c# - Can Entity Framework add many related entities with single SaveChanges()?

Question

I am writing many (20+) parent child datasets to the database, and EF is requiring me to savechanges between each set, without which it complains about not being able to figure out the primary key. Can the data be flushed to the SQL Server so that EF can get the primary keys back from the identities, with the SaveChanges being sent at the end of writing all of the changes?

foreach (var itemCount in itemCounts)
{
    var addItemTracking = new ItemTracking
    {
        availabilityStatusID = availabilityStatusId,
        itemBatchId = itemCount.ItemBatchId,
        locationID = locationId,
        serialNumber = serialNumber,
        trackingQuantityOnHand = itemCount.CycleQuantity
    };
    _context.ItemTrackings.Add(addItemTracking);
    _context.SaveChanges();
    var addInventoryTransaction = new InventoryTransaction
    {
        activityHistoryID = newInventoryTransaction.activityHistoryID,
        itemTrackingID = addItemTracking.ItemTrackingID,
        personID = newInventoryTransaction.personID,
        usageTransactionTypeId = newInventoryTransaction.usageTransactionTypeId,
        transactionDate = newInventoryTransaction.transactionDate,
        usageQuantity = usageMultiplier * itemCount.CycleQuantity
    };
    _context.InventoryTransactions.Add(addInventoryTransaction);
    _context.SaveChanges();
}

I would like to do my SaveChanges just once at the end of the big loop.

Answer 1

You don`t need to save changes every time if you use objects refernces to newly created objects not IDs:

var addItemTracking = new ItemTracking
{
    ...
}
_context.ItemTrackings.Add(addItemTracking);
var addInventoryTransaction = new InventoryTransaction
{
    itemTracking = addItemTracking,
    ...
};
_context.InventoryTransactions.Add(addInventoryTransaction);
...
_context.SaveChanges();