I personally stick with Database first when using EF on any schema that is this level of complexity. I have had issues with complex schemas in regards to code first. Maybe the newer versions are a little better, but worrying how to try and code complex relationships seems less straight forward then allowing the engine to generate it for you. Also when a relationship gets this complex I tend to avoid trying to generate it with EF and try and use stored procedures for easier troubleshooting of performance bottlenecks that can arise.