The IQueryable interface is intended for implementation by query providers. It is only supposed to be implemented by providers that also implement IQueryable<(Of <(T>)>). If the provider does not also implement IQueryable<(Of <(T>)>), the standard query operators cannot be used on the provider's data source.

The IQueryable interface inherits the IEnumerable interface so that if it represents a query, the results of that query can be enumerated. Enumeration causes the expression tree associated with an IQueryable object to be executed. The definition of "executing an expression tree" is specific to a query provider. For example, it may involve translating the expression tree to an appropriate query language for the underlying data source. Queries that do not return enumerable results are executed when the Execute method is called.

For more information about how to create your own LINQ provider, see Walkthrough: Creating an IQueryable LINQ Provider in the MSDN Library and LINQ: Building an IQueryable Provider on MSDN Blogs.

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