I have a project that implemented Linq To SQL, and I was pretty happy with it. For quite awhile the biggest problem was just that the designer was buggy.
Unfortunately, my project now requires multiple table inheritance, and Linq to SQL does not support it. I decided to switch to Entity Framework when I learned that it does support multiple inheritance and seems to be the direction Microsoft is heading. But now I’m starting to regret that decision.
For instance, calling Load()? WTF? If I didn’t want that data, I wouldn’t be asking for it! Figuring out all of Entity Framework’s anal quirks is becoming a huge thorn in my side.
Anyway… is there a light at the end of the tunnel? When I’m all done, will using EF be worth while, or have I made a terrible decision?
Finally, I would like to ask: where has Microsoft been with the whole ORM thing? Rails’ ActiveRecord has been working beautifully and simply for years now.
You are not alone in your pain. There has been a series of posts on the ADO.NET blog discussing the enhancements that are being made to the Entity Framework in .NET 4.0. They seem to be pretty significant, but whether or not they are sufficient for your needs, only you can judge.