Update without a catalog

Runs the sample. Generated for this page; it reads the connection string from the environment.

using ArxSamples.MSSQL;
using ArxSamples.MSSQL.Operations.Update.Basics;

// The connection string comes from the environment, never from the code (see "Configure the connection").
var connectionString = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ARX_SAMPLES_SQLSERVER")
    ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Set the ARX_SAMPLES_SQLSERVER environment variable to your SQL Server connection string.");

await new Basic5_WithoutACatalog().RunAsync(new SampleContext(connectionString));

The sample, as it is in the repository.

using ARX.SDK;
using ARX.SDK.SQL.Services;
using ARX.SDK.Services;

using static ArxSamples.MSSQL.SampleOutput;

namespace ArxSamples.MSSQL.Operations.Update.Basics;

/// <summary>
/// Updates on a service created with only a connection string, in two scenarios: by the id, which ARX reads from the
/// table's primary key; and a table with no primary key, found by columns, which needs no id at all.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>
/// <para>Every call reads its table from the database first, which makes it much slower than a service with a catalog
/// (Create Basic6 says when that is fine).</para>
/// <para>An update by the id (the default) on a table with no usable primary key is ARX1019 TableNotResolvable. By a
/// key or by columns, the table needs no id, so the update runs.</para>
/// </remarks>
public sealed class Basic5_WithoutACatalog : ISample
{
    public string Name => "update-basics-5-without-a-catalog";

    public string Title => "Update without a catalog";

    public async Task RunAsync(SampleContext dbContext)
    {
        var service = new ArxMsSqlDbService(dbContext.ConnectionString);

        await Scenario1_ByTheIdAsync(service);

        await Scenario2_ATableWithNoPrimaryKey_ByColumnsAsync(service);
    }

    /// <summary>1. The usual way: the id Create returned, on an entity with only the attributes to change.</summary>
    private static async Task Scenario1_ByTheIdAsync(ArxMsSqlDbService service)
    {
        Step("1. By the id");

        var account = new ArxEntity("account");
        account["name"] = "Blue Yonder Airlines";
        account["account_number"] = "ACC-N021";
        account["employee_count"] = 40;
        ArxRecordId id = await service.CreateAsync(account);

        var change = new ArxEntity("account");
        change.RecordId = id;
        change["employee_count"] = 45;

        int changed = await service.UpdateAsync(change);

        Show($"account {id.AsInt64()}: {changed} row changed");

        /* ===========================================================
         * [DIRECT QUERY CHECK]
         * -----------------------------------------------------------
         * SELECT name, employee_count
         * FROM account
         * WHERE account_number = 'ACC-N021';
         * -- Expect: 1 row, employee_count 45.
         * ===========================================================
         */
    }

    /// <summary>2. activity_log has no primary key: find the rows by a column instead, and every matching row changes.</summary>
    private static async Task Scenario2_ATableWithNoPrimaryKey_ByColumnsAsync(ArxMsSqlDbService service)
    {
        Step("2. A table with no primary key, by columns");

        for (var i = 0; i < 2; i++)
        {
            var entry = new ArxEntity("activity_log") { IdColumn = ArxIdColumn.NoIdColumn };
            entry["action"] = "imported the rate card";
            await service.CreateAsync(entry);
        }

        // "action" finds the rows; logged_at is the value written.
        var change = new ArxEntity("activity_log");
        change["action"] = "imported the rate card";
        change["logged_at"] = new DateTimeOffset(2026, 3, 1, 9, 0, 0, TimeSpan.Zero);

        int changed = await service.UpdateAsync(change, new ArxUpdateOptions { Match = ArxMatch.Columns("action") });

        Show($"{changed} log entries changed");

        /* ===========================================================
         * [DIRECT QUERY CHECK]
         * -----------------------------------------------------------
         * SELECT action, logged_at
         * FROM activity_log
         * WHERE action = 'imported the rate card';
         * -- Expect: 2 rows, both logged_at 2026-03-01 09:00:00.0000000 +00:00.
         * ===========================================================
         */
    }
}

What every sample is given: the connection string (and the ISample interface the samples implement).

namespace ArxSamples.MSSQL;

/// <summary>One documentation sample: a scenario a real application has, shown end to end.</summary>
public interface ISample
{
    /// <summary>The name to run it alone: <c>dotnet run -- &lt;name&gt;</c>.</summary>
    string Name { get; }

    /// <summary>One line on what it shows.</summary>
    string Title { get; }

    Task RunAsync(SampleContext dbContext);
}

/// <summary>
/// What a sample is given. Every sample gets the connection string; the application's service and catalog
/// (SampleContext.Application.cs) and the plain SqlClient read-back helper (SampleContext.Direct.cs) live in their own
/// files, so a sample needs only the files it uses.
/// </summary>
public sealed partial class SampleContext
{
    public SampleContext(string connectionString)
    {
        ConnectionString = connectionString;
    }

    public string ConnectionString { get; }
}

How the samples print: Step for each scenario, Show for what it did, ShowError for an error caught on purpose.

using ARX.SDK;

namespace ArxSamples.MSSQL;

/// <summary>How the samples print: a numbered step for each scenario, then what it did.</summary>
public static class SampleOutput
{
    /// <summary>The start of a scenario: <c>Step("1. By the id Create returned")</c>.</summary>
    public static void Step(string text) => Console.WriteLine($"  > {text}");

    /// <summary>What the scenario did.</summary>
    public static void Show(string text) => Console.WriteLine($"      {text}");

    /// <summary>An ARX error the scenario caught on purpose.</summary>
    public static void ShowError(ArxException exception)
        => Console.WriteLine($"      caught {exception.GetType().Name}: {exception.Message}");
}

  > 1. By the id
      account 1: 1 row changed
  > 2. A table with no primary key, by columns
      2 log entries changed