Data Access Improvements with LINQ to SQL

LINQ to SQL is a built-in OR/M (object relational mapper) in .NET 3.5. It enables you to model relational databases using a .NET object model. You can then query the database using LINQ, as well as update/insert/delete data from it. LINQ to SQL fully supports transactions, views, and stored procedures. It also provides an easy way to integrate business logic and validation rules into your data model. Below are some of the articles I've written that explore how to use it:

Part 1: Introduction to LINQ to SQL
Part 2: Defining our Data Model Classes
Part 3: Querying our Database
Part 4: Updating our Database
Part 5: Binding UI using the ASP:LinqDataSource Control

You'll find that LINQ to SQL makes it dramatically easier to build much cleaner data models, and write much cleaner data code.

What is LINQ?

Microsoft Babies
Microsoft new baby yes I am talking about LINQ stand for Language-Integrated Query is now available as a integral part of Visual Studio Orcas. Microsoft releases the new Visual Studio with the name of Orcas and all Microsoft previous efforts (Windows Communication Foundation WCF, Windows Workflow Foundation WWF, Windows Presentation Foundation WPF, Windows CardSpace and LINQ) are integrated in this Studio. From last one and half years Anders Hejlsberg team done a tremendous job in the overcoming the gap between the data impedance. Mr. Anders team gives a native syntax to developers in the form LINQ to C# and VB.Net for accessing data from any repository. The repository could be in memory object, database (still MS SQL Server only) and XML files.

What is LINQ?
Still lots of folks don’t understand what LINQ is doing. Basically LINQ address the current database development model in the context of Object Oriented Programming Model. If some one wants to develop database application on .Net platform the very simple approach he uses ADO.Net. ADO.Net is serving as middle ware in application and provides complete object oriented wrapper around the database SQL. Developing application in C# and VB.Net so developer must have good knowledge of object oriented concept as well as SQL, so it means developer must be familiar with both technologies to develop an application. If here I can say SQL statements are become part of the C# and VB.Net code so it’s not mistaken in form of LINQ. According to Anders Hejlsberg the chief architect of C#.

“Microsoft original motivation behind LINQ was to address the impedance mismatch between programming languages and database.”

LINQ has a great power of querying on any source of data, data source could be the collections of objects, database or XML files. We can easily retrieve data from any object that implements the IEnumerable interface. Microsoft basically divides LINQ into three areas and that are give below.

LINQ to Object {Queries performed against the in-memory data}
LINQ to ADO.Net
LINQ to SQL (formerly DLinq) {Queries performed against the relation database only Microsoft SQL Server Supported}
LINQ to DataSet {Supports queries by using ADO.NET data sets and data tables}
LINQ to Entities {Microsoft ORM solution}
LINQ to XML (formerly XLinq) { Queries performed against the XML source}

TO Be contd..