LINQ to SQL: What is NOT in RTM (V1)

Most of my posts have been about what is new in beta2 or RTM or how you can do great things with feature X and how bug Y has been fixed. Now that we are practically done with V1, it is time to do the somewhat unpleasant task of saying - sorry, this is not in V1. 

A lot of you have been very generous with your suggestions, feedback etc. In each case, we heard you, we (or at least I) am convinced of the merit of your suggestion. However, in the end, the limits of calendar and resources have played their part as have our own failings in what you might consider incorrect prioritization. This is necessarily a partial list based on frequency/strength of the feedback and consistency with what LINQ to SQL was designed for. I wanted to pick a small set of common ones.

  1. Support for other databases with or without a public provider model. Yes, we know that there are plenty of IT shops with more than SQL Server and for you ISVs and SIs, a broader bet is important.
  2. Out-of-the-box multi-tier story. Yes, we do have good Attach() APIs but we don't yet have a simple roundtripping and change tracking on the client. (I hope to work on some of these parts on my next project :-) )
  3. Handling schema changes. Schemas change and designer and SqlMetal should provide reasonable ways to respond to the changes.
  4. Support for specific mappings: containment (e.g. Address is a non-entity type and should be mappable differently for Customer.Address vs Employee.Address), pure many-to-many with no non-FK data in the middle table.
  5. Small differences between designer, SqlMetal and run-time: external mapping file and SSC support in designer
  6. LINQ to SQL in compact framework

Beyond V1, it is community's feedback that will help shape the direction. On that note, I am handing over the LINQ to SQL Program Management mantle to Tim Mallalieu in the SQL-DP team. I have moved to another project with the developer division at Microsoft (more about that on a sunny day).

If you think I missed something huge that should be in top 6 above, please post! 

Thanks,
Dinesh

Published 15 October 07 09:37 by Dinesh.Kulkarni

Comments

# LINQ in Action roller said on October 17, 2007 1:29 AM:

Most of my posts have been about what is new in beta2 or RTM or how you can do great things with feature

# Ben Hall said on October 17, 2007 4:02 AM:

Good luck with your new project.  Linq to SQL is a good V1.0 release,  you should be pleased with the results... can't wait to see RTM.

# Anders Borum said on October 17, 2007 4:52 AM:

I'm still looking for an answer as to how LINQ to SQL is going to support SQL Server 2008 when it (LINQ to SQL) goes RTM (ships before SQL Server 2008).

Will there be support for the common datatypes (including a few new ones such as DateTimeOffset), or are we looking at a small SP for .NET 3.5 when all of the major products are RTM?

Currently, VS 2008 Beta 2 doesn't support SQL Server 2008 (throws an error when working with the designers).

Any information?

# Dinesh.Kulkarni said on October 17, 2007 12:48 PM:

Anders,

As I have mentioned, we have been really busy with getting VS 2008/.NET 3.5 wrapped up and are just now really doing the next set of plans. I am not directly involved in LINQ to SQL SP1 so I will forward on your feedback and let one of my colleagues respond. However, I suspect that they won't have the answers you are looking for for a little while at least.

Thanks,

Dinesh

# Fabrice's weblog said on October 17, 2007 6:51 PM:

Dinesh Kulkarni , now ex-program manager on the LINQ to SQL project, gives on his blog a list of what

# Linq in Action News said on October 17, 2007 6:51 PM:

Dinesh Kulkarni , now ex-program manager on the LINQ to SQL project, gives on his blog a list of what

# kfarmer@microsoft.com said on October 17, 2007 7:46 PM:

Of course, seeings as the rainy season just started, "a sunny day" could be months off.

# Guy Burstein [MVP] said on October 18, 2007 2:16 AM:

Linq to SQL Features in RTM Dinesh Kulkarni, the current program manager of Linq to SQL, has lately posted

# Jimmy Nilsson said on October 18, 2007 5:25 AM:

Ouch, hope hadn't left me that containment should make it into RTM. (I mean support for mapping value objects/embedded types.)

To me, that's definitely a showstopper!!! If you like the "style" of DDD I would say that Value Objects are extremely important...

Cheers,

Jimmy

http://JimmyNilsson.com/blog/

###

# Mike Taulty's Blog said on October 18, 2007 7:31 AM:

Dinesh has a list of changes here. If you're using LINQ to SQL then this will have an impact on you....

# Cristian's Blog said on October 28, 2007 5:48 AM:

If you work with LINQ to SQL then you might want to take a look at this posts of Dinesh Kulkarni: LINQ

# 曹振华 said on December 2, 2007 8:51 PM:

FollowScottGuthrie的例子学习LINQ，结果找了半天也没有找到Table

# lxy_abcde1190 said on April 20, 2008 8:48 AM:

Visual Studio 2008 LINQ to SQL 的Beta 2测试版和RTM正式版的差异

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About Dinesh.Kulkarni

I am a program manager in the Visual C# Product Unit of Microsoft. I am currently working on the LINQ project with specific responsibility for DLinq. Previously, I have been in a PM in SQL Server working on ObjectSpaces and DataSet. In pre-MS life, I have worked for companies ranging from startup to IBM on a wide range of software projects. Before I started working, I did M.S.E.E. and Ph.D. (CSE) from the University of Notre Dame and B.Tech. E.E. from IIT Bombay, India.
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