Class Mappings

There are two kinds of classes in ADO.NET and ADO.NET CF:

Entity classes - have their own database identities, mapping files and life cycles
Value type classes - depend on entity classes. Also known as component classes

Framework-specific class mapping options are defined on the ADO.NET or ADO.NET CF tab of the class property sheet:

Option	Description
Default cascade	Specifies the default cascade style.
Default access	Specifies the default access type (field or property)
Default command type	Specifies command type, currently we supply Text and StoreProcedure to users.
Lazy	Specifies that the class should be lazy fetching.
Abstract class	Specifies that the class is abstract.
Discriminator column	Specifies the discriminator column or formula for polymorphic behavior in a one table per hierarchy mapping strategy.
Discriminator value	Specifies a value that distinguishes individual subclasses, which are used for polymorphic behavior.
Discriminator type	Specifies the discriminator type.

Primary Identifier Mappings
Primary identifier mapping is mandatory in ADO.NET and ADO.NET CF. Primary identifiers of entity classes are mapped to primary keys of master tables in data sources. If not defined, a default primary identifier mapping will be generated, but this may not work properly.
Attribute Mappings
Attributes can be migrated attributes or ordinary attributes. Ordinary attributes can be mapped to columns or formulas. Migrated attributes do not require attribute mapping.

Parent topic: Generating ADO.NET and ADO.NET CF Persistent Objects