LINQ For Dummies®

Chapter 15. Ten Ways to Reduce Application Support Costs

In This Chapter

• Defining queries that automatically change to meet user needs

• Developing reports using LINQ

• Creating user-specific searches using LINQ

• Combining LINQ with other user-related technologies

• Using LINQ to make application help easier and faster

• Tracking user support with LINQ

• Using LINQ with multiple data sources

• Avoiding data duplication with better searches

• Automating application support tasks

• Managing applications using LINQ queries

Besides making life easier for yourself, as described in Chapter 14, LINQ can make life easier for both the support staff at your organization and the users who rely on your application. Making things easier on these two groups has a tendency to further reduce your burden as well, so a win for this group is a win for you. The bottom line is that support costs tend to eat up developer time and increase hostility toward your programming efforts, so it's always a good idea to focus some attention in this area.

The question is how to reduce support costs without increasing application complexity through additional user aids. This chapter examines support costs from a number of angles — all of which make your development process easier. The following list points out some of the ways in which LINQ can make life easier for everyone:

• Program automation that adjusts to user needs

• Self-help in creating output (reports or other kinds of end data)

• Searches that make it possible to locate information with little ...