LINQ is an acronym which stands for Language Integrated Query. This new technology comes built into the .NET Framework 3.5 and can be used with any of the different languages that run under .NET. This means that, when using the features provided by LINQ, the developer now has the capability to query different types of data structures with a SQL-like query language that is native to the source code. Using LINQ, the developer can write a compact query expression that can be applied to all in-memory information.

When you program with XML, your primary focus is usually on XML elements and perhaps on attributes. In LINQ to XML, you can work directly with XML elements and attributes. For example, you can create XML elements without using a document object at all. This simplifies programming when you have to work with fragments of XML trees.