JD.Efcpt.Build

MSBuild integration for EF Core Power Tools CLI

Automate database-first EF Core model generation during dotnet build. Zero manual steps, full CI/CD support, reproducible builds.

Quick Start

Option A: Project Template (Easiest)

dotnet new install JD.Efcpt.Build.Templates
dotnet new efcptbuild --name MyDataProject
dotnet build

Option B: SDK Approach (Recommended)

<Project Sdk="JD.Efcpt.Sdk/PACKAGE_VERSION">
    <PropertyGroup>
        <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
    </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Option C: PackageReference

dotnet add package JD.Efcpt.Build
dotnet build

.NET 8-9 users: Install the CLI tool first: dotnet tool install -g ErikEJ.EFCorePowerTools.Cli --version "10.*"

.NET 10+ users: No tool installation needed - uses dnx automatically.

Pipeline Overview

The complete workflow from database to EF Core models, with scaffolding as a build-time step:

graph LR
    K["Entry Points"]
    K -->|Template| L["dotnet new efcptbuild"]
    K -->|SDK| M["Project Sdk=JD.Efcpt.Sdk"]
    K -->|Package| N["PackageReference JD.Efcpt.Build"]
    
    L & M & N -->|dotnet build| Build["<b>Build Process<br/>(BeforeTargets=CoreCompile)</b>"]
    
    A["Live Database"] -->|Connection| B["Query Schema"]
    C["SQL Project (.sqlproj)"] -->|Build| D["DACPAC"]
    Direct["Direct DACPAC<br/>(EfcptDacpacPath)"] -->|DACPAC File| D
    
    B & D -->|Schema Metadata| Build
    F["Configuration<br/>(efcpt-config.json)"] -->|Config| Build
    G["T4 Templates"] -->|Templates| Build
    
    Build -->|Generate Code| H["EF Core Models"]
    H -->|Compile| I["Assembly<br/>(.dll/.exe)"]

Loading

Available Packages

Package	Purpose	Usage
JD.Efcpt.Build	MSBuild integration	Add as PackageReference
JD.Efcpt.Sdk	SDK package (cleanest setup)	Use as project SDK
JD.Efcpt.Build.Templates	Project templates	dotnet new install

Package	Purpose	Usage
JD.Efcpt.Build	MSBuild integration	Add as PackageReference
JD.Efcpt.Sdk	SDK package (cleanest setup)	Use as project SDK
JD.Efcpt.Build.Templates	Project templates	dotnet new install

Key Features

• Automatic generation - DbContext and entities generated during dotnet build
• Incremental builds - Only regenerates when schema or config changes
• Database-First SqlProj Generation - Extract schema from live databases to DACPAC (NEW!)
• Dual input modes - Works with SQL Projects (.sqlproj) or live database connections
• Smart discovery - Auto-finds database projects and configuration files
• T4 template support - Customize code generation with your own templates
• Multi-schema support - Generate models across multiple database schemas
• CI/CD ready - Works everywhere .NET runs (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Docker)
• Cross-platform SQL Projects - Supports Microsoft.Build.Sql and MSBuild.Sdk.SqlProj

Documentation

Topic	Description
Getting Started	Installation and first project setup
Using the SDK	SDK approach for cleanest project files
Configuration	MSBuild properties and JSON config options
Connection String Mode	Generate from live databases
T4 Templates	Customize code generation
CI/CD Integration	GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Docker
Troubleshooting	Common issues and solutions
API Reference	Complete MSBuild properties and tasks
Core Concepts	How the build pipeline works
Architecture	Internal architecture details

How JD.Efcpt.Build Compares

Feature	JD.Efcpt.Build	dotnet ef dbcontext scaffold	EF Core Power Tools GUI	Plain efcpt CLI
Build-time automation	Yes (MSBuild target)	Manual only	Manual only	Manual only
Incremental regeneration	Yes (fingerprinting)	N/A	No	No
DACPAC/.sqlproj support	Yes (SQL Server)	No	Yes (GUI-only)	Yes
Live DB input	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Config persisted	Yes (efcpt-config.json, auto-applied)	Per-command args	efcpt-config.json (manual re-run)	efcpt-config.json (manual re-run)
CI/CD ready	Yes (fully automated)	Limited	No	Limited
T4 template customization	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Multi-schema support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Use JD.Efcpt.Build when you want automated, reproducible model generation as part of your build pipeline. Use the CLI directly when you need occasional scaffolding without build-step integration.

Database Provider Support

JD.Efcpt.Build supports multiple database providers through EF Core Power Tools:

• SQL Server (.sqlproj) - Full support: DACPAC, connection string mode, incremental builds
• PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Oracle, Firebird, Snowflake - Connection string mode only (no DACPAC generation)

Note: Traditional (non-SDK-style) .sqlproj builds are Windows-only. For cross-platform SQL projects, use Microsoft.Build.Sql or MSBuild.Sdk.SqlProj (both cross-platform). DACPAC files are SQL Server-specific. For non-SQL-Server databases, use Connection String Mode to scaffold directly from a live database connection.

For detailed provider-specific guidance, see Provider Configuration.

Requirements

• .NET SDK 8.0+
• EF Core Power Tools CLI - Auto-executed via dnx on .NET 10+; requires manual install on .NET 8-9
• Database source - SQL Server Database Project (.sqlproj) or live database connection

Supported SQL Project Types

Type	Extension	Cross-Platform
Microsoft.Build.Sql	.sqlproj	Yes
MSBuild.Sdk.SqlProj	.csproj / .fsproj	Yes
Traditional SQL Projects	.sqlproj	Windows only

New: Database-First SQL Generation

Automatically generate SQL scripts from your live database when JD.Efcpt.Build detects it's referenced in a SQL project:

DatabaseProject (SQL):

<Project Sdk="MSBuild.Sdk.SqlProj/3.3.0">
    <PropertyGroup>
        <EfcptConnectionString>Server=...;Database=MyDb;...</EfcptConnectionString>
    </PropertyGroup>
    <ItemGroup>
        <PackageReference Include="JD.Efcpt.Build" Version="PACKAGE_VERSION" />
    </ItemGroup>
</Project>

DataAccessProject (EF Core):

<ItemGroup>
    <ProjectReference Include="..\DatabaseProject\DatabaseProject.csproj" />
    <PackageReference Include="JD.Efcpt.Build" Version="PACKAGE_VERSION" />
</ItemGroup>

This enables the complete two-project workflow:

Live Database → SQL Scripts (in SQL Project) → DACPAC → EF Core Models (in DataAccess Project)

Benefits:

• ✅ Automatic SQL project detection (no configuration needed)
• ✅ Database as source of truth
• ✅ Human-readable SQL scripts for review and version control
• ✅ Clean separation: Database project (schema) + DataAccess project (models)
• ✅ Incremental builds with schema fingerprinting
• ✅ Works with .NET 10+ dnx (no sqlpackage installation required)

See the Database-First SQL Generation sample for a complete example.

Samples

See the samples directory for complete working examples:

• Simple Generation - Basic DACPAC-based generation
• SDK Zero Config - Minimal SDK project setup
• Database-First SQL Generation - Auto-generate SQL scripts from live database (NEW!)
• Connection String Mode - Generate from live database
• Custom Renaming - Table and column renaming
• Schema Organization - Multi-schema folder structure
• Split Outputs - Separate Models and Data projects

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue first to discuss changes. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• EF Core Power Tools by Erik Ejlskov Jensen - The tool this package automates
• Microsoft - For Entity Framework Core and MSBuild

Support

• GitHub Issues - Bug reports and feature requests
• GitHub Discussions - Questions and community support