43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
DAO/ADO Why didn't they use some different letters?, April 16, 2000
This review is from: Access 2000 Developer's Handbook, Volume 2: Enterprise Edition (Paperback)
Microsoft had the guts to simply stop DAO code in place (3.6 is it) and it was such an ugly mess to use to write client server applications that its just as well. Now there's ADO, which is like RDO (which you could only get by buying Visual Basic, Professional Edition, but now RDO is no longer being developed or improved), and ADO is also like PowerBuilder in its syntax and function, primarily in using a universal and extremely flexible connection object to link to the data source.
The authors of this book (and the companion Volume One) attempt to help the average developer make the transition from DAO to the new ADO syntax and as such the books are a bit longer than they would be if they were only explaining the new ADO syntax and the example ADO code in the book.
There needs to be a more sophisticated ten volume work (by the same authors, as their writing style and the usefulness of their examples simply has no equal in the ACCESS realm) that covers the entire Client Server design process.
Now that you can get MSDE (which is SQL 7.0 for all intents and purposes) for free with Acess2000, there is no reason that any multi-user application should use the Jet for storing the data files. The drawback of having to learn how to use MSDE/SQL7.0 as a data server is really not that bad, the main hassle is that you don't get the nice window display of the MSDE objects (tables, users, functions, etc) that comes with SQL7.0 and also there is no interactive SQL 'window' in Access that would allow you to write and run SQL7.0 SQL strings to build your data objects, etc. But surely someone will create a shareware program that provides most of this information, and it would be one of the few shareware programs I'd actually purchase.
In a word, don't expect this book to provide all the exact code you'd need for a professional application. These authors did not attempt to create a cookbook to be used for direct use, rather it is a comprehensive first step to learning the new ADO system of connecting ACCESS to a server backend (with many examples of similar DAO code, many times both sets of code are used in the same function, with comments to allow one or the other to be 'turned on/off'). I sure wish I'd had this two years ago when I began writing a client/server program, as it would have saved a tremendous amount of time and helped me make a solid, quick, and coherent application in a very short time.
One last note, the little 'self attaching' subform that implements record navigation is worth the price of the entire book (its in Volume One, but you can't, logically, buy this book without also buying Volume One, they refer to each other a great deal and together they are quite comprehensive) and its just one of the little goodies on the CD-ROM. By so meticulously explaining how this subform 'links' itself to the events (called 'sinking the events') of the 'parent' form its placed in, the authors give you enough information to try this same technique in other ways.
This is the strength of this two volume set, how it educates rather than attempting to be a cookbook of professional code for enterprise applications. There are no other ACCESS2000 books by other publishers that even come close to the level of utility and clarity of these authors. One wishes they'd now write the SQL7.0 'backend' Handbook as well.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding! Necessary for EVERY Access Developer!, January 9, 2000
This review is from: Access 2000 Developer's Handbook, Volume 2: Enterprise Edition (Paperback)
This has to be the most outstanding book written on Access 2000 in the Enterprise! The code samples are almost always complete and bug free. The examples are clear, simple, and well documented. The CD itself is a gold mine; even if you don't want to read the massive volume (the sign of a true geek - I began reading this book on Christmas Eve at 9:00 AM, and finished about the time my son was waking up for his gifts!) the CD itself is worth the price. They cover DAO as well as ADO in the Enterprise, and cover just enough SQL to get you up and running on a "real" SQL Server. (Note to naysayers: if you want a book on SQL 7.0, BUY a book on SQL 7.0! There is no way to cover all the possible back ends!) Compared to the other books I've found on Access 2000, this book simply blows them away. The coverage of Data Access Pages was very thorough, and helped me to integrate them into a project I was just finishing to the great pleasure of the customer!
Complete coverage of the benefits and drawbacks of multi user Jet applications versus multi user MSDE or SQL databases is included; customization of the Windows installer so you can "finally!" get that professional look; create SQL Server databases, stored procedures, and triggers, securing an Access database (but not a project! ADP security is handled server side. Again - look to a book on your back end server.); and finally a concise explanation of the source code controls in the product.
Complaints: Release timing. :> I needed this book in August, not December! Also, more complex trigger samples would have been nice, but again, that is a SQL 7.0 specific item.
I would have paid twice what I did for this book, and still been this happy with it. Thank you Getz, Litwin, and Gilbert!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Enterprise Book Ever!, February 25, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Access 2000 Developer's Handbook, Volume 2: Enterprise Edition (Paperback)
Anyone who's ever purchased one of the Access Developer Handbooks will find this incredible Enterprise Edition is a must have! The code samples on the CD alone are worth the cost of the book. The writing is clear and thorough and the samples are excellent and (so far) bug free.
Data Access Pages, ADPs, MSDE, ADO, Multi-User Issues, Security, it's all here. Thanks to Litwin, Getz, & Gilbert for yet another great book!
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