Question

Is one of these VB.NET LINQ to SQL Left Join options superior to other?

I’m not sure which to use.

Method 1: Lambda

Dim query = From A In DB.Product_Categories
            From B In DB.MasItems.Where(Function(x) CBool(x.itemkey = A.ItemKey)).DefaultIfEmpty
            Select A.Name

Method 2: Group Join

Dim query = From A In DB.Product_Categories
            Group Join B In DB.MasItems On B.itemkey Equals A.ItemKey Into X = Group
            From Y In X.DefaultIfEmpty
            Select A.Name()

Answer 1

The generated SQL is the same for both queries, so in LINQ to SQL it is really personal preference.