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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-20T10:09:22+00:00

My application has a complex schema for the domain entity. It is required use

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My application has a complex schema for the domain entity. It is required use SQL Server 2008. Following are the complexities:

Domain Entity is Hierarchical: The data structure is a tree; it is nested to many levels. Few nodes in the tree are repeatable (multi-valued). For example, the entity can have unlimited addresses (home, billing, shipping, office, etc.)
Domain Entity is Expandable: The schema may expand (not shrink) in future.

Designing such a schema directly as related SQL Server tables is quite challenging. If not designing, quering will surely be so.

I am thinking of using XML type to store the domain entity records. However I have following queries:

  • Due to peculiar reporting needs, each field should be query-able (within and across entity records). This applies to even the fields that are added in future to the schema.
  • While using XML type, since I lose the structure, what is the best Data Access Layer I can design?
  • Can I use Entity Framework effectively in this situation?
  • Any best practices recommended?
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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    One advice: DO NOT DO IT. Seriously. You are already down a slippery slope – etter learn to use databases.

    The “Domain Entity” you define here will be large, which means that querying it will be a challenge.Unlimited addresses means 100.000 plus that you ahve to be prepared to. Anyone stupid enough to ask for the xml document will get a bad surprise, as will the server.

    You also loose a lot of tooling left and right – from ORM’s to reporting tools. Simply because you abuse wthe XML support the databae has (which is planned to store documents, not act as pseudo database).

    Your queries:

    Due to peculiar reporting needs, each field should be query-able (within and across
    entity records). This applies to even the fields that are added in future to the schema.

    In the english language, this is not a query, you know. It is also not possible.

    While using XML type, since I lose the structure, what is the best Data Access Layer I can design?

    Start writing SQL. By hand. Or develop your own. You are way out of what people use XML For, so no predefined tooling support.

    Can I use Entity Framework effectively in this situation?

    Obviously no.

    Any best practices recommended?

    Yes, learn using SQL Server properly. This is NOT a good approach.

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