SQL server 2005 database table has a column 'createdon' for which default value set to getdate(). I am trying to add a record using entity framework. 'createdon' column is not getting updated.
Did I miss any property in Entity framework, please suggest.
This is one of the few issues that are problematic with Entity Framework. Say you have a class that looks like this:
public class MyEntity { // Id is a PK on the table with Auto-Increment public int Id { get; set; } // CreatedOn is a datetime, with a default value public DateTime CreatedOn { get; set; } } Now, you want to insert a new element:
using(var context = new YourContext()) { context.MyEntities.Add(new MyEntity()) } Entity Framework knows how to handle an auto-increment primary key because of the definition in the EDMX. It will not try to insert a value for the Id property. However, as far as Entity Framework is concerned, CreatedOn has a value: the default DateTime. Because Entity Framework cannot say "well, it has a value but I should ignore it", it will actively insert the record with the CreatedOn property value, bypassing the default value on your column definition on your table.
There is no easy way to do this. You can either actively set the CreatedOn property to DateTime.Now when you insert that item. Or you can create an interface and an extension method pair:
public interface ICreatedOn { public DateTime CreatedOn { get; set; } } public partial class MyEntity : ICreatedOn { } public static TEntity AsNew<TEntity>(this TEntity entity) where TEntity : ICreatedOn { if(entity != null) entity.CreatedOn = DateTime.Now; return entity; } using(var context = new YourContext()) { context.MyEntities.Add(new MyEntity().AsNew()) } Edit: To expand on this point, the reason why this is an unresolvable issue is because of the meaning behind an autoincrement field and a field with a default value constraint. An auto-increment field should, by definition, always be handle by the server, using a seed and all that jazz. You cannot specify a value for an auto-increment field on an insert unless you have used SET IDENTITY INSERT ON. A default value, however, is just a hint that say "if I don't specify any value, use this". Because value types in .NET cannot be null, there will always be a value and Entity Framework cannot infer that the default value for that field, at that time, means that you want it to be defaulted on the SQL server.
Guid primary keys in Entity Framework. Or bypass Entity Framework completely and insert the value with your own SQL. See my edit for more information as to why this is happening.
not null table fields, i.e., the MS SQL field must be not null and accept a null value to use the default at all. To get MS SQL to be the source for the default value, EF would need to send a null value. For C# to use any MS SQL generated default value, C# could not generate this value itself because it would not be a SQL generated default value. This is important for example if you have a modified datetime field generated by the database used to validate update operations across different time zones.Next to using the designer and some more nifty stuff shown already, you can also mark the columns as being calculated by simply setting the DatabaseGenerated attribute on the field:
[DatabaseGenerated(DatabaseGeneratedOption.Computed)] public DateTime CreatedOn { get; set; } 
You can set StoreGeneratedPattern to Computed (as Malcolm suggested) in the GUI of the entity data model as well.
StoreGeneratedPattern to Computed in the properties window as shown below:
I've got around this issue by telling EF that the column is 'computed', and should therefore be left alone for inserts.
If you look in the configuration for the generated entity
namespace Data.Context { // Table internal partial class MyTableConfiguration : EntityTypeConfiguration<MyTable> { public MyTableConfiguration(string schema = "dbo") { ToTable(schema + ".MyTable"); HasKey(x => x.Id); Property(x => x.ColumnName).HasColumnName("ColumnName").IsOptional().HasDatabaseGeneratedOption(DatabaseGeneratedOption.Computed); .... 
modified datetime field is that EF could not send a null value to get a new default datetime. In other words, you could not set the modified field to now. The problem with a real MS SQL computed column is that non-deterministic functions like getdate() (returns a different value each time) cannot be persisted.