What is LINQ - Part 1

Language Integrated Query

LINQ is the composition of general purpose standard query operators that allow us to work(traversal, filter and projection) with data regardless of the data source in any .net based programming language.

The standard query operators all the queries to act on any IEnumerable based datasource.

LINQ to XML
Here the query operators acts on XML using an in-memory XML facility providing XPath & XQuery functionality in the .net based language.

LINQ to SQL
Here the query operators acts on relational data build on integration of SQL-based schema definitions into the common language runtime's type system

Getting Started

  string[] employee = 
  { "Granville", "John", "Rachel", "Betty", 
    "Chandler", "Ross", "Monica" };

  public static void Query() {
    IEnumerable resultSet = 
                               from emp in employee
                               where emp.Length == 5
                               orderby e
                               select e;

    foreach (string item in query)
      Console.WriteLine(item);
  }

= from emp in Employee where emp.Length == 5 orderby e select e;

= employee.Where(emp => emp.Length == 5) 
                            .OrderBy(emp => emp)
                            .Select(emp => emp);