Ef core store enum as string. Instead, EF Core will pick the conversion to use based on the property type in the model and the requested database provider type. Int64 with Edm. g. 1+ supports Value Conversions. Value Using Enums as Strings in EF Core When working with Entity Framework Core (EF Core), one of the little decisions that can make a big impact is how you choose to store enums in your database. Store Enum and Enum? as string I'm looking for an easy way to set a global configuration in my DbContext to store as string any nullable or non-nullable Enumerations. Enum support in EF Core is quite extensive, in this article I’ll cover how to use an enum as a Primary Key, as well as storing the integer and string value of the enum in a column. However, the Npgsql provider also allows you to map your CLR enums to database enum types. You can use an enum in your code and have a lookup table in your db by using a combination of these two EF Core features: Value Conversions - to convert the enum to int when reading/writing to db You could do the conversion in code in the entity and map the underlying string property using EF (you can make the property private and still map it) and leave the enum property unmapped (e. NET 8 RC1 SDK. Also whatever you do it's a good idea to ensure that your C# enums have explicit values assigned so that you don't end up with an epic mess if/when someone decides that the enum should have a different order. If … Using enums in C# with EF Core is extremely easy and note that the use of a T4 template is completely optional, without a T4 template simply create a regular enum. 2 with Asp. Text. NET 7) using the HasConversion method. Key highlights include Complex Types for more expressive models, Unmapped Queries for running SQL without an ORM setup, Primitive Collections to store lists of primitives without extra tables, and support for `DateOnly` and `TimeOnly` types. However, if the enum is the appropriate device in C# -- and you are certain that the C# code should drive any change, rather than the database -- my preferred approach is to store the underlying value type in the database (bigint, int, smallint, tinyint) and then constrain the column with the valid enum values. The first release candidate of Entity Framework Core (EF Core) 8 is available on NuGet today! Basic information EF Core 8, or just EF8, is the successor to EF Core 7, and is scheduled for release in November 2023, at the same time as . WithMany() relationship and the configuration of the SeriesGenre table & FKs. . Int32 being the default underlying type if none has been specified. NullReferenceException: 'Object reference not set to an instance of an How to store enum contained in a list of objects as string using EF Core 3. Before specifying the conversion, the types need to be convertable. net core 2. Nov 2, 2023 · In this article, I have walked through how to store and retrieve enums as strings with Entity Framework Core. I need to store an enum in the database as string rather than integer. SByte, Edm. This tutorial will teach you how to implement this functionality in a simple way. [Solved]How can i retrieve gender as a string like "gender": "Male" in my jsonResult, I'am using EntityFramework Core 2. Byte, Edm. org/efcore/mapping/enum. In local development, SQLite can be used (by changing the connection string and EF Core provider) to simplify setup without requiring an external server. This means that you can use PostgreSQL-specific types, such as inet or circle, directly in your entities. NET type to a column, and the other way around. What is the best method of storing an Enum in a Database using C# And Visual Studio and MySQL Data Connector. EF Core 2. The separation between configuration and EF Core implementation makes the switch a single-line change in appsettings. 6 Asked 3 years, 4 months ago Modified 3 years, 4 months ago Viewed 302 times Learn how to store string values of enum fields in SQL using . Plus this also makes it easier to know what that enum This blog post delves into the latest updates in Entity Framework Core ORM (EF Core 8), emphasizing its new features and performance improvements. 182 I am trying to define an Enum and add valid common separators which used in CSV or similar files. 0 with the method HasConversion. 0: builder. I have several enums, that represent states, and all correspond to string fields on the EF model. Entity&lt;Element&g EF Core 8 introduces support for mapping typed arrays of simple values to database columns so the semantics of the mapping can be used in the SQL generated from LINQ queries. Configuring the Value Conversion Here’s how you do it. I’ve already tried with this: configurationBuilder. Jul 5, 2023 · Conversions can be configured in OnModelCreating to store the enum values as strings such as "Donkey", "Mule", etc. May 19, 2025 · Using Enums as Strings in EF Core When working with Entity Framework Core (EF Core), one of the little decisions that can make a big impact is how you choose to store enums in your database. Why store enums as strings in the DB? For example, if we want to store an Enum value as a string in the database but read it back as an Enum type, Value Conversions can handle this automatically and seamlessly. in the database; you simply need to provide one function which converts from the ModelClrType to the ProviderClrType, and another for the opposite conversion: Sep 1, 2025 · Learn how to store enums as strings in EF Core for improved database readability and maintainability. The problem is how can I define enum with string representation, something like: Enum Type Mapping By default, any enum properties in your model will be mapped to database integers. 9 EF Core 2. Json to parse them. I'm connecting to an existing database and would like one of the columns to be converted to an Enum, so EnumToStringConverter<> seems to be right up my alley. 2 project. I am going to be creating a new project with over 100 Enums, and majority of them will I'm working on a side project where I use Entity Framework 6 for my data layer. I posted article and related suggestion about this problem. NET 8. HaveConversion<string>(); Unfortunately if the Enum is defined as Enum? the code above throws the following: System. A few years ago I wrote a post about saving enums to the database with Entity Framework. Int16, Edm. Specifically for Enums, you can use the provided EnumToStringConverter or EnumToNumberConverter. Use an enumeration type to represent a choice from a set of mutually exclusive values or a combination of choices. Stored procedures are supported by EF Core, even [Solved]How can i retrieve gender as a string like "gender": "Male" in my jsonResult, I'am using EntityFramework Core 2. This is where value conversions come into play. Use Enum. NET objects. ---This video is b Only the enum directly under User was converted correctly with HasConversation (), not the one in UserAuditStandards Could someone please guide me on how to correctly configure EF Core to serialize the Competence property as a string in Cosmos DB, both for the User entity and the AuditStandardUserInfo entity? Is it possible to use a list of enums in an project using EF Core to store the data? My enum: public enum AudienceType { Child, Teen, [Display(Name =&quot;Young Adult I recently learned how to convert enums to string at the database level in EF Core (using . However, you may want to save them as their “name (string)” to improve database readability or to integrate with existing databases that use string columns. NET's Entity Framework Core. NET Applications | Get into the details and options to implement value objects using new Entity Framework features. Genres). NET level - see the Npgsql ADO type mapping page. NET called Entity Framework Core (EF Core) enables us to work with databases using. As an example, I have the following enum and the entity that uses it: You could do the conversion in code in the entity and map the underlying string property using EF (you can make the property private and still map it) and leave the enum property unmapped (e. IsDefined to validate enum values when converting from numeric types. I'am having trouble in enum, but in this exa Converting Values EF Core supports custom conversions from a . An Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework for. I've already tried with this: In this article, we are going to learn how to store JSON in an entity field with EF Core, and why we want to do that. Value Converters A Value Converter in EF Core is a component that transforms property values when reading from or writing to the database. I can do this manually like this: protected override void OnModelCreating( I've created a NuGet package, StrEnum, that allows to create string-based enums which are type safe, work similarly to native C# enums, and can be used with EF Core, ASP. html?tabs=tabid-1 Even if your database enum is created, Npgsql has to know about it, and especially about your CLR enum type that should be mapped to it. NET Core and Entity Framework, as of 2021, lack native support for enum collection serialization. I'am having trouble in enum, but in this exa I'd like to know if there is an elegant solution to the problem of an existing database that stores enum values as ints, but wanting to transition to storing strings for new records, but leave the I’m looking for an easy way to set a global configuration in my DbContext to store as string any nullable or non-nullable Enumerations. NET 8 and this RC1 release should be used with the . You can use the built-in EnumToStringConverter<> to automatically convert an Enum to string, and vice versa. 1, EF supports Value Conversions to specifically address scenarios where a property needs to be mapped to a different type for storage. Properties<Enum>(). Npgsql Entity Framework Core Provider Npgsql has an Entity Framework (EF) Core provider. Simply define your properties just as if they were a simple type, such as a string: public class MyEntity { How to configure entity type inheritance using Entity Framework Core This is where value conversions come into play. with [NotMapped]). Jan 12, 2026 · In Entity Framework Core (EF Core), Enum properties are saved as integers (int) by default. How can I use enums in my project while still scaffolding every so often? The EF Core provider transparently maps the types supported by Npgsql at the ADO. So is there any way to store enums as enum datatype in the database? If no, why not? There are so many places it makes sense to use enums in my code base but because I scaffold instead of migrating it sounds like if I make entity changes the enums will just disappear and change to integers or strings instead of persisting. This conversion can be from one value to another of the same type, for example encrypting strings or from a value of one type to a value of another type (enum to strings in database). I'm trying to set String-Enum value converter to all enum properties of all entities in my EF Core Code-First project. Converts enum values to and from their string representation. json. Enum Entity Property in Entity Framework Core I like working with enums, but I found I haven't used them much lately because I was fuzzy on how to use them in conjunction with Entity Framework. Almost always define a member with value 0 in your enums. EF can take care of the rest behind the scenes. NET Microservices Architecture for Containerized . All enums values are chosen so they can be easily represented as chars, so they are set like this: I need a setting or option to store all the enums as string in database including the enum columns or enums inside the json columns (even if they are at root of the json or multi level in depth due to complexity of json) #33035 An integer id matching the C# enum value, and a name with the string value. 1 also allows you to map these to strings in the database with value converters. Similarly to CLR enums the EF enums have underlying type which is one of Edm. NET type to a column since EF Core 5. You can use an enum in your code and have a lookup table in your db by using a combination of these two EF Core features: Value Conversions - to convert the enum to int when reading/writing to db EF Core 5 can accommodate the many-to-many relationship without having to define the SeriesGenre entity, where a Series simply has a collection of Genre, then configured with a HasMany(x => x. I started by looking at some of the considerations you should make before confirming your decision to store enums as strings in an Azure SQL or SQL Server database. Using this method, two delegates can be assigned to convert the . protected override void ConfigureConventions(ModelConfigurationBuilder builder) { I have seen here and here that you can use a lookup table or store the enum as string to circumvent this, but this seems a bit unnatural IMHO, considering that you could also just could store the enum in the database. SQL Server), so the general EF Core docs apply here as well. 6 Check the entity framework article about postgres enums here: https://www. EF8 requires . . Nov 29, 2025 · In this blog, we’ll walk through a step-by-step example of how to configure EF Core to save enums as strings in a C# model class, using practical code examples and best practices. 33 Starting with Entity Framework Core 2. It was able to save the enum as a string to the database and when reading from the database it was able to take that string and populate the enum correctly. An integer id matching the C# enum value, and a name with the string value. Then I am going to bind it to a ComboBox as a data source so whenever I add or remove from the Enum definition, I would not need to change anything in the combo box. The EF enum type definitions live in conceptual layer. Be cautious when using numeric parameters that might be implicitly converted to enum types. EF Core I have an Enum similar to this: public enum Type { TypeA, TypeB, TypeC } I have this using Fluent API and Entity Framework 3. Explore the pros, cons, and step-by-step implementation. For example, enum to string conversions are used as an example above, but EF Core will actually do this automatically when the provider type is configured as string using the generic type of HasConversion: Only the enum directly under User was converted correctly with HasConversation (), not the one in UserAuditStandards Could someone please guide me on how to correctly configure EF Core to serialize the Competence property as a string in Cosmos DB, both for the User entity and the AuditStandardUserInfo entity? While looking for a solution to store all our enums as strings in the database, i came up with the following code. It behaves like other EF Core providers (e. With string mapping, the EF Core provider will save and load properties to database JSON columns, but will not do any further serialization or parsing - it's the developer's responsibility to handle the JSON contents, possibly using System. npgsql. I've created a NuGet package, StrEnum, that allows to create string-based enums which are type safe, work similarly to native C# enums, and can be used with EF Core, ASP. Int32 or Edm. Full source code here. This is done by adding the following code, before any EF Core operations take place. If you're just getting started with EF Core, those docs are the best place to start. NET Core, and JSON. 1. Step-by-step guide on converting enum to string. How to save enums to database using entity framework core ? Hoe does value conversion works from EF core to database provider and vice-a-versa ? Learn how to store enums as strings in EF Core for improved database readability and maintainability. So, let’s tell EF Core to store the enum as a string, making everything more human-readable. This is because I don't like having enum columns in database without meaningful value. u9ne, 6ontm, c5h0, ctb0, inlga, mamsmx, xmoty, oytw, 57tt4, aqjakn,