General functionality

  • Wide support for LINQ capabilities
  • Interchangeable with Microsoft LINQ to SQL
  • Wide support for server data types and features
  • High performance
  • Free high-quality support

Easy to use

  • Visual model creation and modification with Entity Developer *
    • Update Model From Database functionality
    • Update To Database with Mapping Synchronization functionality *
  • Visual Studio integration
  • Visual Studio Debugger Visualizer with SQL syntax highlighting for the DataQuery objects
  • Powerfull naming rules for singularization and pluralization *
  • Customizable template-based code generation *
  • Easy to deploy
  • Run-time database creation using the model (CreateDatabase, DatabaseExists, DropDatabase methods of DataContext)

Database provider model architecture

  • Multiple database support: *
    • MS SQL Server and MS SQL Server Compact
    • Oracle *
    • MySQL *
    • PostgreSQL *
    • SQLite *
  • Database-independent interface. *

Compatibility

  • Support for .NET Framework 3.5, 5.0, and higher
  • Support for .NET Core
  • Support for Silverlight 4 and higher
  • Support for Windows Phone 7 and 8

Entities

  • POCO classes used (no need to use a common base class)
  • Full CRUD support
  • Change tracking support
  • Lazy loading
  • Data binding support

Mapping

  • Inheritance mapping support (Table Per Hierarchy and Table Per Type) *
  • Complex type support
    • Multiple complex types per entity *
  • Metadata mapping
    • Mapping with .NET attributes
    • Mapping with external XML file

Queries

  • Wide support for extension methods
  • Projection, join, set method support
  • Paging, filtering and ordering support
  • Subquery support
  • PLINQ support
  • Grouping, unions, and intersect support
  • Aggregate functions
  • Ability to execute DML statements in batches on SubmitChanges *
  • User-defined functions in LINQ query
  • CompiledQuery
  • LoadOptions
    • Configurable preload for linked entities
    • Recursive support *
  • Query level preload (Include) *
  • Native SQL execution and object materialization
  • Native SQL injections in LINQ queries (LINQ queries can be built over SQL queries)*

Reliability

  • Database transactions support
    • All updates are carried out in the transaction
    • Changes to entities are applied only after the successful completion of the transaction
    • User can manually manage transactions
  • Column-level configurable concurrency check
  • Extended error processing after calling SubmitChanges *

Caching

  • Object data caching
  • Configurable automatic compiled query caching *

Primary keys

  • Single and composite primary keys support
  • Identity generation support *
  • Primary Key detection or smart rebuilding when creating a model *

Relationships support

  • One to One
  • One to Many
  • Many to Many
  • Multi-columns composite foreign keys support
  • Support for delete rules (cascade delete, set null, set default)
  • One-directional associations

Full stored procedure support

  • Procedure mapping for entity creating, updating, and deleting
  • Scalar-valued functions
  • Out parameters
  • Result set from procedure returns as collection of entity or value types
  • Multi-result sets
  • Database-specific features like Oracle REF CURSOR support as IEnumerable parameters *

Using in Web and multi-tier architectures

  • LinqConnectDataSource component *
  • RIA services 3.5 support *
  • Supported ASP.NET Dynamic Data with ASP.NET Dynamic Data project templates
  • Attaching objects
  • ASP.NET medium trust support

Monitoring



* These features are our extension of the LINQ to SQL functionality.

Note: If you need a new feature in LinqConnect, please let us know about it. Visit our forum at UserVoice and vote for suggested features or suggest your own ones.