Add ManagedType/SupportNull and extend value types

.github/workflows/configuration/Benchmark.KNetReplicator.json → .github/workflows/configuration/KNetReplicator.json

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "DatabaseName": "TestDBBenchmark",
+  "UseCompactedReplicator": true,
   "BootstrapServers": "localhost:9092",
   "NumberOfExecutions": 10,
   "UseEnumeratorWithPrefetch": false

.github/workflows/configuration/KNetStreams.Buffered.Prefetch.json

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "BootstrapServers": "localhost:9092",
+  "NumberOfExecutions": 10
+}

.github/workflows/configuration/Benchmark.KNetStreams.Buffered.json → .github/workflows/configuration/KNetStreams.Buffered.json

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 {
-  "DatabaseName": "TestDBBenchmark",
-  "UseCompactedReplicator": false,
   "BootstrapServers": "localhost:9092",
   "NumberOfExecutions": 10,
   "UseEnumeratorWithPrefetch": false

.github/workflows/configuration/Benchmark.KNetStreams.Raw.Prefetch.json → .github/workflows/configuration/KNetStreams.Raw.Prefetch.json

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 {
-  "DatabaseName": "TestDBBenchmark",
-  "UseCompactedReplicator": false,
   "UseByteBufferDataTransfer": false,
   "BootstrapServers": "localhost:9092",
   "NumberOfExecutions": 10

.github/workflows/configuration/Benchmark.KNetStreams.Raw.json → .github/workflows/configuration/KNetStreams.Raw.json

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 {
-  "DatabaseName": "TestDBBenchmark",
-  "UseCompactedReplicator": false,
   "UseByteBufferDataTransfer": false,
   "BootstrapServers": "localhost:9092",
   "NumberOfExecutions": 10,

.github/workflows/configuration/Benchmark.KafkaStreams.Buffered.json → .github/workflows/configuration/KafkaStreams.Buffered.json

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 {
-  "DatabaseName": "TestDBBenchmark",
-  "UseCompactedReplicator": false,
   "UseKNetStreams": false,
   "BootstrapServers": "localhost:9092",
   "NumberOfExecutions": 10

.github/workflows/configuration/Benchmark.KafkaStreams.Raw.json → .github/workflows/configuration/KafkaStreams.Raw.json

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 {
-  "DatabaseName": "TestDBBenchmark",
-  "UseCompactedReplicator": false,
   "UseKNetStreams": false,
   "UseByteBufferDataTransfer": false,
   "BootstrapServers": "localhost:9092",

README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-# KEFCore: [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/)
+# KEFCore: [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/)
 
-KEFCore is the [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/).
+KEFCore is the [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/).
 Based on [KNet](https://github.com/masesgroup/KNet) it allows to use [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) as a distributed database and more.
 
 ### Libraries and Tools
@@ -22,21 +22,86 @@ Its primary scope is to support other, public or internal, MASES Group projects:
 
 The repository code and releases may contain bugs, the release cycle depends from critical discovered issues and/or enhancement requested from this or other projects.
 
-Looking for the help of [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) and [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) experts? MASES Group can help you design, build, deploy, and manage [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) and [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) applications.
+Looking for the help of [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) and [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) experts? MASES Group can help you design, build, deploy, and manage [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) and [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) applications.
 
 ---
 
 ## Scope of the project
 
-This project aims to create a provider to access the information stored within an Apache Kafka™ cluster using the paradigm behind Entity Framework.
+This project aims to create a provider able to save data to, and read data from, an Apache Kafka™ cluster using the paradigm behind Entity Framework.
+
+Have you ever reached the [Entity Framework Core introduction page](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/)? 
+The first example proposed is:
+
+```c#
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+
+namespace Intro;
+
+public class BloggingContext : DbContext
+{
+    public DbSet<Blog> Blogs { get; set; }
+    public DbSet<Post> Posts { get; set; }
+
+    protected override void OnConfiguring(DbContextOptionsBuilder optionsBuilder)
+    {
+        optionsBuilder.UseSqlServer(
+            @"Server=(localdb)\mssqllocaldb;Database=Blogging;Trusted_Connection=True;ConnectRetryCount=0");
+    }
+}
+
+public class Blog
+{
+    public int BlogId { get; set; }
+    public string Url { get; set; }
+    public int Rating { get; set; }
+    public List<Post> Posts { get; set; }
+}
+
+public class Post
+{
+    public int PostId { get; set; }
+    public string Title { get; set; }
+    public string Content { get; set; }
+
+    public int BlogId { get; set; }
+    public Blog Blog { get; set; }
+}
+```
+which uses a SQL Server instance to store and retrieve the data.
+
+With [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) any user can replace a database (the available providers always use a database) with an [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) cluster.
+So the following query:
+```c#
+using (var db = new BloggingContext())
+{
+    var blogs = await db.Blogs
+        .Where(b => b.Rating > 3)
+        .OrderBy(b => b.Url)
+        .ToListAsync();
+}
+```
+or the following operation:
+```c#
+using (var db = new BloggingContext())
+{
+    var blog = new Blog { Url = "http://sample.com" };
+    db.Blogs.Add(blog);
+    await db.SaveChangesAsync();
+}
+```
+
+can be done on a set of topics in an [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) cluster.
+
 The project is based on available information within the official [EntityFrameworkCore repository](https://github.com/dotnet/efcore), many classes was copied from there as reported in the official documentation within the Microsoft website at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/core/providers/writing-a-provider.
 
-Currently the project tries to support, at our best, the [supported Apache Kafka™ binary distribution](https://kafka.apache.org/downloads):
+Currently the project tries to support, at our best, the [official supported Apache Kafka™ binary distribution](https://kafka.apache.org/downloads):
 
 | KEFCore | State | Apache Kafka™ | .NET | JVM™ |
 |:---:	|:---:	|:---:	|:---:	|:---:	|
-| 2.6.* | Active | 4.1.* | 8+ | 17+ |
-| 2.5.* | Active | 3.9.* | 8+ | 11+ |
+| 2.6.* | Active | 4.1.* | [![.NET 8+](https://img.shields.io/badge/.NET-8%2B-purple)](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/) | [![Java 17+](https://img.shields.io/badge/Java-17%2B-blue)](https://www.oracle.com/java/) |
+| 2.5.* | Active | 3.9.* | [![.NET 8+](https://img.shields.io/badge/.NET-8%2B-purple)](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/) | [![Java 11+](https://img.shields.io/badge/Java-11%2B-blue)](https://www.oracle.com/java/) |
 
 ### Community and Contribution
 

src/documentation/articles/externalapplication.md

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ _description: Describes how to use data managed by Entity Framework Core provide
 
 # KEFCore: external application
 
-[Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) shall convert the entities used within the model in something viable from the backend.
-Continuing from the concepts introduced in [serialization](serialization.md), an external application can use the data stored in the topics in a way it decides: [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) gives some helpers to get back the CLR Entity objects stored in the topics.
+[Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) shall convert the entities used within the model in something viable from the backend.
+Continuing from the concepts introduced in [serialization](serialization.md), an external application can use the data stored in the topics in a way it decides: [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) gives some helpers to get back the CLR Entity objects stored in the topics.
 
 > IMPORTANT NOTE: till the first major version, all releases shall be considered not stable: this means the API public, or internal, can change without notice.
 
@@ -45,4 +45,4 @@ To work properly it needs, to be loaded in memory, at least:
 
 ## Possible usages
 
-For possible usages of [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/), and this feature, see [use cases](usecases.md)
+For possible usages of [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/), and this feature, see [use cases](usecases.md)

src/documentation/articles/gettingstarted.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ _description: Describes how to start to use Entity Framework Core provider for A
 
 # KEFCore: Getting started
 
-To use [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) you must have at least:
+To use [Entity Framework Core](https://learn.microsoft.com/ef/core/) provider for [Apache Kafka™](https://kafka.apache.org/) you must have at least:
 - an installed JRE/JDK (11+)
 - an accessible Apache Kafka™ broker (a full cluster or a local Dockerized version)