Update Database Command in Entity Framework Core

EF Core Update-Database

Updating a database using a migration in EF Core is the process of applying changes to a database using the Up method from the migration file or reverting changes using the Down method. To apply or unapply a migration, the Update Command must be run. This command checks the database for all applied migrations and will execute one of the two following processes:

Apply a migration: The Up Method will be executed if the specific migration is more recent than the latest applied migrations.
Revert a migration: The Down Method will be executed if the specific migration is older than the latest applied migrations.

There are 2 ways to run the Update Database command and both will be covered in this article:

Update-Database: When using the Package Manager Console (PMC)
dotnet ef database update: When using the .NET Command Line Interface (.NET CLI)

The Update Database command is one of the 3 main migration commands:

How to use the Update-Database command with PMC in EF Core?

To use the Update-Database command with the Package Manager Console (PMC) in EF Core:

Open the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio.
Ensure the default project in the console is the one containing your EF Core DbContext.
Enter the following command:

Update-Database

For applying a specific migration or reverting to a previous migration, you must specify the migration name:

Update-Database [MigrationName]

NOTE: Replace [MigrationName] with the name of the migration you want to apply or revert to.

See Package Manager Console Parameters for additional parameters options.

How to use the Update-Database command with .NET CLI in EF Core?

To use the dotnet ef database update command with the .NET Command Line Interface (.NET CLI) in EF Core:

Open a command prompt or terminal.
Navigate to the directory containing your context.
Run the following command:

dotnet ef database update

For targeting a specific migration or reverting to a previous migration, you can use:

dotnet ef database update [MigrationName]

NOTE: Replace [MigrationName] with the name of the migration you want to apply or revert to.

See Command Line Parameters for additional parameters options.

What does the Update-Database command do in EF Core?

When you use the Update-Database command with PMC or dotnet ef database update with .NET CLI, both utilize EF Core Tools to perform several tasks:

First, EF Core Tools fetch all migrations that have been applied to your database.
Then, EF Core Tools determine whether a migration should be applied or reverted.
1. If the database needs to be updated to a more recent migration, the Up Method for each migration since the last one applied will be run.
2. If the database needs to be reverted to a previous migration, the Down Method for each migration up to the specified migration will be run.

What are the parameters for the Update Database command in EF Core?

Package Manager Console (PMC)

The Update-Database command with PMC provides several optional options:

Option	Description
-Name	The name of the migration you wish to apply. If not specified, the most recent migration will be used. For example, `Update-Database AddingEFExtensions` will apply all unapplied migrations up to the one named AddingEFExtensions. In the case of a rollback, `Update-Database AddingEFExtensions` will revert all applied migration down to the one named AddingEFExtensions.
-Context	The context class to use that contains the migration you want to apply, it can be either the `name` or the `fullname` including namespaces. For example, `Update-Database -Context Z.MyContextName` will apply the migration for the Z.MyContextName context.
-Project	The project containing the context used to apply the migration file. If omitted, the default project in the Package Manager Console is used. For example, `Update-Database -Project Z.MyProjectName` will apply the migration for the context in the Z.MyProjectName project.
-StartupProject	The project with the configurations and settings. If omitted, the startup project of your solution is used. For example, `Update-Database -StartupProject Z.MyStartupProjectName` will apply the migration using the configurations and settings of the Z.MyStartupProjectName project.

language-csharp

Update-Database AddingEFExtensions -Context Z.MyContextName -Project Z.MyProjectName -StartupProject Z.MyStartupProjectName

NOTE: The -Project option specifies which project contains the context, while the -StartupProject option indicates the project that has the application's configurations and settings.

.NET Command Line Interface (.NET CLI)

For those who work outside of Visual Studio or prefer the command line, EF Core Tools offer similar features for .NET CLI, but with slightly different syntax:

Option	Short	Description
[TargetMigration]		The name of the migration to apply. If omitted, all pending migrations will be applied.
--context	-c	The context class to use when applying the migration.
--project	-p	The project that contains the context used to apply the migration.
--startup-project	-s	The project with the necessary configurations and settings to apply the migrations.

language-csharp

dotnet ef database update [TargetMigration] -c MyContext -p MigrationsProject -s StartupProject

NOTE: Refer to the documentation above about Package Manager Console Parameters for additional examples.

Troubleshooting

How to fix in EF Core: System.InvalidOperationException: The ConnectionString property has not been initialized.

Exception Message:

PM> Update-Database
Build started...
Build succeeded.
System.InvalidOperationException: The ConnectionString property has not been initialized.
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.PermissionDemand()
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionFactory.PermissionDemand(DbConnection outerConnection)
   at Microsoft.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionInternal.TryOpenConnectionInternal(DbConnection outerConnection, DbConnectionFactory connectionFactory, TaskCompletionSource`1 retry, DbConnectionOptions userOptions)
   at Microsoft.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionClosed.TryOpenConnection(DbConnection outerConnection, DbConnectionFactory connectionFactory, TaskCompletionSource`1 retry, DbConnectionOptions userOptions)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.TryOpen(TaskCompletionSource`1 retry, SqlConnectionOverrides overrides)
   at Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.Open(SqlConnectionOverrides overrides)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Storage.Internal.SqlServerConnection.OpenDbConnection(Boolean errorsExpected)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.RelationalConnection.OpenInternal(Boolean errorsExpected)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.RelationalConnection.Open(Boolean errorsExpected)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Storage.Internal.SqlServerDatabaseCreator.<>c__DisplayClass18_0.<Exists>b__0(DateTime giveUp)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.ExecutionStrategyExtensions.<>c__DisplayClass12_0`2.<Execute>b__0(DbContext _, TState s)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Storage.Internal.SqlServerExecutionStrategy.Execute[TState,TResult](TState state, Func`3 operation, Func`3 verifySucceeded)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.ExecutionStrategyExtensions.Execute[TState,TResult](IExecutionStrategy strategy, TState state, Func`2 operation, Func`2 verifySucceeded)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Storage.Internal.SqlServerDatabaseCreator.Exists(Boolean retryOnNotExists)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer.Storage.Internal.SqlServerDatabaseCreator.Exists()
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations.HistoryRepository.Exists()
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations.Internal.Migrator.Migrate(String targetMigration)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Design.Internal.MigrationsOperations.UpdateDatabase(String targetMigration, String connectionString, String contextType)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Design.OperationExecutor.UpdateDatabaseImpl(String targetMigration, String connectionString, String contextType)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Design.OperationExecutor.UpdateDatabase.<>c__DisplayClass0_0.<.ctor>b__0()
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Design.OperationExecutor.OperationBase.Execute(Action action)
The ConnectionString property has not been initialized.

Exception - The ConnectionString property has not been initialized

Cause:

This error arises when EF Core fails to locate the connection string in your configuration file, resulting in an empty connection string being used.

In the example provided, the Configuration property is initialized during application startup. However, EF Core doesn't set it when using the IDesignTimeDbContextFactory.

namespace Z
{
    public class MyContextNameFactory : IDesignTimeDbContextFactory<Z.MyContextName>
    {
        public static IConfigurationRoot Configuration { get; set; }
        public Z.MyContextName CreateDbContext(string[] args)
        {
            // return an empty string as the `Configuration` property has not been correctly initialized.
            var connectionString = Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");

            var optionsBuilder = new DbContextOptionsBuilder<Z.MyContextName>();
            optionsBuilder.UseSqlServer(new SqlConnection(connectionString));

            return new Z.MyContextName(optionsBuilder.Options);
        }
    }
}

Solution:

To fix this, ensure the Configuration property is initialized the same way you typically do in your project:

namespace Z
{
    public class MyContextNameFactory : IDesignTimeDbContextFactory<Z.MyContextName>
    {
        public static IConfigurationRoot Configuration { get; set; }

        static MyContextNameFactory() 
        {
            var builder = new ConfigurationBuilder()
                .SetBasePath(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory())
                .AddJsonFile("appsettings.json", optional: true, reloadOnChange: true);

            IConfigurationRoot configuration = builder.Build();
            MyContextNameFactory.Configuration = configuration;
        }

        public Z.MyContextName CreateDbContext(string[] args)
        {
            var connectionString = Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");

            var optionsBuilder = new DbContextOptionsBuilder<Z.MyContextName>();
            optionsBuilder.UseSqlServer(new SqlConnection(connectionString));

            return new Z.MyContextName(optionsBuilder.Options);
        }
    }
}

Some other solution might be required depending on the scenario:

Check if appsettings.json is copied to the output directory.
Verify the name of the connection string matches the one in appsettings.json.

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EF Extensions - Fastest Bulk Extensions

EF Core Update-Database

How to use the Update-Database command with PMC in EF Core?

How to use the Update-Database command with .NET CLI in EF Core?

What does the Update-Database command do in EF Core?

What are the parameters for the Update Database command in EF Core?

Package Manager Console (PMC)

.NET Command Line Interface (.NET CLI)

Troubleshooting

Got any EF Core Question?

On this page

Quick Links

EF Extensions - Fastest Bulk Extensions

EF Core Update-Database

How to use the Update-Database command with PMC in EF Core?

How to use the Update-Database command with .NET CLI in EF Core?

What does the Update-Database command do in EF Core?

What are the parameters for the Update Database command in EF Core?

Package Manager Console (PMC)

.NET Command Line Interface (.NET CLI)

Related Articles

Troubleshooting

Got any EF Core Question?

On this page

Quick Links