Kerosene ORM: a dynamic, configuration-less and self-adaptive ORM for POCO objects supporting a SQL-like syntax from C#

// ======================================================== IDataEngine.cs
namespace Kerosene.ORM.Direct
{
	using Kerosene.Tools;
	using System;
	using System.Collections.Generic;
	using System.Data.Common;
	using System.Linq;

	// ==================================================== 
	/// <summary>
	/// Represents an underlying database engine, in a direct connection scenario, maintaining
	/// its main characteristics and acting as a factory to create objects adapted to it.
	/// </summary>
	public interface IDataEngine : Core.IDataEngine
	{
		/// <summary>
		/// Returns a new instance that is a copy of the original one.
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns>A new instance.</returns>
		new IDataEngine Clone();

		/// <summary>
		/// Returns a new instance that is a copy of the original one.
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="settings">A dictionary containing the names of the properties whose
		/// values are to be changed with respect to the original instance, or null to not
		/// modify any of those.</param>
		/// <returns>A new instance.</returns>
		new IDataEngine Clone(IDictionary<string, object> settings);

		/// <summary>
		/// Gets the provider factory associated with this engine.
		/// </summary>
		DbProviderFactory ProviderFactory { get; }
	}
}
// ========================================================