[df07]

Try Dapper for a simple .NET ORM. We created and use it for Stack Overflow. https://code.google.com/p/dapper-dot-net/

Here's the original post describing how we made it: http://samsaffron.com/archive/2011/03/30/How+I+learned+to+st...

[steverb]

Another plug for Dapper. I tell people it's an ORM for developers who aren't afraid of SQL. It doesn't hide the database, or force you to pretend it's not there. It excels at taking your rows of data and transmogrifying them to objects.

[daigoba66]

> transmogrifying

Also known as "mapping"; the literal purpose of an ORM. :)

Other big tools/frameworks include APIs for query generation, unit of work, caching, etc., which are not always necessary or desired.

[mmgutz]

Data mappers map tables to objects.

ORM's compensate for the impedance mismatch between objects and tables. They do a lot more than mapping.

[TheRealDunkirk]

THANK YOU for this link. It's extraordinarily on point for me. My boss went to the recent MSDN conference in Chicago, and he came away with the conclusion that we should not use it, so it may be out of my hands at this point. But your article is still awesome, and serves to illuminate exactly where the limitations lie.

[pauldbau]

You should definitely also check out ServiceStack. Dapper-like ORM, amazing web service capabilities and awesome serializers all in one place. Supports everything too (Mono, Xamarin etc).

[locusm]

Yup +1 for ServiceStack. Check out the project owners answers on StackOverflow.