Linq to entities query adding inner join instead of left join - view

Question

I'd like to know why INNER JOINs are generated instead of LEFT and why the whole view is selected before join instead of just adding LEFT JOIN view.
I'm trying to post a table of information which is spread out over several tables. Basically I want to search by the date and return all the information for events happening today, yesterday, this month - whatever the user selects. The query is quite long. I added DefaultIfEmpty to all the tables except the main one in an attempt to get LEFT JOINs but it just made a mess.
using (TransitEntities t = new TransitEntities())
{
var charters = from c in t.tblCharters
join v in t.tblChartVehicles.DefaultIfEmpty()
on c.Veh
equals v.ChartVehID
join n in t.tblNACharters.DefaultIfEmpty()
on c.Dpt.Substring(c.Dpt.Length - 1)
equals SqlFunctions.StringConvert((double)n.NAID)
join r in t.tblChartReqs.DefaultIfEmpty()
on c.ChartReqID
equals r.ChartReqID
join f in t.tblCharterCustomers.DefaultIfEmpty()
on c.Dpt
equals (f.DptID == "NONAFF" ? SqlFunctions.StringConvert((double)f.CustID) : f.DptID)
join d in t.tblChartReqDocs.DefaultIfEmpty()
on c.Attach
equals SqlFunctions.StringConvert((double)d.DocID)
join s in t.tblChartSupAttaches.DefaultIfEmpty()
on c.SupAttach
equals SqlFunctions.StringConvert((double)s.DocID)
join p in (from e in t.v_EmpData select new {e.UIN, e.First, e.Last}).DefaultIfEmpty()
on c.TakenUIN
equals p.UIN
where c.BeginTime > EntityFunctions.AddYears(DateTime.Now,-1)
select new
{
ChartID = c.ChartID,
Status = c.Status,
...
Website = r.Website,
};
//select today's events
gvCharters.DataSource = charters.Where(row => (row.BeginTime.Value >= midnight && row.BeginTime.Value < midnight1));
This results in very convoluted SQL:
SELECT
[Extent1].[ChartID] AS [ChartID],
[Extent1].[Status] AS [Status],
...
[Join5].[Website] AS [Website],
FROM [dbo].[tblCharters] AS [Extent1]
INNER JOIN (SELECT [Extent2].[ChartVehID] AS [ChartVehID], [Extent2].[Descr] AS [Descr]
FROM ( SELECT 1 AS X ) AS [SingleRowTable1]
LEFT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[tblChartVehicles] AS [Extent2] ON 1 = 1 ) AS [Join1] ON ([Extent1].[Veh] = [Join1].[ChartVehID]) OR (([Extent1].[Veh] IS NULL) AND ([Join1].[ChartVehID] IS NULL))
INNER JOIN (SELECT [Extent3].[NAID] AS [NAID], [Extent3].[Descr] AS [Descr]
FROM ( SELECT 1 AS X ) AS [SingleRowTable2]
LEFT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[tblNACharter] AS [Extent3] ON 1 = 1 ) AS [Join3] ON ((SUBSTRING([Extent1].[Dpt], ((LEN([Extent1].[Dpt])) - 1) + 1, (LEN([Extent1].[Dpt])) - ((LEN([Extent1].[Dpt])) - 1))) = (STR( CAST( [Join3].[NAID] AS float)))) OR ((SUBSTRING([Extent1].[Dpt], ((LEN([Extent1].[Dpt])) - 1) + 1, (LEN([Extent1].[Dpt])) - ((LEN([Extent1].[Dpt])) - 1)) IS NULL) AND (STR( CAST( [Join3].[NAID] AS float)) IS NULL))
INNER JOIN (SELECT [Extent4].[ChartReqID] AS [ChartReqID], [Extent4].[Event] AS [Event], [Extent4].[ContactName] AS [ContactName], [Extent4].[ContactPhone] AS [ContactPhone], [Extent4].[Website] AS [Website]
FROM ( SELECT 1 AS X ) AS [SingleRowTable3]
LEFT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[tblChartReq] AS [Extent4] ON 1 = 1 ) AS [Join5] ON ([Extent1].[ChartReqID] = [Join5].[ChartReqID]) OR (([Extent1].[ChartReqID] IS NULL) AND ([Join5].[ChartReqID] IS NULL))
INNER JOIN (SELECT [Extent5].[CustID] AS [CustID], [Extent5].[Dpt] AS [Dpt], [Extent5].[DptID] AS [DptID]
FROM ( SELECT 1 AS X ) AS [SingleRowTable4]
LEFT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[tblCharterCustomers] AS [Extent5] ON 1 = 1 ) AS [Join7] ON ([Extent1].[Dpt] = (CASE WHEN (N'NONAFF' = [Join7].[DptID]) THEN STR( CAST( [Join7].[CustID] AS float)) ELSE [Join7].[DptID] END)) OR (([Extent1].[Dpt] IS NULL) AND (CASE WHEN (N'NONAFF' = [Join7].[DptID]) THEN STR( CAST( [Join7].[CustID] AS float)) ELSE [Join7].[DptID] END IS NULL))
INNER JOIN (SELECT [Extent6].[DocID] AS [DocID], [Extent6].[FileName] AS [FileName]
FROM ( SELECT 1 AS X ) AS [SingleRowTable5]
LEFT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[tblChartReqDocs] AS [Extent6] ON 1 = 1 ) AS [Join9] ON ([Extent1].[Attach] = (STR( CAST( [Join9].[DocID] AS float)))) OR (([Extent1].[Attach] IS NULL) AND (STR( CAST( [Join9].[DocID] AS float)) IS NULL))
INNER JOIN (SELECT [Extent7].[DocID] AS [DocID], [Extent7].[FileName] AS [FileName]
FROM ( SELECT 1 AS X ) AS [SingleRowTable6]
LEFT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[tblChartSupAttach] AS [Extent7] ON 1 = 1 ) AS [Join11] ON ([Extent1].[SupAttach] = (STR( CAST( [Join11].[DocID] AS float)))) OR (([Extent1].[SupAttach] IS NULL) AND (STR( CAST( [Join11].[DocID] AS float)) IS NULL))
INNER JOIN (SELECT [Extent8].[First] AS [First], [Extent8].[Last] AS [Last], [Extent8].[UIN] AS [UIN]
FROM ( SELECT 1 AS X ) AS [SingleRowTable7]
LEFT OUTER JOIN (SELECT
[v_EmpData].[First] AS [First],
[v_EmpData].[Last] AS [Last],
[v_EmpData].[Legal] AS [Legal],
[v_EmpData].[Name] AS [Name],
[v_EmpData].[Email] AS [Email],
[v_EmpData].[UIN] AS [UIN],
[v_EmpData].[UserNM] AS [UserNM],
[v_EmpData].[Worker] AS [Worker],
[v_EmpData].[SUPERVISORNUM] AS [SUPERVISORNUM],
[v_EmpData].[Supervisor] AS [Supervisor],
[v_EmpData].[EmpArea] AS [EmpArea],
[v_EmpData].[Title] AS [Title],
[v_EmpData].[FullName] AS [FullName],
[v_EmpData].[HireDate] AS [HireDate],
[v_EmpData].[WORKERTYPENM] AS [WORKERTYPENM],
[v_EmpData].[Birth] AS [Birth],
[v_EmpData].[HOMESTREET] AS [HOMESTREET],
[v_EmpData].[HOMECITY] AS [HOMECITY],
[v_EmpData].[HOMEZIP] AS [HOMEZIP],
[v_EmpData].[HOMESTATE] AS [HOMESTATE],
[v_EmpData].[PicID] AS [PicID],
[v_EmpData].[WorkPhone] AS [WorkPhone],
[v_EmpData].[HomePhone] AS [HomePhone],
[v_EmpData].[WorkCellPhone] AS [WorkCellPhone]
FROM [dbo].[v_EmpData] AS [v_EmpData]) AS [Extent8] ON 1 = 1 ) AS [Join13] ON ([Extent1].[TakenUIN] = [Join13].[UIN]) OR (([Extent1].[TakenUIN] IS NULL) AND ([Join13].[UIN] IS NULL))
WHERE ([Extent1].[BeginTime] > (DATEADD (year, -1, SysDateTime())))
AND ('C' <> [Extent1].[Status])
AND ([Extent1].[BeginTime] >= '11/28/2012 12:00:00 AM')
AND ([Extent1].[BeginTime] < '11/29/2012 12:00:00 AM')
This is what my original SQL query looked like and what I was hoping it would be closer to:
SELECT
ChartID,
c.Status,
...
r.Website As Website,
FROM tblChartersNew c
LEFT JOIN (SELECT [Dpt],[DptID] FROM [DRVRDiscipline].[dbo].[tblCharterCustomers] Where Valid=1 and DptID <> 'NONAFF' UNION SELECT Dpt, CONVERT(nvarchar,CustID) AS DptID FROM [DRVRDiscipline].[dbo].[tblCharterCustomers] Where Valid=1 and DptID = 'NONAFF') f
ON RTRIM(c.Dpt) = f.DptID LEFT JOIN [tskronos].WfcSuite.dbo.VP_ALLPERSONV42 p ON p.PersonNUM = c.TakenUIN
LEFT JOIN tblChartVehicles v ON v.ChartVehID = c.Veh
LEFT JOIN tblNACharter n ON CAST(n.NAID AS varchar) = RIGHT(c.Dpt, LEN(c.Dpt)-1)
LEFT JOIN tblChartReq r
ON r.ChartReqID = c.ChartReqID
WHERE CONVERT(datetime,CONVERT(char(10),c.BeginTime,101)) = (SELECT TOP 1 CONVERT(datetime,CONVERT(char(10),BeginTime,101)) from tblChartersNew WHERE CONVERT(datetime,CONVERT(char(10),BeginTime,101)) >= CONVERT(datetime,CONVERT(char(10),GETDATE(),101)) ORDER BY BeginTime)
AND NOT c.ChartReqID IS NULL
ORDER BY BeginTime, ISNULL(f.Dpt,c.Dpt)
I also add a Select New on the view to avoid selecting all of the columns when I only need three but it didn't seem to make a difference. Instead of adding LEFT JOIN v_EmpData it adds LEFT OUTER JOIN and then selects all of the columns in the view. It seems to be ignoring the Select New.
I'd really like to transition to using Linq to Entities for the majority of my queries because intellisense makes it so much easier to make sure it's right and to have variations of queries without having to have separate functions for each but maybe I need to stick with plain old SQL. I know just enough to make a big mess. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

For complex queries like what you need.
I would suggest looking into FunctionImport.
MSDN Function Import
This would save you the headache of creating a LINQ that would be 1:1 to your expected generated SQL.