Entity Framework Developers Who Read the SQL Behind Your LINQ
Is EF Core slow, or are lazy loads, wide Includes and blocking calls in your code doing the damage?
We found 12 available Entity Framework Developers
N+1 queries, cartesian joins, migration drift: engineers who have fixed them
EF Core is rarely the reason a .NET application slows down. The code around it usually is: a loop that fires one query per row, an Include chain that multiplies result sets, a request that blocks on a synchronous call. Teams that hire Entity Framework developers need someone who checks the SQL their LINQ produces. Cortance matches engineers who have fixed that layer in production.
Where the data layer loses its time
N+1 queries are the most common leak. A page lists 50 orders, lazy loading then fetches each customer on its own, and one screen sends 51 queries. With test data the page passes review; with production volume it times out.
Cartesian explosion comes next. Several collection Includes in one query join every child row against every other, so the result set grows by multiplication. EF Core offers split queries for this case, but someone has to read the query plan first.
Change tracking and synchronous calls complete the picture. Read-only screens that track every entity spend memory on snapshots nobody uses. A synchronous database call in ASP.NET Core holds a thread for the whole round trip, and under load the thread pool runs dry.
An EF6 upgrade without a rewrite
Bohdan Bo. moved a contract management application for a legal technology client from .NET Framework to .NET Core, and its data layer from EF6 to EF Core. He refactored the Include patterns and the transactions around stored procedures. He converted the codebase from synchronous to asynchronous database calls. Schema changes moved from EF migrations into a dedicated database project, and BDD tests in Gherkin covered the main workflows.
Timing matters for this kind of upgrade. Microsoft's EF Core release table, last updated in 2025, ends support for EF Core 8 and EF Core 9 on November 10, 2026. EF Core 10 is supported until November 10, 2028, while EF6 receives security fixes only.
Queries that hold up under load
Sergii K. worked on the data access layer of a Cox Automotive SaaS platform built from ASP.NET Core microservices, with EF Core over MySQL. He owned validation, error handling and performance improvements behind SonarQube quality gates. On MediFlow, an enterprise healthcare platform, he kept business rules apart from data access and optimized SQL Server queries.
David M. used LINQ over Entity Framework and SQL Server to build the analytics and reporting of an accommodation platform in Miami. He also took part in moving that platform from ASP.NET MVC on .NET Framework to .NET Core.
One model for many data sources
Mykola B. designed the data model of a .NET CRM for a commercial real estate company, covering properties, leases, tenants and deals. Records came from the client's ERP, its accounting system, listing services, SFTP feeds and REST APIs. Azure Data Factory loaded them incrementally with change data capture into Azure SQL. The application layer then read one validated model instead of every source format.
AI-written LINQ still needs a SQL log
Coding assistants write LINQ that compiles and passes unit tests. The same code can load a navigation property inside a loop, and the N+1 pattern shows up only in the SQL log or a profiler. An engineer who checks generated queries against the emitted SQL catches it before customers do.
Where EF stops and SQL takes over
Yauhen I. rewrote the data access layer of a ticketing platform for European football clubs, where demand spikes at every match on-sale. He moved it from ADO.NET to Dapper and tuned the SQL Server stored procedures for peak load. On an entertainment data platform, he profiled the backend and tuned SQL in a stack that ran Entity Framework and Dapper side by side.
Schema changes that ship with the code
Oleksandr Ka. led backend work on an office booking platform for room reservations and space management. He built its services on .NET Core with Entity Framework code first, so every schema change travelled as a migration next to the C# model. He also refactored legacy components and tuned their performance across greenfield and brownfield parts of the system.
Bohdan Bo. went the other way on a contract management system. He moved schema ownership out of EF migrations into a dedicated database project, where changes are reviewed as SQL.
Both choices hold up. Code first suits a team that owns the database alone, and a database project suits a schema shared with reporting tools or a DBA.
EF Core, Dapper or a stored procedure?
Most .NET teams mix them. The split depends on how hot the path is and who owns the schema.
EF Core
Most of the domain: inserts, updates, relationships and validation that should change together with the C# model.
Dapper
Read-heavy endpoints where the SQL is written once and the mapping runs without tracking or query translation.
Stored procedures
Set-based work over large tables that should run next to the data in one pass, such as reconciliation or bulk updates.
Raw SQL inside EF Core
FromSql and ExecuteUpdate for the one query that needs hand-written SQL while the rest of the code stays on the DbContext.
Reading an EF Core codebase before the first fix
Turn on the SQL log first
EF Core can write every generated statement to the log through LogTo or the standard logging setup. Counting statements per request shows N+1 patterns at once: the same SELECT repeats with a different key. Slow statements then go to the database's own execution plan, where a missing index or a scan over a wide join becomes visible.
Split queries, projections and no-tracking reads
A query that includes two or more collections can switch to AsSplitQuery, which sends one statement per collection instead of one wide join. Screens that only display data can project into a DTO with Select and skip loading columns nobody shows. Read-only queries can use AsNoTracking, so EF Core keeps no snapshots for change detection.
What changes in the data layer when EF6 becomes EF Core
EF Core has no EDMX designer, so database-first models are scaffolded into code. Lazy loading is off by default and needs the proxies package or explicit loading. Microsoft's support page states that EF6 gets security fixes but no new development, and recommends EF Core for all new code.
Migrations or a database project
EF migrations keep the schema next to the C# model and run in the same pipeline as the application. A SQL database project keeps the schema as reviewed SQL, which suits teams where a DBA or a reporting tool shares the tables. Mixing both on one database creates drift, so a team picks one owner per schema.
What clients wrote after working with our engineers
Cortance delivered the project within schedule and according to the end client's requirements.
The team had a clear workflow and was responsible, professional, and kind. They translated the end client's vision into the product and faced any challenges with patience and impressive responsiveness.
Valerii Torianyk
CEO · Valtorian · Feb 2024
Cortance's efforts increased device compatibility, improved system interoperability, and reduced time-to-market by 20%.
The team adapted to the client's workflow and provided resources aligned with the project's needs. Cortance's commitment to understanding the requirements was impressive.
Anush Sedrakyan
Partnership Manager · Direlli · Jul 2024
Cortance delivered a high-quality product.
The client highly recommends them to anyone looking for top-notch software development services.
Anonymous
CPO · Fintech Consultancy Firm · Feb 2024
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