LINQ
LINQ is a set of technologies that enable developers to query a multitude of data sources in a consistent manner. Typically, you would use different languages and technologies to query different types of data, such as SQL for relational databases, and XPath for XML. SQL queries are written as strings, which makes them impossible to verify at compile time and increase the chances of having runtime errors.
LINQ defines a set of operators and a built-in language syntax for querying data. LINQ queries are strongly typed and therefore verified at compile time. LINQ also provides a framework for building your own LINQ providers, which are components that transform a query into APIs that are specific to a particular data source. The framework provides built-in support for querying objects (anything that is a collection in .NET), relational databases, and XML. Third parties have written LINQ providers for many data sources, such as web services.
LINQ enables developers to focus...