EF Core reads wrong database name on API post.

[B6692]

Question

I have had this problem for some time now and only appears when I am debugging.
I have an API Post request that is initiated from the client but when the request arrives at the API, the context reads the name of the database wrongly when it is supposed to read it from the appsettings.json file. This problem does not show up in production because the database name it reads never exists in production but existed at some point during development when I was doing certain migration tests. Now that database object no longer exists but it appears as if EF Core has a long memory and still tries to access that database object.
The error message I get is:

'WinRetailerDAL.DataModels.SalesContext'.
Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.DbUpdateException: An error occurred while saving the entity changes. See the inner exception for details.
---> Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): Invalid object name 'StoreTestRMDB.dbo.SalesOrderDetails'.

One thing to note from the error message is that it is trying to access the object "StoreTestRMDB.dbo.SalesOrderDetails". This object does not exist and is not configured anywhere in the context. The context is supposed to look for "StoreRMDB.dbo.SalesOrderDetails", which is what is configured.

Why does EF do this? And where does it get the wrong name from?

Your code

Stack traces

An exception occurred in the database while saving changes for context type 'WinRetailerDAL.DataModels.SalesContext'.
Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.DbUpdateException: An error occurred while saving the entity changes. See the inner exception for details.
 ---> Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): Invalid object name 'StoreTestRMDB.dbo.SalesOrderDetails'.
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean callerHasConnectionLock, Boolean asyncClose)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.TryRun(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean& dataReady)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryHasMoreRows(Boolean& moreRows)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryHasMoreResults(Boolean& moreResults)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryNextResult(Boolean& more)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.NextResultAsyncExecute(Task task, Object state)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.InvokeAsyncCall[T](SqlDataReaderBaseAsyncCallContext`1 context)
--- End of stack trace from previous location ---
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.AffectedCountModificationCommandBatch.ConsumeAsync(RelationalDataReader reader, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
ClientConnectionId:8c0edfd2-fd5c-452d-9a7f-3f241f610e9f
Error Number:208,State:1,Class:16
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.AffectedCountModificationCommandBatch.ConsumeAsync(RelationalDataReader reader, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.ReaderModificationCommandBatch.ExecuteAsync(IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.ReaderModificationCommandBatch.ExecuteAsync(IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Update.Internal.SqlServerModificationCommandBatch.ExecuteAsync(IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.Internal.BatchExecutor.ExecuteAsync(IEnumerable`1 commandBatches, IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.Internal.BatchExecutor.ExecuteAsync(IEnumerable`1 commandBatches, IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.Internal.BatchExecutor.ExecuteAsync(IEnumerable`1 commandBatches, IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.ChangeTracking.Internal.StateManager.SaveChangesAsync(IList`1 entriesToSave, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.ChangeTracking.Internal.StateManager.SaveChangesAsync(StateManager stateManager, Boolean acceptAllChangesOnSuccess, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Storage.Internal.SqlServerExecutionStrategy.ExecuteAsync[TState,TResult](TState state, Func`4 operation, Func`4 verifySucceeded, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.DbContext.SaveChangesAsync(Boolean acceptAllChangesOnSuccess, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.DbUpdateException: An error occurred while saving the entity changes. See the inner exception for details.
 ---> Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): Invalid object name 'StoreTestRMDB.dbo.SalesOrderDetails'.
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean callerHasConnectionLock, Boolean asyncClose)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.TryRun(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean& dataReady)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryHasMoreRows(Boolean& moreRows)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryHasMoreResults(Boolean& moreResults)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryNextResult(Boolean& more)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.NextResultAsyncExecute(Task task, Object state)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.InvokeAsyncCall[T](SqlDataReaderBaseAsyncCallContext`1 context)
--- End of stack trace from previous location ---
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.AffectedCountModificationCommandBatch.ConsumeAsync(RelationalDataReader reader, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
ClientConnectionId:8c0edfd2-fd5c-452d-9a7f-3f241f610e9f
Error Number:208,State:1,Class:16
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.AffectedCountModificationCommandBatch.ConsumeAsync(RelationalDataReader reader, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.ReaderModificationCommandBatch.ExecuteAsync(IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.ReaderModificationCommandBatch.ExecuteAsync(IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Update.Internal.SqlServerModificationCommandBatch.ExecuteAsync(IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.Internal.BatchExecutor.ExecuteAsync(IEnumerable`1 commandBatches, IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.Internal.BatchExecutor.ExecuteAsync(IEnumerable`1 commandBatches, IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Update.Internal.BatchExecutor.ExecuteAsync(IEnumerable`1 commandBatches, IRelationalConnection connection, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.ChangeTracking.Internal.StateManager.SaveChangesAsync(IList`1 entriesToSave, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.ChangeTracking.Internal.StateManager.SaveChangesAsync(StateManager stateManager, Boolean acceptAllChangesOnSuccess, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Storage.Internal.SqlServerExecutionStrategy.ExecuteAsync[TState,TResult](TState state, Func`4 operation, Func`4 verifySucceeded, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.DbContext.SaveChangesAsync(Boolean acceptAllChangesOnSuccess, CancellationToken cancellationToken)

Verbose output

EF Core version

8.0.0

Database provider

Micrsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer

Target framework

.NET 8.0

Operating system

WIndows 10

IDE

Visual Studio 2022 17.13.6

[davisnw]

it is supposed to read it from the appsettings.json file.

In typical configurations, when debugging locally, any settings in appsettings.Development.json take precedence over any settings also set in appsettings.json.

but it appears as if EF Core has a long memory and still tries to access that database object.

Not really. EF Core goes through your OnConfiguring, OnModelCreating / UseModel setups, and/or reads from your mapping attributes.

If you are using compiled models you need to update it manually.

Since you indicate you are doing an api POST request, I assume you are using ASP.NET Core. You may want to review: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/environments?view=aspnetcore-9.0#environments

[AndriySvyryd]

EF doesn't have any code dealing with appsettings.json. If you are still having problems with this open an issue on https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore and share a small repro project.