Data First Appraoch in .NET Core MVC

 If you are using Local SQL Server Database, follow this Data First Approach (Step-by-Step) specifically for LocalDB.

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Step 1: Create Local Database (SQL Server LocalDB)

Open SQL Server Object Explorer in Visual Studio

Go to:

View → SQL Server Object Explorer

Then:

(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB

Right Click → Add New Database

Database Name:

EmployeeDB

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Step 2: Create Table

Right click EmployeeDB → Tables → Add New Table

Create:

CREATE TABLE Employee
(
    Id INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
    Name NVARCHAR(100),
    Email NVARCHAR(100),
    Department NVARCHAR(50),
    Salary DECIMAL(10,2)
)

Click Update → Update Database

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Step 3: Install Required Packages

Open Package Manager Console

Install:

Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer
Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools
Install-Package Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.CodeGeneration.Design

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Step 4: Get LocalDB Connection String

Right click Database → Properties

Copy Connection String

Usually looks like:

Server=(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;Database=EmployeeDB;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true

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Step 5: Add Connection String

Open appsettings.json

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "DefaultConnection": "Server=(localdb)\\MSSQLLocalDB;Database=EmployeeDB;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true;TrustServerCertificate=True"
}

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Step 6: Scaffold Database (Data First)

Open Package Manager Console

Run:

Scaffold-DbContext "Server=(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;Database=EmployeeDB;Trusted_Connection=True;TrustServerCertificate=True" Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer -OutputDir Models

After running command:

Visual Studio will generate:

Models
 ├── Employee.cs
 └── EmployeeDBContext.cs

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Step 7: Register DbContext

Open Program.cs

Add:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using YourProjectName.Models;

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

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Step 8: Create Controller

Right Click Controllers

Add → Controller

Select:

MVC Controller with views using Entity Framework

Choose:

Model class → Employee
DbContext → EmployeeDBContext

Click Add

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Step 9: Run Project

Run Project:

Ctrl + F5

Open:

https://localhost:xxxx/Employee

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LocalDB Example Structure

Controllers
 └── EmployeeController.cs

Models
 ├── Employee.cs
 └── EmployeeDBContext.cs

Views
 └── Employee
      ├── Index.cshtml
      ├── Create.cshtml
      ├── Edit.cshtml
      ├── Delete.cshtml

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Common Error Fix

If Scaffold command gives error:

Try:

Scaffold-DbContext "Name=DefaultConnection" Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer -OutputDir Models

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LocalDB Advantages

✅ No SQL Server Installation Required
✅ Lightweight
✅ Perfect for Development
✅ Easy Setup

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