MyData.edmx.sql.

Ok, so I assume that I need to execute this sql file against my new database file. But I cannot understand the magic to do this. When I right-click the sql file and select Execute, it tells me that I am using the Database Engine server type and it asks me for the server name. The only option available is MyPC \ SQLEXPRESS. But when I select this and click the Connect button, he complains that the [MyData] database does not exist (because I told her to use SQL Express and not LocalDb with my database file).

HELP. How to connect VS to a new database file?

Bean

Answer 1

Got a good answer to my question from Allen Lee (Microsoft Tech support) on the MSDN forum [here] . It turns out that Visual Studio apparently cannot run SQL scripts directly against the database file. You need to download and install SQL Server Management Studio and use it to “attach” the file to an existing SQLEXPRESS instance.

Allen pointed me to a blog post that details the process:

http://www.headcrash.us/blog/2010/11/model-first-entity-framework-with-mdf-database-files-in-app_data/

Answer 2

I encountered a similar problem when trying to execute edmx.sql in VS 2013, EF6. This solution is not mentioned anywhere, so I will add it here for anyone who may encounter the error: "Mynewdatabase does not exist." Below is my solution:

• Follow the instructions to compete with database generation from the model.
• Open the * .edmx.sql file (it should have opened automatically). Right-click anywhere in the text editor and select Run.
• If this is your first time connecting to this db, log in. A prompt will pop up. If you use LocalDB, enter the server in the same way as "(localdb) \ v11.0" and use Windows authentication.

Now the problem. If you get an error: "The database mynewdatabase does not exist", here's the fix: At the top of * .edmx.sql there is such a line:

USE [mynewdatabase]; 

You must change this to include the full path to the name of your database, for example. So:

 USE [D:\Projects\MyNewProject\MyNewProject\App_Data\mynewdatabase.mdf]; 

Now repeat step 2, and you should get a message that the database was created successfully.

Note1: .mdf extension required!

Note2: You must do this editing manually every time you create a database from a model, as this process overwrites edmx.sql.