Parent object is in EntityState.Unchanged, but it still inserted in the Database

Question

I have a simple snowflake schema out of which I generated my Entity Framework model.
The problem is that I am trying to map a child entity to an existing parent and/or grandparent entity, but it still inserts it.

I followed this:

Insert new object with existing object
Prevent Entity Framework to Insert Values for Navigational Properties

The interesting thing is that even though the EntityState of the parent entities is "Unchanged" the Entity Framework still tries to insert it.

---

The Schema

---

CarRepository.Save() method

public void Save(Car car)
    {
        using (DBContext context = new DBContext())
        {
            // No need to save if it already exists
            if ( context.Cars.FirstOrDefault(x => x.RegistrationNumber == car.RegistrationNumber) != null)
            {
                return;
            }
            else
            {
                // Check if the parent POCOs exist in the DB. 
                Model existingModel = context.Models.FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name == car.Model.Name);
                Manufacturer existingManufacturer = context.Manufacturers.FirstOrDefault(x=> x.Name == car.Model.Manufacturer.Name)
                Trader existingTrader = context.Traders.FirstOrDefault(x=> x.Name == car.Trader.Name)
                TraderCompany existingTraderCompany = context.TraderCompanys.FirstOrDefault(x=> x.Name == car.Trader.TraderCompany.Name)

                context.ContextOptions.LazyLoadingEnabled = false;

                //Attach to the context if existing in the DB, i.e mark the existing POCOs not to be added the DB
                if (existingModel != null)
                {
                    car.Model = existingModel;
                    Assert.IsTrue(context.ObjectStateManager.GetObjectStateEntry(car.Model).State == EntityState.Unchanged);
                }

                if (existingManufacturer != null)
                {
                    car.Model.Manufacturer = existingManufacturer;
                    Assert.IsTrue(context.ObjectStateManager.GetObjectStateEntry(car.Model.Manufacturer).State == EntityState.Unchanged);
                }

                if (existingTrader != null)
                {
                    car.Trader = existingTrader;
                    Assert.IsTrue(context.ObjectStateManager.GetObjectStateEntry(car.Trader).State == EntityState.Unchanged);
                }

                if (existingTraderCompany != null)
                {
                    car.Trader.TraderCompany = existingTraderCompany;
                    Assert.IsTrue(context.ObjectStateManager.GetObjectStateEntry(car.Trader.TraderCompany).State == EntityState.Unchanged);
                }

                //Mark the Car for Addition to the DB
                context.Cars.AddObject(car);
                context.ObjectStateManager.ChangeObjectState(car, EntityState.Added);


                //If the POCOs do not exist in the DB mark them for addition
                if (existingModel == null)
                {
                   context.ObjectStateManager.ChangeObjectState(car.Model,EntityState.Added);
                }

                if (existingManufacturer == null)
                {
                    context.ObjectStateManager.ChangeObjectState(car.Model.Manufacturer,EntityState.Added);
                }

                if (existingTrader == null)
                {
                    context.ObjectStateManager.ChangeObjectState(car.Trader,EntityState.Added);
                }

                if (existingTraderCompany == null)
                {
                    context.ObjectStateManager.ChangeObjectState(car.Trader.TraderCompany,EntityState.Added);
                }

                context.SaveChanges();

            }
        }
    }

---

Edit:

After a few days of tinkering I managed to come up with a workaround which worked for me.

It seems that the Car that is being passed to the CarRepository.Save() has some kind of internal context which is undetectable... That being so, it is impossible to detach it from that context/s and add it to the one in CarRepository.Save(). In order to actually add it to this context I deep/lazy copy the Car object and its navigation properties, if existing.

---

The workaround

public void Save(Car car)
{
    using (DBContext context = new DBContext())
    {
        // No need to save if it already exists
        if ( context.Cars
                    .Any(x => x.RegistrationNumber == car.RegistrationNumber))
        {
            return;
        }
        else
        {
            //Assign scalar properties to the deep copy
            Car carToBeSaved = new Car 
            {
                carToBeSaved.RegistrationNumber = car.RegistrationNumber,
                carToBeSaved.Price = car.Price
            }


            //Car -> Trader -> ...
            if(car.Trader != null)
            {   
                Trader existingTrader = 
                    context.Traders
                           .FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name == car.Trader.Name);

                //If exists in DB assign, if not deep copy
                carToBeSaved.Trader = existingTrader ??
                    new Trader
                    {
                        Name = car.Trader.Name,
                        JobTitle = car.Trader.JobTitle
                    }

                //Car -> Trader -> TraderCompany
                if(car.Trader.TraderCompany != null)
                {
                    TraderCompany existingTraderCompany = 
                        context.TradersCompanys
                               .FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name == car.Trader
                                                                 .TraderCompany
                                                                 .Name);

                    //If exists in DB assign, if not deep copy  
                    carToBeSaved.Trader.TraderCompany = existingTraderCompany ??
                        new TraderCompany
                        {
                            Name = car.Trader.TraderCompany.Name,
                            Address = car.Trader.TraderCompany.Address,
                            PhoneNumber = car.Trader.TraderCompany.PhoneNumber
                        }
                }
            }

            //Car -> Model -> ...
            if(car.Model != null)
            {   
                Model existingModel = 
                    context.Models
                           .FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name == car.Model.Name);

                //If exists in DB assign, if not deep copy
                carToBeSaved.Model = existingModel ??
                    new Model
                    {
                        Name = car.Model.Name
                    }

                //Car -> Model -> Manufacturer
                if(car.Model.Manufacturer != null)
                {
                    Manufacturer existingManufacturer = 
                        context.Manufacturers
                               .FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name == car.Model
                                                                 .Manufacturer
                                                                 .Name);

                    //If exists in DB assign, if not deep copy
                    carToBeSaved.Model.Manufacturer = existingManufacturer ??
                    new Manufacturer
                        {
                            Name = car.Model.Manufacturer.Name
                        }
                }
            }

            //Mark the Car for Addition to the DB
            context.Cars.AddObject(car);
            context.SaveChanges();

        }
    }
}

If someone have any thoughts on this, please share.

Thanks.

Answer 1

The most reliable way I've found around this type of issue is to use the Id of the existing object instead of associating the entity instance. So you would set the "foreign" key to the trader like so after finding the existing trader:

car.TraderId = existingTrader.Id;

For some time this seemed like a hack to me but in the April 2013 MSDN mag I read that Julie Lerman also recommends this approach.