EntityFrameworkCore.ManagedViews

Code-first view management for Entity Framework Core. Define, version, track, and migrate database views using the same workflow as tables.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Packages
• Quick Start
• SQL File Directives
• Materialized Views
• Drift Detection
• Architecture
• Documentation
• Requirements
• Contributing
• License

Features

• SQL file definitions -- Define views in embedded .sql files with metadata directives
• Fluent API definitions -- Define views in C# using modelBuilder.HasManagedView()
• Change detection -- SHA256 hashing with SQL normalization prevents formatting-only changes from triggering migrations
• Snapshot-based tracking -- Design-time snapshot file (similar to EF Core's ModelSnapshot) for CI/CD workflows
• Runtime tracking -- __ManagedViewsHistory table for production drift detection
• Dependency ordering -- Topological sort ensures views are created/dropped in the correct order
• Materialized views -- Full support for PostgreSQL materialized views with index and refresh management
• Migration integration -- Custom operations (CreateManagedViewOperation, DropManagedViewOperation) integrate into EF Core migrations

Packages

Package	Description	NuGet
EntityFrameworkCore.ManagedViews	Core abstractions, diffing, hashing, snapshot, discovery
EntityFrameworkCore.ManagedViews.PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL provider with materialized view support

Quick Start

1. Install

dotnet add package EntityFrameworkCore.ManagedViews.PostgreSQL

2. Define views with SQL files

Add .sql files to a Views/ folder and mark them as embedded resources:

<ItemGroup>
  <EmbeddedResource Include="Views/**/*.sql" />
</ItemGroup>

-- Views/vw_active_products.sql
-- @viewName: vw_active_products
-- @schema: public
-- @type: view

SELECT p.id, p.name, p.price, c.name AS category_name
FROM products p
INNER JOIN categories c ON p.category_id = c.id
WHERE p.is_active = true

3. Or define views with the fluent API

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.HasManagedView("vw_active_products", v => v
        .InSchema("public")
        .AsSql("SELECT id, name, price FROM products WHERE is_active = true"));
}

4. Map entities to views

modelBuilder.Entity<ActiveProductView>(b =>
{
    b.HasNoKey();
    b.ToManagedView("vw_active_products");
});

5. Enable managed views

services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseNpgsql(connectionString)
           .UseNpgsqlManagedViews());

SQL File Directives

Directive	Description	Example
@viewName	Name of the view (inferred from filename if omitted)	-- @viewName: vw_active_products
@schema	Database schema (inferred from filename or defaults to public)	-- @schema: catalog
@type	view or materialized	-- @type: materialized
@dependsOn	Comma-separated dependencies	-- @dependsOn: vw_base, vw_other
@indexes	Semicolon-separated index defs (materialized views only)	-- @indexes: idx_name(column1); idx_other(col2 DESC)

See the Implementation Guide for file naming conventions and schema inference.

Materialized Views

-- Views/mv_category_stats.sql
-- @viewName: mv_category_stats
-- @type: materialized
-- @dependsOn: vw_active_products
-- @indexes: idx_cat_stats(category_name)

SELECT category_name, COUNT(*) AS product_count, AVG(price) AS avg_price
FROM vw_active_products
GROUP BY category_name

Refresh at runtime:

await context.RefreshMaterializedViewAsync("mv_category_stats");
await context.RefreshAllMaterializedViewsAsync(concurrently: true);

Drift Detection

Check for drift between tracked views and current definitions:

var report = await context.CheckViewDriftAsync();
if (report.HasDrift)
{
    foreach (var entry in report.Entries)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"{entry.ViewName}: {entry.DriftType}");
    }
}

Drift Type	Meaning
Missing	Tracked in __ManagedViewsHistory but removed from source definitions
Modified	SQL hash has changed since last applied
Untracked	Exists in source definitions but was never applied

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Your Application                          │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  DbContext.UseManagedViews()  ·  ModelBuilder.HasManagedView()   │
│  MigrationBuilder.CreateManagedView()  ·  ToManagedView<T>()    │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                EntityFrameworkCore.ManagedViews                   │
│  ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐   │
│  │Discovery │ │ Hashing  │ │ Diffing  │ │   Dep. Resolution │   │
│  │(SQL/API) │ │ (SHA256) │ │(Snapshot)│ │(Topological Sort) │   │
│  └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └───────────────────┘   │
│  ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐                        │
│  │Snapshot  │ │Tracking  │ │Migration │                        │
│  │ (JSON)   │ │ (DB)     │ │  (Ops)   │                        │
│  └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘                        │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│           EntityFrameworkCore.ManagedViews.PostgreSQL             │
│  ┌───────────────────┐ ┌────────────────────────────────┐       │
│  │ PostgreSQL DDL    │ │ Migration SQL Generator        │       │
│  │  Provider         │ │ (Npgsql)                       │       │
│  └───────────────────┘ └────────────────────────────────┘       │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    Entity Framework Core                         │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

For a detailed architecture breakdown, see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.

Documentation

Document	Description
Implementation Guide	Setup, configuration, API reference, migration integration, refactoring guide
Architecture	Component design, data flow, extension points
Provider Guide	How to implement IManagedViewProvider for a new database
Project Summary	Design decisions, package layout, developer experience goals
Changelog	Release history following Keep a Changelog
Contributing	How to contribute, development setup, coding standards
Security Policy	Reporting vulnerabilities
Code of Conduct	Community standards (Contributor Covenant)

Requirements

• .NET 10
• Entity Framework Core 10.x
• PostgreSQL (via Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL 10.x)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please read the Contributing Guide before submitting a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.