As many of you probably know already, we are going to release Q1 a month earlier this year (in mid-February). As the release date is approaching we are proud to show you the improvements in the product we have developed in the last several months.
Following your feedback and advices, we have dedicated this version mostly to usability and optimization of the time you spend working with large Domain Models.
We have acknowledged that if you have hundreds of domain classes or tables with plenty of columns, modifying your model can sometimes become a boring and lengthy task. In order to reduce a sequence of many edit operations on your model to a single click action, we have developed the Batch Operations dialog. It allows you to:
In order to bring forward all the API functionality you need and make it more straight-forward to use, we have added some new features in the Context API. You will be able to easily access the object tracking, flush your changes without ending a transaction, dispose a Database object or use the L2 cache functionality. In addition, you will be able to make your context read-only to avoid unwanted changes to the database - by just setting a single flag to True.
We have not forgotten the Fluent API fans either. Many of you are working in a Database First scenario where the database is already designed, and you need to add the entire mapping by coding. While this is doable with dozens of tables, it is not so easy if you have hundreds of them. Our main goal is saving you time and making your life easier, so we have released the Fluent API Code Generation functionality. Now besides the XML and Attributes mapping types in the Add Domain Model wizard, you can also choose Fluent Mapping.
In this case, instead of an OpenAccessContext, you will get an auto-generated FluentMappingContext with all the default mapping configurations coded for you. After the code generation you are free to enhance the code with your specific requirements, which makes it a great starting point for your Fluent API implementation.
Apart from the major features described above, we have made several other improvements you might find useful:
The latest Telerik release is just around the corner and we have tons of new stuff to show off. If you are eager to see the new bits and sharpen your .NET skills, be sure to sign up for Release Webinar Week. This 3-day event is packed with hour-long webinar sessions on the coolest new features shipping with the Q1 2012 release. Release Webinar Week will be held on February 20 - 22, so mark your calendars.
One lucky winner from each webinar will leave with a Telerik Ultimate Collection license worth $1999. To enter the drawing and participate in the Q&A session, you must attend the live webinar.
Vassil Petev is a Product Manager at Telerik. Loves gadgets, sailing, skiing and DJing.