Soren in his post expresses his desire for finding the SQL Query Analyzer equivalent of LINQ. He states:
“
If you haven't picked up on it yet I can tell you that I' very excited about LINQ at this point. Now all I need is for someone to create Query Analyser for LINQ for me and I'm good to good. What's even more interesting about such a tool is the fact that you would be able to target not just SQL but all the supported data store, although the queries wouldn't be interchangeable
”
Turns out, Soren is in luck.
LINQPad isn’t exactly a Query Analyzer but it does for LINQ programmers pretty much what Query Analyzer did for SQL Programmers.
It allows you to hook on to any SQL database and fire LINQ statements much like you would have fired SQL statements in Query Analyzer.
The authors of LINQPad give very valuable advice if you are genuinely interested in learning LINQ and getting into the LINQ way of thinking:
“
The rules are simple:
- Locate the shortcut for SQL Management Studio on your Start Menu and move it some place else.
- In its place, insert a shortcut to LINQPad.
- For the next week, perform all your ad-hoc SQL queries using only LINQPad.
At the end of the week, you will actually think in LINQ, rather than thinking in SQL and translating to LINQ.
”
It’s a single executable; it hooks on to both SQL Server 2005 and SQL Express and allows you not just practice LINQ but adapt to the LINQ way of thinking.
Give LINQPad a shot. Very soon you will genuinely start writing LINQ much like you write SQL, instead of thinking SQL and then attempting to translate it to LINQ.