Programming Microsoft® LINQ in Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Chapter 5. LINQ to SQL: Querying Data

The first and most obvious application of Microsoft Language Integrated Query (LINQ) is in querying an external relational database. LINQ to SQL is a LINQ component that provides the capability to query a relational Microsoft SQL Server database, offering you an object model based on available entities. In other words, you can define a set of objects that represents a thin abstraction layer over the relational data, and you can query this object model by using LINQ queries that are automatically converted into corresponding SQL queries by the LINQ to SQL engine. LINQ to SQL supports Microsoft SQL Server 2008 through SQL Server 2000 and Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5.

Using LINQ to SQL, you can write a simple ...