LINQ for Visual C# 2008

2.3. DataContext: Advanced Features

We've focused our attention on the basic features provided by LINQ to SQL (in the System.Data.Linq.dll assembly). Data contexts have even more features. In the next sections you'll see how to define relationships between entities, and the benefits of doing that.

2.3.1. Defining Relationships Between Entities

The first feature we'll look at regards relationships between tables. A relational database such as Microsoft SQL Server provides the capability to define a relationship between two tables using primary and foreign keys. For example, a table containing a list of orders could have a foreign key pointing to a customers table. Using this relationship we can easily retrieve all the orders made by a specific ...