LINQ For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

cmr said
The intriguing part about the Dummy series published by Wiley is that these books cover general basics about any given subject matter. They present the material straight forward in an easy to read manner. Typically, if a reader has time, one such devoted individual may accomplish this feat during a weekend sitting as the common length of a Dummy text usually delivers between 250 to 400 pages. The writing style contributes to this quick pace by offering humor and joviality to the mix. Rich Tennant's comic illustrations, a greatly appreciated staple in the Dummy series, bring a common sense angle of the problem at hand into perspective which often elicits a chuckle. Nonetheless, the expectation is to immediately grasp the concept and build a knowledgeable foundation from which to work from. From this point, the publishers at Wiley wisely require the Part of Tens section in each of their Dummy books in which one can jump into more advanced topics to continue the educational process. Overall, the authors, themselves, should be commended for their efforts to transform technical goo into some comprehensive pastry for the mind without the gratuitous fluff that other bigger tomes exploit, ultimately, bumping shipping costs higher.

By now everyone expects these conventions from any "(Insert Subject) for Dummies" book, and "LINQ for Dummies" written by John Paul Mueller is no exception. Release of this book coincides right around the time LINQ started to surface, so the author has firsthand and intimate understanding about this topic. The first third of the book introduces this recently created declarative language. Syntax, semantics, namespaces, terminology, and nuisances between C# and Visual Basic are thoroughly explained. The author takes the reader by the hand and walks through simple query constructions for each keyword operator. He utilizes the debugger as an onsite teaching assistant to explore the intricacies of LINQ behind the scenes.

The remaining bulk focuses on specific providers where the fun stuff begins to take shape. In order to work with certain data sources, a LINQ provider must be available to communicate with that particular resource. The four major providers are LINQ to Object, LINQ to DataSet, LINQ to SQL, and LINQ to XML. A close examination for each of these providers is covered here. Apparently, there are already quite a few other custom providers out there as well, available at CodePlex, such as SharePoint, Excel, CRM, JavaScript, even Google, and so many more. The anticipation to have it all is similar to the feeling any kid has in a candy store with a no limit American Express credit card. To alleviate this urge, the book continues to explain these other providers dealing with Office 2007, Active Directory, RDF, COM+, and a brief appearance of MySql.

A really nice aspect about this read is there are absolutely no constraints to LINQ. The author makes every attempt to point out unconventional and conventional opportunities. He draws out the potential, flexibility, and strength found in LINQ. As the evidence shows, LINQ is just incredibly easier to work with data than ADO.NET, and this point surfaces throughout the book. For example, multiple data sources can be combined with little code. How neat is this little nugget for developers? Thinking outside the box is also greatly encouraged. One of many shared suggestions is rigging LINQ to perform searches on application logs. Well, this information can be collected to refine the application to better suit users and organize the help support team to respond faster in troubleshooting situations. Extra value with good offerings like this is extremely beneficial. Furthermore, the author recommends how to deal with security and performance concerns. When additional explanation is required for a topic, the reader is assured that either clarification will occur later in the book or ample external resources are supplied. The author sincerely wants to spread the usefulness of this language to expand your resources and knowledge. He clearly enjoys this material and it shows.

As far as requests go for a future edition of this book, one comment is to combine the chapters dealing with LINQ to SQL or, at the very least, place them next to each other. As the order stands now, the disjointed placement of the chapters disrupts flow. The pages devoted to step by step instructions of sample databases into SQL Server are a bit too thorough. Instead, it would be nice to see those pages dedicated to more interesting topics such as creating a custom provider. With the ADO.NET Entity Data Model gaining momentum, a walkthrough incorporating LINQ would be a great bonus. Technology just grows too fast! Before one realizes it, technology will be off to college soon.

As the name of the series indicates, this book is for newcomers to LINQ to gain a grasp on this improvement in data interaction. Although as the completion of this book viewing approaches, no one truly stays a "dummy" for long. Except in my case, as someone who is not self-conscious about his IQ, I am proud to have graduated to an educated dummy status...only to acknowledge that I am a complete dummy at gardening.