Customer Reviews

Access 2010 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having only a rudimentary knowledge of Microsoft Word in older versions, I bought Microsoft Office 2010. There were big changes so I bought two books, Microsoft Office 2010 all-in-one for dummies and this one on Access. I've never used Access but wanted to see if it could replace an ancient DOS database program we've used for decades in our businesses.

I wanted a book that wasn't intimidating and was quick to get me started. This one is a bit basic, but it is very clear and leads you through all the steps needed to set up a database. Because I have to work on this between deadlines, I haven't finished setting up my database yet, but I feel confident this book will provide all the information I need.

I'd recommend it for anyone just delving into Access 2010 for the first time.

The book is very informative. Microsoft Access has always been difficult for me to grasp, but this book makes it easy for me to learn Access 2010. I don't feel like a DUMMY!..... The author is also very humorous. I enjoy reading the book.

I've been teaching Microsoft Office products for years yet never really felt truly confident about my Access skills until I worked through this book. It covered all of the basics and explains database terminology and concepts in a way that really made sense to me. I especially appreciated the way that Ulrich and Cook dealt with the topic of getting Access tables to play nicely with one another. (Like anything else in life, it's all about relationships! Check out pages 85 through 93!) I also found the chapter "Parts of Tens" to be really helpful in that it anticipated the most common difficulties a new Access user might experience and helped you over those hurdles. Lastly, the section titled "More Power To You" went beyond the basics and gave me the keys to the Access hot-rod by teaching me about the Access Analyzer - a tool that helps you tune up a database for optimum performance. Additionally, the sly humor throughout the book never failed to make me LOL. With section titles like "Beauty is Only Skin (Tables) Deep" and "The Words They are A-Changing" you know the writing is fun and easy to digest.

I think Access 2010 is a great book. When I have a question regarding something I can go right to it in the book and see what's behind it and what it does when your create it.
"Dummies" books are great.

It doesn't have an index and the Kindle search function is cumbersome. The graphics are necessarily small and, therefore, impossible to read. The text is all there, for what it is worth but if you think you need it, buy the paperback.

I'm currently in Chapter 4 of the book titled, "Keys, Relationships, and Indexes". I'm in the part of the book where it is instructing me how to create relationships between tables. The problem I'm having is I didn't create the tables I was told to create in Chapter 3. So, why didn't I do as I was told in the last chapter? Frankly, I didn't have any creative ideas at the time to come up with hypothetical and contrived tables. To be honest, I was expecting the authors to provide me with some sample tables that we could 'work together' on or at least some suggestions and guidance if I didn't have anything particular in mind.

The instructions for creating tables in Chapter 3 and the ones for creating relationships between them in Chapter 4 are fine but when I read a book like this, I'm expecting a little more help when in comes to the hands on work. I guess if you're picking up this book with something already in mind that you want to build, you can apply the instructions to the task at hand. Unfortunately, I don't have a real application I need to build. I just want to learn how to use Access and THEN apply the skills I pick up to the work I wish to accomplish. I don't want to be forced to make something up out of the blue in order to follow the instructions in a book. This is something I expect from my instructor (author). Building contrived tables in this case is a waste of my time and doesn't lend itself well later to be built upon when we move to more advanced topics. Sample tables could be easily provided and then used specifically in the instruction rather than generic "how to" steps.

In the introduction section of the book on page 6, a website is provided that suggests there are helpful files and sample databases "that are designed to show you the tricks of the Access trade." Unfortunately, these helpful samples haven't been referred to again since page 6. It would have been nice if there was some explanation on how these samples might be helpful.

So, if you're like me and want examples to follow, I suggest you find a book that provides that. This one doesn't.

This information in this book is far too scant to be a useful. When I had a question I found myself looking in the program's help section or online rather than in the book. It is well written and funny--just light on information.