Entitiy Framework: "Update database from model" instead of "Generate database from model"

Question

I created the Entity Framework 4 model with Visual Studio 2010 and created a database from it. Now I found that I am adding new properties (with default values), changing the documentation for columns, changing column names, changing column types several times. All tasks that do not require a lot of "extra work" so as not to be achieved automatically (in my humble opinion). Each time I did “Generate a database from a model” and, of course, lost the data in the table.

Is there a way to simply upgrade the database architecture to say - leaving the table data intact? Maybe with some user interaction, especially when changing types, etc.? Or is this feature just too complicated for reliable operation?

Thanks in advance! Cheers, David

Answer 1

Noam Ben-Ami - MSFT1 (Microsoft Employee) answered my question at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-us/adodotnetentityframework/thread/3adc080f-ee8c-4104-be29-95b2fb3fabe9 as follows:

We have created an entity database power supply to support this. You can download it here: http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/df3541c3-d833-4b65-b942-989e7ec74c87

It includes the database creation workflow for a designer who performs the migration, not drop / create.

This message is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind and does not give any rights.

I have not tested the tool yet, but I think that information can be meaningful for others as well.