Research survey: Evaluating Code First vs Database First in different ORMs
I am conducting an academic research study focused on comparing Code First (CF) and Database First (DBF) approaches in different ORMs.
The goal of this survey is to collect objective, experience-based input from developers who have worked in real-world projects. The responses will be used to analyze how CF and DBF are implemented in practice, based on clearly defined technical and organizational criteria.
The comparison relies on a structured set of criteria covering key aspects of database usage in modern Django applications — including schema design, migrations and change management, performance considerations, version control, and team collaboration. These criteria are intended not only to describe theoretical differences, but to provide a practical framework for objectively evaluating both approaches in real development scenarios.
The same criteria are applied across multiple ORM environments (Entity Framework Core, Hibernate, Django ORM, and Doctrine) in order to compare how different ORMs implement Code First and Database First in practice.
If you have experience working with any of these ORMs here are the different survey links:
Django: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFvpzjFii9NFZxbaUTIGZEaY0WY4jXty4Erv-hKZPE1ZESyA/viewform?usp=dialog
EF Core: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGkQuwa4pxs_3f9f2u9Af64wqy_zeLP2xhhcwKxHnaQdWLmQ/viewform?usp=dialog
Hibernate: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdU51vOlhwxLFXA7Rp24pdYO-gRwZgm02qqIWaGaEz10MuwQg/viewform?usp=dialog
Doctrine: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWwuI1PSFfN3tNC2yYXjw787zfoXOeXKehC1kce3ondiK8NQ/viewform?usp=dialog
Thank you for contributing; comments, corrections, and practical insights are very welcome.