ServiceStack.OrmLite

There is a middle ground. Everyone should know sql, but choose an ORM (micro-ORM) that doesn't have any abstractions, and gets data in and out. There are many solutions that offer you this without needing to write any SQL. https://github.com/CollaboratingPlatypus/PetaPoco https://github.com/ServiceStack/ServiceStack.OrmLite Micro ORMs is where it's at. You're asking for trouble if you choose something that does WAY more than it should, like Entity Framework.

Just use a Micro ORM from the get-go. It's the perfect type-safe abstraction on top of raw SQL. https://github.com/ServiceStack/ServiceStack.OrmLite https://github.com/CollaboratingPlatypus/PetaPoco Any errors you get are likely a result of the underlying database/provider (foreign key constraints, etc). You should never write raw SQL (if possible). You don't need an ORM to achieve that.

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