Three-Tier architecture and LINQ to Entities

Question

For a couple of years, I've been using the three-tier architecture (Presentation, Logic and Data Layer) to write applications. Usually, I am using tools such as .netTiers to generate the data layer and partially the logic layer. Everything is well defined and I love it.

I am now constraint to use LINQ to Entites (it appears that LINQ to SQL was abandoned by Microsoft) and I am really confused. It looks to me like the code generated by LINQ to Entites is a big mix of the logic and data layer on which I have very little control. In addition, I don't really like the fact that I have to use the classes (entities...) generated.

In the end, could you share your experiences and best practices with LINQ to Entities? Any idea how I could still have a well defined Three-Tier architecture?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Ian Cooper wrote good series about architecting application using Linq2Sql:

• Part 1 Introduction
• Part 2 Layered Architectures
• Part 3 DAOs and Repositories
• Part 4 Dynamic Queries
• Part 5
• Part 6 Mapping with XML files instead of Attributes
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9
• Part 10

Hope you find what you need.