LINQ Interview Question #16

What is a projection in LINQ?

LINQ Fundamentals, Syntax, IEnumerable & IQueryable Junior Beginner

Quick Interview Answer

Projection transforms each source element into another shape or value. Select is the primary projection operator, while SelectMany can flatten nested sequences.

Detailed Explanation

Projection transforms each source element into another shape or value. Select is the primary projection operator, while SelectMany can flatten nested sequences.

Projection is important for both in-memory code and database queries because it lets the application retrieve or create only the data shape it actually needs.

Code Example

var summaries = products
    .Select(p => new
    {
        p.Id,
        p.Name,
        p.Price
    });