LINQ for C sharp Unleashed

Foreword by Darryl Hogan, Architect Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft's highly anticipated LINQ query technology makes it easy to retrieve any information programmatically from any data source, no matter where it comes from or how it's stored. Using LINQ, developers can query objects, relational databases, XML documents, and ADO.NET datasets--and do it all directly from C# 3.0, leveraging the powerful capabilities of LINQ.

This is a definitive guide to getting real-world results with LINQ, using C# 3.0 and Visual Studio 2008. In LINQ Unleashed , Microsoft MVP Paul Kimmel covers every facet of LINQ programming, showing how LINQ can help you dramatically improve your productivity and build more reliable, maintainable applications.

Kimmel begins by reviewing the state-of-the-art C# programming techniques LINQ uses, including anonymous types, partial methods, and Lambda expressions. Next, using realistic examples and easy-to-adapt sample code, he details the most powerful new LINQ techniques for accessing objects, databases, and XML. You'll gain a deep and practical understanding of how LINQ works "under the hood"--and learn how to do everything from selecting data through integrating XML with other data models.

Build efficient LINQ queries to .NET objects, SQL databases, and XML content
Utilize anonymous types to reduce design time, coding effort, and debugging time
Automatically generate .NET state machines with the new yield return construct
Master LINQ query syntax, operators, extension methods, sorting, grouping, aggregate and set operations, and more
Make the most of select--and use it in the business layer of your n-tier applications
Query relational data stored in Microsoft SQL Server
Use nullable types to eliminate unnecessary database access plumbing code
Use LINQ with ADO.NET 3.0 and Microsoft's powerful new Entity Framework
Extract XML data without the hassles or complexity of XPath
Automatically construct XML from CSV