Best method to store Enum in Database

Question

What is the best method of storing an Enum in a Database using C# And Visual Studio and MySQL Data Connector.

I am going to be creating a new project with over 100 E

Answer 1

Some things you should take in consideration.

Is the enumeration column going to be used directly by other applications like for example reports. This will limit the possibility of the enumeration being stored in it's integer format because that value will have no meaning when present in a report unless the reports have custom logic.

What are the i18n needs for your application? If it only supports one language you can save the enumeration as text and create a helper method to convert from a description string. You can use [DescriptionAttribute] for this and methods for the conversion can probably be found by searching SO.

If on the other hand you have the need to support multiple language and external application access to your data you can start considering if enumeration are really the answer. Other option like lookup tables can be considered if the scenario is more complex.

Enumerations are excellent when they are self contained in code... when they cross that border, things tend to get a bit messy.

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Update:

You can convert from an integer using Enum.ToObject method. This implies that you know the type of the enumeration when converting. If you want to make it completely generic you need to store the type of the enumeration alongside it's value in the database. You could create data dictionary support tables to tell you which columns are enumerations and what type are them.