Changing Default Schema in Entity Framework Code First

A quick tip for Entity Framework Code First when working with SQL Server schemas.

The Problem

There are occasions when you want to create the database in a schema other than the default dbo schema in SQL Server.

Basic Solution: Simple Tables

For basic entity tables, you can use the following instruction:

modelBuilder.Entity<Settings>().ToTable("Settings", schemaName);

The Many-to-Many Challenge

However, all tables that create many-to-many relationships will still end up in the dbo schema by default. To fix this, you need to use a Fluent API trick to make the adjustment.

modelBuilder.Entity<User>()
    .HasMany(p => p.groups)
    .WithMany(r => r.users)
    .Map(m => m.ToTable("UsersByGroups", schemaName));

Important Considerations

Complete Example

Here's a more complete example showing how to configure multiple entities with a custom schema:

protected override void OnModelCreating(DbModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    string schemaName = "MyCustomSchema";

    // Configure simple entities
    modelBuilder.Entity<Settings>()
        .ToTable("Settings", schemaName);
    
    modelBuilder.Entity<User>()
        .ToTable("Users", schemaName);
    
    modelBuilder.Entity<Group>()
        .ToTable("Groups", schemaName);

    // Configure many-to-many relationships
    modelBuilder.Entity<User>()
        .HasMany(p => p.groups)
        .WithMany(r => r.users)
        .Map(m => m.ToTable("UsersByGroups", schemaName));

    base.OnModelCreating(modelBuilder);
}