Boost Productivity with Entity Developer Express Edition Tips & Tricks

Top 7 Features of Entity Developer Express Edition (2026)

1. Visual ORM Designer

   • WYSIWYG model diagram editor for Entity Framework, EF Core, NHibernate, LINQ to SQL.
   • Drag‑and‑drop classes, associations, complex types and inheritance mappings.

2. EF Core & EF Support (latest)

   • Support for EF Core 9 and Entity Framework 6 features (including code-first and model-first workflows).
   • Templates and code generation updated for .NET ⁄₁₀ target frameworks.

3. Visual Studio 2026 Integration

   • Full integration with Visual Studio 2026 and VS 2026 Insiders (18.3), including template search, model diagrams and wizards inside the IDE.

4. Database Synchronization & Scripting

   • Update Model From Database / Update Database From Model wizards.
   • Generate Database Script wizard with options (Include Drop, Recreate Database Tables) and fine-grained control over DDL.

5. Advanced Mapping & Code Generation

   • Advanced mapping scenarios (TPH/TPT, table splitting, QueryView support).
   • Customizable templates for DTOs, repositories and nullable reference type synchronization across templates.

6. Improved Usability & Editors

   • Class, Type and Column editors with extended property editing (validation, presentation, default column settings).
   • Diagram skins (including “Simple” metro style), default shape sizing, and model search/navigation improvements.

7. License & Activation Improvements

   • Trial activation and license key-based product activation added (easier evaluation and licensing for Express Edition).

Sources: Devart revision history and release notes (Entity Developer 7.4.0, Dec 18, 2025) and product pages.