If you're a .NET developer, it almost goes without saying that you use Entity Framework as part of the data access code on your software projects. Sometimes, EF is just right for the job, but other times you want something more simple, with better control of the generated SQL queries, and more performant. Over the years, several micro-ORMs (object relationship mappers) have evolved for just this purpose. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.

I'd like to walk you through a few of the more popular .NET micro-ORM options so you can see how you can make a simple, high-performance, and easy to use data access layer that you can be proud of.