Get a practical introduction—and a head start on using LINQ, an extension of the Microsoft .NET Framework that provides integrated querying for objects, databases, and XML data. Includes code samples in Microsoft Visual C#® and Microsoft Visual Basic®. Get a head start on using the Microsoft Language Integrated Query (LINQ) Project with advance insights from two experienced developers. Data-rich applications can be difficult to create because of the tremendous differences between query languages used to access data and programming languages commonly used to write applications. This practical guide introduces LINQ, a set of extensions to the Microsoft Visual C#® and Microsoft Visual Basic® programming languages. Instead of traversing different language syntaxes required for accessing data from relational and hierarchical data sources, developers will learn how to write queries natively in C# or Visual Basic. Written by two experienced developers with strong ties to Microsoft's developer teams, this book introduces the LINQ architecture and classes, describes the new language features in both C# and Visual Basic, and provides code samples in both languages.