IME, the accidental inefficiencies aren't a huge problem. What I hate about some ORMs is that they want to be considered the foundation of a system or, worse, m

IME, the accidental inefficiencies aren't a huge problem. What I hate about some ORMs is that they want to be considered the foundation of a system or, worse, multiple systems, rather than just a tool for implementing pesky infrastructure details. LINQ-to-SQL and Entity Framework feel like they want to be at the center of everything, though they don't have to be use that way. Something like Dapper, on the other hand, seems like it just wants to get your app the data it requires, through classes the application defines, and then get out of your way. In short, I don't think ORMs should generate class libraries to be referenced by applications, they should help you get exactly what you need, when you need it, nothing more, nothing less, and no one expect the person that maintains that code should ever need to care how the data got there. If a column gets added to a table that has nothing to do with a specific application, that application shouldn't need to be updated.