I have a model class. The related database table has a unique constraint on two fields (say Column1 and Column2). I am not sure what is the best way to validate the object before it is saved.
I am thinking to implement IValidatableObject and do this validation in the Validate method. Is it a good idea? I am not sure since it requires reading data from DB in a entity class.
public class Class1 :IValidatableObject
{
[Key]
public int ID { get; set; }
[Required]
public int Column1 { get; set; }
[Required]
public int Column2 { get; set; }
public IEnumerable<ValidationResult> Validate(ValidationContext validationContext)
{
using (DatabaseContext db = new DatabaseContext())
{
//access DB to check if this combination of Column1 and Column2 already exists
}
}
}
I am using MVC4 and EF 4.4.
UPDATE
Would you recommend using a separate validator class instead of using validation attributes?