The new features include enhanced visual data mapping, new compilers for the latest versions of ASP.NET, plus support for additional database operations.
The data mapping features, DLINK for relational data; and XLINK, for XML data, provide the ability to visually drag a relational table or XML schema into a design surface where they are automatically converted into object classes.
This is a productivity feature that automates the mapping of tables and XML tags. The DLINK designer in turn has been upgraded to show relationships between tables.
Additionally, a new join features enables developers to join relational and XML data into common objects. For instance, an XML-based purchase order from a customer, which arrives with a hierarchical schema, could be merged with parts of the customer record from a relational table into a callable object.
Another new bell and whistle is support for dynamic queries, where parameters can fed at run time rather than having to be specified in advance, plus support for stored procedures.
In the future, LINQ is likely to be broadened to support other data types, such as rich media. And it is likely to have an extensible facility enabling developers to connect with other kinds of data not in the official spec.
The new CTP release follows the original release that was announced at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference last September.
Given the lateness of the unveiling, LINQ was not included in Visual Studio 2005, which was released later in the fall. Current plans are to productize it for Orcas, which is the next major release of Visual Studio.
