Creating multiple tables in one model ASP.Net MVC 4

Question

I have a Person model which represents different aspects of a person. In my person model I have the following:

public class PersonsContext : DbContext
    {
        public PersonsContext()
            : base("SiteDBCon")
        {
        }

        public DbSet<Person> Persons { get; set; }

        public DbSet<UserProfile> UserProfiles { get; set; }
    }

    public class Person
    {
        public int ID { get; set; }
        public int Age { get; set; }
        public string Gender { get; set; }
        public string Race { get; set; }
        public string Ethnicity { get; set; }
        public int UserId { get; set; }                //User who input data
        public UserProfile UserProfile { get; set; }   //User who input data

    }

However, there are some things that a person can have multiple entries for, address - current previous, Phone numbers current previous etc.. All of which I want in separate tables. Can I add those tables in the PersonModel or do I need to create a new Model for each table, eg. AddressModel, PhoneModel? They will all have a one to many relationship with the Person table. If you can do it is it a good idea to have all in one Model. In the past I have created separate models but I am questioning if that is necessary.

When you say "model", are you talking about an EF entity, or an MVC view model? — Jerad Rose
– Jerad Rose, Commented Dec 5, 2012 at 21:43
@JeradRose I am using Entity Framework for code first migrations but I don't know what "EF entity" is. It is not a view model as I am persisting these in a database. These additional tables would be stored in the database, address, phone, etc. — Xaxum
– Xaxum, Commented Dec 5, 2012 at 22:02

Jerad Rose · Accepted Answer · 2012-12-05 23:14:43Z

1

What you are referring to is database normalization. Generally speaking, you want to normalize your data anytime you see a many-to-one or many-to-many relationship in your models.

The main question is, will a person always have exactly one address/phone? If so, it may make sense to keep them with your Person model. If they may (now or, in the future) have multiple addresses/phones, then it's almost always best to normalize these out into different models.

Even if you don't need multiple addresses/phones now, you may need to at some point, and for this reason, most people will opt to normalize related like this out.

Another benefit is that this will allow you to have types assigned to your addresses (shipping/billing) and phone (cell/home/work).

If I were you, I would consider setting up an Address and Phone model, and have them as one-to-many relationships to your Person via a List<> (or other IEnumerable<>).

answered Dec 5, 2012 at 23:14

Jerad Rose

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4 Comments

Xaxum Over a year ago

They will have additional addresses and phones so I do want them in a separate table. The root of my question is can I add a separate table statement and then associated class for Address in the PersonModel.cs file or should I create a separate AddressModel.cs file etc. I have always created a separate file but wanted to know if that is the preferred/required approach.

Jerad Rose Over a year ago

That's just a file organization concern, as it will have no effect on the code/results. But as a general practice, I always keep my classes in their own file. This makes it easier to find, and also is easier to manage in source control when working w/ teams.

Xaxum Over a year ago

So if you did put it in the same file would you have to add another context statement for Address and another DBSet<Address> statement?

Jerad Rose Over a year ago

Yes. By adding a DbSet<Address> to your context, and an Address model (entity), you are adding another database to your table. Of course, you will need to follow EF conventions (using fluent or DataAnnotations) to relate your Address back to your Person.

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