How to Use Raw SQL in Entity Framework Core When LINQ Falls Short

Entity Framework Core provides several escape hatches for developers when LINQ cannot express complex or performance-critical queries. Methods like FromSqlRaw and FromSqlInterpolated allow raw SQL execution while still supporting entity tracking and LINQ composition. To prevent SQL injection, EF Core's interpolated methods extract user-supplied values as parameterized inputs rather than embedding them directly into query strings. For non-entity operations such as UPDATE, DELETE, or INSERT, ExecuteSqlRaw and ExecuteSqlInterpolated handle command execution and return affected row counts. Developers can also define keyless entity types to map custom SQL results, such as aggregations or stored procedure outputs, that do not correspond to a tracked database table.