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How to: Execute Data Service Queries (WCF Data Services)

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Important

WCF Data Services has been deprecated and will no longer be available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. WCF Data Services supported earlier versions of the Microsoft OData (V1-V3) protocol only and has not been under active development. OData V1-V3 has been superseded by OData V4, which is an industry standard published by OASIS and ratified by ISO. OData V4 is supported through the OData V4 compliant core libraries available at Microsoft.OData.Core. Support documentation is available at OData.Net, and the OData V4 service libraries are available at Microsoft.AspNetCore.OData.

RESTier is the successor to WCF Data Services. RESTier helps you bootstrap a standardized, queryable, HTTP-based REST interface in minutes. Like WCF Data Services before it, Restier provides simple and straightforward ways to shape queries and intercept submissions before and after they hit the database. And like Web API + OData, you still have the flexibility to add your own custom queries and actions with techniques you're already familiar with.

WCF Data Services enables you to query a data service from a .NET Framework-based client application by using the generated client data service classes. You can execute queries by using one of these methods:

For more information, see Querying the Data Service.

The example in this topic uses the Northwind sample data service and autogenerated client data service classes. This service and the client data classes are created when you complete the WCF Data Services quickstart.

Example

The following example shows how to define and execute a LINQ query that returns all Customers against the Northwind data service.

// Create the DataServiceContext using the service URI.
NorthwindEntities context = new NorthwindEntities(svcUri);

try
{
    // Define a LINQ query that returns all customers.
    var allCustomers = from cust in context.Customers
                       select cust;

    // Enumerate over the query obtained from the context.
    foreach (Customer customer in allCustomers)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Customer Name: {0}", customer.CompanyName);
    }
}
catch (DataServiceQueryException ex)
{
    throw new ApplicationException(
        "An error occurred during query execution.", ex);
}

' Create the DataServiceContext using the service URI.
Dim context = New NorthwindEntities(svcUri)

Try
    ' Define a LINQ query that returns all customers.
    Dim allCustomers = From cust In context.Customers _
                       Select cust

    ' Enumerate over the query obtained from the context.
    For Each customer As Customer In allCustomers
        Console.WriteLine("Customer Name: {0}", customer.CompanyName)
    Next
Catch ex As DataServiceQueryException
    Throw New ApplicationException( _
            "An error occurred during query execution.", ex)
End Try

Example

The following example shows how to use the context that the Add Data Service Reference tool generates to implicitly execute a query that returns all Customers against the Northwind data service. The URI of the requested Customers entity set is determined automatically by the context. The query is executed implicitly when the enumeration occurs.

// Create the DataServiceContext using the service URI.
NorthwindEntities context = new NorthwindEntities(svcUri);

// Define a new query for Customers.
DataServiceQuery<Customer> query = context.Customers;

try
{
    // Enumerate over the query result, which is executed implicitly.
    foreach (Customer customer in query)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Customer Name: {0}", customer.CompanyName);
    }
}
catch (DataServiceQueryException ex)
{
    throw new ApplicationException(
        "An error occurred during query execution.", ex);
}

' Create the DataServiceContext using the service URI.
Dim context = New NorthwindEntities(svcUri)

' Define a new query for Customers.
Dim query As DataServiceQuery(Of Customer) = context.Customers

Try
    ' Enumerate over the query result, which is executed implicitly.
    For Each customer As Customer In query
        Console.WriteLine("Customer Name: {0}", customer.CompanyName)
    Next
Catch ex As DataServiceQueryException
    Throw New ApplicationException( _
            "An error occurred during query execution.", ex)
End Try

Example

The following example shows how to use the DataServiceContext to explicitly execute a query that returns all Customers against the Northwind data service.

// Define a request URI that returns Customers.
Uri customersUri = new Uri("Customers", UriKind.Relative);

// Create the DataServiceContext using the service URI.
DataServiceContext context = new DataServiceContext(svcUri);

try
{
    // Enumerate over the query result.
    foreach (Customer customer in context.Execute<Customer>(customersUri))
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Customer Name: {0}", customer.CompanyName);
    }
}
catch (DataServiceQueryException ex)
{
    throw new ApplicationException(
        "An error occurred during query execution.", ex);
}

' Define a request URI that returns Customers.
Dim customersUri = New Uri(svcUri, "Northwind.svc/Customers")

' Create the DataServiceContext using the service URI.
Dim context = New DataServiceContext(svcUri)

Try
    ' Enumerate over the query result.
    For Each customer As Customer In context.Execute(Of Customer)(customersUri)
        Console.WriteLine("Customer Name: {0}", customer.CompanyName)
    Next

Catch ex As DataServiceQueryException
    Throw New ApplicationException( _
            "An error occurred during query execution.", ex)
End Try

See also