This is the Safari online edition of the printed book.

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 files and other non-XML data

• Query Active Directory by extending LINQ

Introduction  1

Part I     Getting Ready for LINQ

       1     Programming with Anonymous Types 5

       2     Using Compound Type Initialization  29

       3     Defining Extension and Partial Methods  61

       4     yield return: Using .NET’s State Machine Generator  85

       5     Understanding Lambda Expressions and Closures  97

       6     Using Standard Query Operators  121

Part II    LINQ for Objects

       7     Sorting and Grouping Queries 137

       8     Using Aggregate Operations 151

       9     Performing Set Operations  167

       10   Mastering Select and SelectMany  185

       11   Joining Query Results  211

       12   Querying Outlook and Active Directory  239

Part III   LINQ for Data

       13   Querying Relational Data with LINQ 265

       14   Creating Better Entities and Mapping Inheritance and Aggregation  289

       15   Joining Database Tables with LINQ Queries  309

       16   Updating Anonymous Relational Data  349

       17   Introducing ADO.NET 3.0 and the Entity Framework  383

Part IV  LINQ for XML

       18   Extracting Data from XML 415

       19   Comparing LINQ to XML with Other XML Technologies  437

       20   Constructing XML from Non-XML Data  453

       21   Emitting XML with the XmlWriter  463

       22   Combining XML with Other Data Models  469

       23   LINQ to XSD Supports Typed XML Programming  485

Index

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 4 Ratings

Linq - 2008-09-11
Reviewer Rating:
I higly recommend this book. It is easy to read and keeps you interested.
It is the first book that tries to describe the Entity Framework in one of its chapters.
The author gives a thorough description of hundreds of ways to make a select statement. Update, insert, and delete are described in very few paragraphs which seems a little bit thin.

Check out the not so mundane examples and the LINQ to XML chapters - 2008-09-07
Reviewer Rating:
One of the author's stated goals for this book was to make learning LINQ interesting. I believe he succeeded. Whenever he had a chance to use less mundane examples to illustrate LINQ applications, he did so. This is also the first published book on LINQ that had interesting chapters on LINQ to XML.

rambling - not really instructive - 2009-01-19
Reviewer Rating:
I question the value of the previous reviews. The review of Sept. 18 does not convince me the reviewer ever read the book.

The book starts off decently with an introduction to concepts related to LINQ. Then it falls off sharply when the author attempts to explain key words and the underlying logic of LINQ queries.

The table of contents has to be taken as a statement of intent. The chapters on LINQ for Objects are disappointing -- bulky examples without much analysis or explanation of LINQ syntax.

It all gets a bit rambling as the author, or editor if there was one, loses sight of the goal, which should be to instruct.

I give it 4 stars because it is no worse than some other books I've read.

Awesome LINQ For C# Textbook - 2008-09-19
Reviewer Rating:
I purhased that book a couple weeks ago, and man, I love it so much. The author has done an execellent job in explaining the subject. If you really serious about learning Microsoft Language Integrated Query (LINQ), I highly recommend that you buy that book and let the journey begins.

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