LINQ in .NET Framework 3.5

LINQ (Language integrated Query) is a new feature introduced in .NET Framework 3.5. LINQ makes the job of .Net developers easy for accessing the data in SQL, XML, ADO.Net data sets or any other objects. By using LINQ, a developer gets the ability to write queries within .NET language (e.g. C# or VB.NET) for querying any type of data in efficient and unified manner. The benefits are significant: complie time checking of queries, ability to debug, intellisense etc.

LINQ is divided into following 3 areas:

LINQ to SQL:

LINQ to SQL is a component of .NET Framework version 3.5 that provides a run-time infrastructure for managing relational data as objects.

LINQ to XML:

LINQ to XML provides an in-memory XML programming interface that leverages the .NET Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) Framework. LINQ to XML uses the latest .NET Framework language capabilities and is comparable to an updated, redesigned Document Object Model (DOM) XML programming interface.

LINQ to Objects:

The term "LINQ to Objects" refers to the use of LINQ queries with any IEnumerable or IEnumerable<(Of <(T>)>) collection directly, without the use of an intermediate LINQ provider or API such as LINQ to SQL or LINQ to XML. You can use LINQ to query any enumerable collections such as List<(Of <(T>)>), Array, or Dictionary<(Of <(TKey, TValue>)>). The collection may be user-defined or may be returned by a .NET Framework API.

Here is the list of reqources available for more information:

Additional samples and/or documentation may be available from the following sources:

The LINQ Project site on MSDN for general news and information about LINQ.
The Visual Basic Developer Center for the latest news on using LINQ with Visual Basic.
The C# Developer Center for the latest version of the C# 3.0 specification and other information.
The LINQ forum on MSDN is the best place to post questions related to LINQ.
Whitepapers provides a link to whitepapers that provide additional information about LINQ.