Change tracking
Change tracking is the process of detecting or recording modifications to data, documents, entities, or other evolving state.
.NET in Action, Second Edition
Change tracking is an ORM capability that records changes to entity instances so they can be persisted to a data store.
- How it is used
- Supports ASP.NET Core data-access endpoints by deciding whether queried entities should remain available for persistence.
- How deep it goes
- Explains default tracking, property-change detection, SaveChanges translation, and query-level disabling, without detailing tracking internals.
- Examples
- Uses a Book title modification and a read-only CatalogController GET query with AsNoTracking.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via Entity Framework Core to persist edits or optimize read-only queries.
Read how .NET in Action, Second Edition explains change tracking →
ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e
Change tracking is the process of recording entity instances and detecting changes to their properties for persistence.
- How it is used
- Uses tracked entities to persist model changes while avoiding unnecessary column updates.
- How deep it goes
- Explains snapshots and comparison during SaveChanges(), but defers alternative tracking mechanisms and configuration details.
- Examples
- Uses a RecipeService example that loads a recipe, changes properties, and saves it asynchronously.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via EF Core to update only changed properties on a tracked entity.
Read how ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e explains change tracking →
Related concepts
- AsNoTrackingcontrasts with · AsNoTracking is an Entity Framework Core query extension method that prevents returned entities from being tracked by the context.
- snapshotuses · A snapshot is a fixed representation or copy of data or system state as it existed at a particular point in time.
- Entity Framework Coreused by · Entity Framework Core is a cross-platform object-relational mapping framework for .NET that enables applications to query and persist data through .NET objects and APIs.
- recordcontrasts with · A record is a structured data unit or type that groups related values into fields or properties, typically to represent one item, entity, or observation.
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