LINQ stands for Language Integrated Query. In C#, LINQ is used to access data from a variety of sources, including objects, collections, generics, ADO.NET datasets, SQL Server, and XML. We can easily get data from any object that implements the IEnumerable interface. The System.Linq namespace can be imported to add LINQ functionality to C# or VB.NET applications. LINQ includes a set of extension methods that allow us to query the source of a data object in code directly based on the query.
LINQ Objects in C#:
Below is a list of the various objects that can be used with LINQ.
- LINQ to Objects
- LINQ to DataSets
- LINQ to SQL
- LINQ to XML
- LINQ to Strings
- LINQ to Files
- LINQ to Lists
- LINQ to Entities
LINQ Advantages:
- LINQ provides a common query syntax for all types of data sources.
- LINQ expressions are Strongly-Typed expressions.
- Visual Studio allows to debug Compile-time errors.
- It gives access to a wide range of resources.
- LINQ to SQL allows RAD with databases very well.
LINQ Disadvantages:
- LINQ is not good for writing complex queries like SQL Server.
- The performance will suffer if the query is not written correctly.
- In LINQ, the advanced query is difficult to grasp.
- For small data sets, the query will take longer to generate than to execute.
The following section contains C# programs on LINQ, LINQ Applications, and LINQ usage in SQL clauses. Every example program includes the problem description, problem solution, C# code, program explanation, and run-time test cases. All C# examples have been compiled and tested on Visual Studio.
