Entity Framework Core Query Plan Visualizer
Entity Framework Core (EF Core) Query Plan Visualizer is a powerful tool designed to enhance the debugging experience within Visual Studio by allowing developers to view query execution plans directly. This tool is incredibly useful for developers working with EF Core, a commonly used Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework for .NET applications. The visualizer is compatible with SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and Oracle, offering a broad range of database compatibility.
Introduction
The EF Core Query Plan Visualizer integrates seamlessly into Visual Studio, providing an intuitive interface to explore how queries are executed, which can help in optimizing database interactions. It requires Visual Studio version 17.9.0 or newer and supports EF Core 7 or newer. The visualizer helps developers understand the internal workings of their queries by displaying detailed query execution plans.
Usage
Installation of the visualizer is straightforward via the Visual Studio Marketplace. Once installed, a new debugging visualizer becomes available within Visual Studio. When a developer is debugging their code and encounters a query, they can simply hover over the query in the debugger to reveal an option to view its execution plan. Selecting this option triggers the actual execution of the query, ensuring that the real execution plan is displayed.
For SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and Oracle, the visualizer provides specific insights:
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SQL Server: It graphically represents the steps involved in executing a query, which can be further inspected through illustrations provided by the visualizer.
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PostgreSQL: Offers detailed execution plans, aiding developers in understanding the efficiencies and bottlenecks in their queries.
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Oracle: Includes additional data such as Actual IO stats, Outline data, Projections, and Predicates, giving developers a comprehensive overview of how Oracle handles their queries.
Known Issues
While the visualizer is a robust tool, there are some known issues. For instance, if extracting the query plan takes more than five seconds, an "Evaluation timed out" error may occur. Moreover, if a project is using Application Insights, developers might face difficulties in evaluating expressions due to the thread management required during debugging. A workaround for this issue is to disable Application Insights while using the debugger.
Credits
The development of EF Core Query Plan Visualizer heavily relies on collaborative open-source projects such as pev2 and html-query-plan. These contributions enable the visualization of complex query plans in an easily digestible format within Visual Studio.
EF Core Query Plan Visualizer is an essential tool for developers seeking to fine-tune their database interactions efficiently, making it easier to understand, optimize, and manage EF Core queries within the comfort of Visual Studio.