select certain fields from dbset<t>

Question

I am using EF4.1, and for performance issues I need to select only a few fields from a DbSet which is mapped to a view on the sql server.

Any ideas about how to do that?

so selecting fields from Customer would return the below error.

var result = context.Customers.Select(c => new Customer{ Name = c.Name,Age = c.Age}).ToList();

The entity or complex type 'Customer' cannot be constructed in a LINQ to Entities query.
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.CheckInitializerType(Type type)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MemberInitTranslator.TypedTranslate(ExpressionConverter parent, MemberInitExpression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TypedTranslator`1.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TranslateExpression(Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TranslateLambda(LambdaExpression lambda, DbExpression input)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TranslateLambda(LambdaExpression lambda, DbExpression input, DbExpressionBinding& binding)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.OneLambdaTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call, DbExpression& source, DbExpressionBinding& sourceBinding, DbExpression& lambda)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.SelectTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.SequenceMethodTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call, SequenceMethod sequenceMethod)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.TypedTranslate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TypedTranslator`1.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TranslateExpression(Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.OneLambdaTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call, DbExpression& source, DbExpressionBinding& sourceBinding, DbExpression& lambda)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.OneLambdaTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.SequenceMethodTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call, SequenceMethod sequenceMethod)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.TypedTranslate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TypedTranslator`1.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TranslateExpression(Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.OneLambdaTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call, DbExpression& source, DbExpressionBinding& sourceBinding, DbExpression& lambda)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.OneLambdaTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.SequenceMethodTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call, SequenceMethod sequenceMethod)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.TypedTranslate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TypedTranslator`1.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TranslateExpression(Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.AggregateTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.SequenceMethodTranslator.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression call, SequenceMethod sequenceMethod)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.MethodCallTranslator.TypedTranslate(ExpressionConverter parent, MethodCallExpression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TypedTranslator`1.Translate(ExpressionConverter parent, Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.TranslateExpression(Expression linq)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ExpressionConverter.Convert()
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ELinqQueryState.GetExecutionPlan(Nullable`1 forMergeOption)
   at System.Data.Objects.ObjectQuery`1.GetResults(Nullable`1 forMergeOption)
   at System.Data.Objects.ObjectQuery`1.System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<T>.GetEnumerator()
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.Single[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ObjectQueryProvider.<GetElementFunction>b__3[TResult](IEnumerable`1 sequence)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ObjectQueryProvider.ExecuteSingle[TResult](IEnumerable`1 query, Expression queryRoot)
   at System.Data.Objects.ELinq.ObjectQueryProvider.System.Linq.IQueryProvider.Execute[S](Expression expression)
   at System.Data.Entity.Internal.Linq.DbQueryProvider.Execute[TResult](Expression expression)
   at System.Linq.Queryable.Count[TSource](IQueryable`1 source)

Solution 1

Assuming your mapping to the view is setup correctly and where Customers is a DbSet<Customer> property on your Context.

var result = context.Customers.Select(c => new {c.Name,c.Age, c.AnyOtherProperty});

Edit: To show using your own class rather than an anonymous type.

var result = context.Customers.Select(c => new YourClassName{c.Name,c.Age, c.AnyOtherProperty});

Solution 2

Here is another way to do it if you want to stick with lambda expressions. Here you have both a "where" clause and "select" statement to control what you are selecting:

var myResult = context.Customers.Where(c => c.Name== "someName" && c.Age == age).Select(c => c.Name);

for each (var x in myResult)
{
   //do whatever
}

Solution 3

It looks like bug to me in EF 4.1 as since it's same class it is considering it as SQL aggregate function and trying to resolve it. You can try following,

var q = context.Customers.Select(c=>new {Name=c.Name, Age=c.Age});

foreach(var x in q)
{
    yield new Customer {Name=c.Name, Age=c.Age};
}