Product Description

LLINQ, Language INtegrated Query, is a new extension to the Visual Basic and C# programming languages designed to simplify data queries and database interaction. It addreses O/R mapping issues by making query operations like SQL statements part of the programming language. It also offers built-in support for querying in-memory collections like arrays or lists, XML, DataSets, and relational databases.

LINQ in Action is a fast-paced, comprehensive tutorial for professional developers. This book explores what can be done with LINQ, shows how it works in an application, and addresses the emerging best practices. It presents the general purpose query facilities offered by LINQ in the upcoming C# 3.0 and VB.NET 9.0 languages. A running example introduces basic LINQ concepts. You'll then learn to query unstructured data using LINQ to XML and relational data with LINQ to SQL. Finally, you'll see how to extend LINQ for custom applications.

LINQ in Action will guide you along as you explore this new world of lambda expressions, query operators, and expression trees. As well, you'll explore the new features of C# 3.0, VB.NET 9.0. The book is very practical, anchoring each new idea with running code. Whether you want to use LINQ to query objects, XML documents, or relational databases, you will find all the information you need to get started

But LINQ in Action does not stop at the basic code. This book also shows you how LINQ can be used for advanced processing of data, including coverage of LINQ's extensibility, which allows querying more data sources than those supported by default. All code samples are built on a concrete business case. The running example, LinqBooks, is a personal book cataloging system that shows you how to create LINQ applications with Visual Studio 2008.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147502 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 600 pages

About the Author
Fabrice Marguerie is a software architect and developer based in Paris, France. Fabrice is a C# MVP has been working with LINQ from the first prototypes.

Steve Eichert is a Sr. Software Engineer for Algorithmics, Inc. based in Philadelphia, PA.

Jim Wooley has been working with .NET since PDC 2000 and has been actively evangelizing LINQ since its announcement in 2005. He leads the Atlanta VB Study Group and serves as INETA Membership Manager for the Georgia region.

Customer Reviews

A must read on LINQ
This book is the fruit of a collaborative work. In a time of globalization, where ideas know no frontiers, this is a refreshing take on a hot topic like LINQ.

We have here three well known experts in their fields coming together to produce an excellent text book on LINQ.
The introduction is an appetizer for what comes next.

LINQ is not a language you will fall in love with at first sight. It demands that you get to know it but when you do you're hooked.

In this book we get a good summary outlining why we can't live without LINQ anymore. Also, a nice touch from the authors is that the code is written in both C# and VB.NET. It's a pity that this is not continued throughout the book. However, according to the writers, all the samples used in the book are available for download in both languages. So guys you are forgiven!

Because LINQ introduces new features, a full chapter is dedicated to C# 3.0 and VB.NET 9.0 enhancements. This chapter is for me the weakest part of the book. Even if LINQ in action is not intended for beginners, I would suggest to the readers to skip this section and come back to it later, because it will give intermediate developers the idea that LINK is only comprehendible by experts. It is too complicated too early in the book.

The rest of the book is cleverly divided into roughly three parts: LINQ for objects, LINQ for XML and LINQ for SQL. It is a very good idea indeed to have pushed the SQL part further down, after all, LINQ is much more than a mere language for relational databases. It is an advanced technology with many capabilities. For example, Object paradigm is at the heart of LINQ and this is well demonstrated throughout the book.
To conclude I would warmly recommend this book but for intermediate developers not for real beginners because some of the explanations introduced by the authors are not for the faint hearted!
I also give credit to the authors for creating from a blank canvas something as colorful as this book about LINQ. A hard challenge when you consider that nobody has really fully embraced the concept in a commercial application to date.

It's also a first book for Fabrice Marguerie, who I know well by his blog. Fabrice is a strong minded person, an expert in Object Relational Mapping, which gives you even more reason to purchase this book.

Anti climax
As I started to read the book the information in it was very basic. As I progressed the information started to get much more interesting and I started to get quite excited about my purchase.

Unfortunately this book is mostly a "How to use LINQ" and doesn't cover the "How to implement LINQ" topics very much at all. Considering this is an entire book dedicated to one subject I was disappointed to read (paraphrased) "The topic X is quite big so wont be covered in this book". It's a book dedicated to LINQ, I expect the large complex subjects to be covered!

The main reason I was interested in this book was because I wanted to learn about IQueryable and IQueryProvider. Seeing as this book is dedicated entirely to LINQ I expected advanced topics like this to be discussed in depth. Unfortunately this subject is barely touched. A simple example of how to do LINQ to AMAZON is shown, the example is a bit of a hack-together solution rather than using the proper abstract approach. When the book moves on to discussing the proper approach instead of attacking the subject in depth and explaining it (IQueryable, IQueryProvider) it merely gives you a link to someone's blog and tells you to

01: Download the source from that URL.
02: Override 2 methods on the classes from that URL.
03: Copy/Paste this code from earlier.

I wanted the book to go through what the guy on the blog went through, to know what the guy on the blog knows in order to implement what he did. I don't want a book to tell me to go and read someone's blog, I can do that without buying a book!

I learned a lot more about LINQ from reading Jon Skeet's C# book. It covers extension methods, lambdas, type inference, expression parsing, IQueryable and more.

If you need Linq - you nee this book
If you want to learn Linq, whether its data stored in a database, in XML files, DataSets or just in-memory objects this is the book for you.

I found it so easy to understand, and really comprehend. There are lots of examples, but not too many. After reading the first few chapters you become comfortable with the concept and syntax of the new language extensions.

The authors style had just the right combination of light humor and serious programming. He seems able to express complicated issues with the greatest of ease, and obviously has enoumous knowledge on the subject.

If that was not enough, there are forums avalable where you can raise queries and doubts and the author will do his best to accomodate you, again with a nice and easy flowing style.

The book is a 'must have' to any serious Linq programmer (or want-to-be Linq programmer!) and will certainly occupy a prominent place on my bookshelf.

Highly recommended!

Regards,
Martin.