•New programming model for data access that integrates query support directly within the .NET languages
•Designed to reduce the complexity when working with data
•Query operators can be used against any collection
–Built-in examples: Select, Where, GroupBy, Join, etc.
–Extensibility model supports extending/replacing these
•Benefits
–Work with data in a consistent way, regardless of the type of data
–Interact with data as objects
–Better integration with programming languages
–Improved productivity through IntelliSense in Visual Studio