Linq Overview

[Jeigh1405241495 0]

Well, there are a few references to LINQ in other forums, but I had not until recently learned of this new addition to .Net (Version 3.5 and up) that I feel it's good to let people know about because I found it pretty interesting. As a precursor to this post know that I don't have a huge amount of experience with LINQ but simply hope to provide a brief overview and maybe get some people interested in the new technology.

 

First, a couple useful links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Integrated_Query

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb397926.aspx

 

First off, Linq stands for Language Integrated Query. It is a way built into .Net to allow you to programatically set up and interact with databases that you have created. Note: This is not a database system, it simply is an interface to allow applications to interact with the database. You still need a proper database system to be set up to connect to.

 

LINQ allows a programmer to set up a mapping of all the tables within a database (a simple drag/drop from the server explorer allows all current tables, attributes, relationships, etc to be translated over) which allows the program to then see the database in an object oriented fashion. On can then set up the ability to interact with database as if they were simple objects with attributes.

 

Low level queries are very simple to write with LINQ as well, as you can call to retrieve rows/columns easily and store then in datasets that can be further manipulated without continued database interaction.

 

Basically, what linq does is allow you to avoid writing a million "Select ID from Table where Name = Bob" style queries and allows you to really simplify the interactions between the business logic and the data layer. Further it makes it rediculously easy to store the results in very convenient ways to be used in datasets, views, and what have you.

 

I am by no means a LINQ guru, as mentioned I have relatively limited experience with it having used it only briefly on a project at work. If anyone has more to add or minor corrections to what I have said, please do so

[darasen 0]

Sounds interesting to me. I may have to link into this and see what it is all about. I have to wonder if it is as functional as ADO.Knowing Microsoft I am going to bet that it only works with MS SQL Server. For me that would really limit it's usefulness. Additionally I have to wonder how complex of a query can be executed by this means.

[Jeigh1405241495 0]

Complex queries can be done, slightly different syntaxing but I've seen pretty long and complicated queries run. They have all the normal SQL elements present.That said I should point out I just heard over lunch that microsoft is cutting support for Linq in favor of a new technology haha. Guess I picked a great time to learn about it

[magiccode91405241511 0]

I also obtain a book that tell me how linq works.But I still checking out other topics so this will be delay to a month or later.Personally, this tool looks like some Object mapping.Just as some tools that java programmer currently in use.

[Quatrux 4]

I'm not into .NET anymore, because I don't really do anything with it anymore, but LINQ seems interesting, in wikipedia it's written that it only supports Microsoft SQL server, but I also found that you can use it on MySQL as well with some wrappers or something like that.

[darasen 0]

That said I should point out I just heard over lunch that microsoft is cutting support for Linq in favor of a new technology haha. Guess I picked a great time to learn about it

That does not surprise me too much they tend to change what evr they declare to be the latest and greatest on a fairly regular basis.

One of the reasons I think so many companies keep running MS Access as a front end for important data is that it is well seasoned. With the exception of the change to ADO from DAO (DAO is still supported last I checked) it has remained largely unchanged. Sure features have changed and the UI recently and the like but the underlaying product remains stable. That and you write T-SQL or PLSQL queries directly in it.

I do not think that any technology that is useful solely for MS SQL Server is going to really take off. Try as they might MS has to know that Oracle still rules the high end database market.