---
title: ConfigurationFactoryBase
summary: API reference for ConfigurationFactoryBase.
status: draft
owner: Framework
last_reviewed: 2026-09-15
library: SAIF.Framework.Data.NHibernate
reference_type: package
---

# ConfigurationFactoryBase

`ConfigurationFactoryBase` implements `IConfigurationFactory` and owns the connection-string-keyed caching and configuration-file deserialization logic shared by both database engines; `OracleConfigurationFactory` and `SqlServerConfigurationFactory` supply only the engine-specific pieces (driver/dialect configuration and the serialized-config file name).

## Purpose
- Caches built `PersistenceConfiguration` instances in a static `ConcurrentDictionary<string, PersistenceConfiguration>` keyed by connection string, so `GetConfiguration` is a cache hit on repeat calls for the same connection string.
- Attempts to deserialize a previously-serialized NHibernate `Configuration` from a binary file (via `BinaryFormatter`) before building a fresh one, silently swallowing any deserialization exception and falling back to a fresh build — a behavior documented in [Architecture](../../architecture.md#design-constraints) as a design constraint rather than a business rule.
- Delegates engine-specific bootstrap (`Fluently.Configure()` with the correct driver/dialect, assembly scanning for `ClassMap<T>`/`.hbm.xml` mappings) to the abstract `GetNewConfiguration`/`GetConfigurationFileName` members implemented by subclasses.

## Context
- Namespace: `SAIF.Data.NHibernate`
- Assembly/package: `SAIF.Framework.Data.NHibernate`

## Public members
| Member | Signature | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GetConfiguration | `PersistenceConfiguration GetConfiguration(string connection, int batchSize, bool showSql)` | Returns a cached `PersistenceConfiguration` for `connection` if one exists; otherwise calls `CreateConfiguration` to build and cache one. |

## Protected members
| Member | Signature | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CreateConfiguration | `protected PersistenceConfiguration CreateConfiguration(string connection, int batchSize, bool showSql)` | Attempts deserialization of a previously-serialized `Configuration`; on failure or absence, calls the engine-specific `GetNewConfiguration`, then sets `Environment.ConnectionString`/`BatchSize`/`ShowSql`. |
| GetSerializedConfiguration | `protected Configuration GetSerializedConfiguration()` | Deserializes a `Configuration` from `{assemblyDirectory}\{GetConfigurationFileName()}` using `BinaryFormatter`; returns `null` on any exception (including file-not-found). |
| GetNewConfiguration | `protected abstract Configuration GetNewConfiguration(bool formatSql)` | Engine-specific: configures `Fluently.Configure()` with the correct driver/dialect and scans for `ClassMap<T>`/`.hbm.xml` mappings. Implemented by `OracleConfigurationFactory`/`SqlServerConfigurationFactory`. |
| GetConfigurationFileName | `protected abstract string GetConfigurationFileName()` | Engine-specific: returns the serialized-config file name (`Oracle.config` or `SqlServer.config`). Implemented by `OracleConfigurationFactory`/`SqlServerConfigurationFactory`. |

## Behavioral notes
- Deserialization failures are silently swallowed (caught `Exception`, configuration set to `null`, forcing a fresh build) — this affects startup latency after a corrupted or stale `.config` cache file but not correctness, since a fresh configuration is always built as a fallback.

## Constraints and usage notes
- Subclasses must implement `GetNewConfiguration` and `GetConfigurationFileName`; `ConfigurationFactoryBase` itself cannot be instantiated directly.
- The cache (`Configurations` dictionary) is static and shared per-process across all connection strings passed to any instance of this class or its subclasses.

## Sources
- `Factories/ConfigurationFactoryBase.cs`