If you just need a Database for Storage, you must use Entity Framework

When you are a developer, you fundamentally spend your time working with data. Getting data, changing data, sending data. At some point though, you will need to save the data somewhere. This is where databases come in, storing the data for later to be used or for other programs and modules to act on. Sometimes the database has triggers and stored procedures, taking action itself when criteria are met by the data. But sometimes, a developer just needs the data stored for later. If you are just using a database for storage of data, you should use the Entity Framework from Microsoft.

The Entity Framework (EF) was first introduced in 2008 as an Object Relational Mapper (ORM), providing an alternative to the traditional Object Oriented Database Management System (OODBMS). EF has undergone many revisions and upgrades as the .Net Framework has evolved (eventually succeeded by .Net Core and then by .NET). The focus has remained the same though, abstracting away tedious SQL from developers in favor of a simple code interface. By using EF, developers no longer need to maintain tables or object relationships. A developer now has the time to focus on data gathering and manipulation, rather than how to correctly map, store, and retrieve data from another system.

The strength and convenience of EF can also be a drawback depending on situation. If your database needs are more advanced, such complexly designed objects relationships or large Aggregate Root style tables, then sticking to the more traditional OODBMS model will be the best. If you just need storage of Plain Old CLR Objects (POCO), then EF is the way to go. EF is classified as an ORM style database, which excels at managing simple data. Other ORM frameworks are Hibernate for Java and Django for Python, so there's no lack of need for this sort of tech.

Wrapping up, EF is a powerful tool and great time saver for developers who just need to store their data. Easy to use and manage, EF provides a simple interface with type safety for properties built in. This saves many developer hours and ultimately gets project results quickly for customer needs.