You could use the is
operator:
if (data is Person)
{
// `data` is an instance of Person
}
Another possibility is to use the as
operator:
var person = data as Person;
if (person != null)
{
// safely use `person` here
}
Or, starting with C# 7, use a pattern-matching form of the is
operator that combines the above two:
if (data is Person person)
{
// `data` is an instance of Person,
// and you can use it as such through `person`.
}