26 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Covers a lot but not in depth, July 3, 2003
This review is from: Mastering Dreamweaver MX Databases (Paperback)
When I first flipped through the contents of this book, my first impression was, "Cool, it covers everything!" However, my second impression, after looking though it, was that it covers it all so shallowly, that it's not worth the time to read it. But then, my THIRD impression was that that's probably what the authors had in mind - give a broad overview of the topic(s), then let you purchase other books or training to go in depth on the areas you need.
And it does just that - gives a great background into all (or at least most) of the technologies needed to get going in this field, using Dreamweaver as the tool. But if you're looking for a detailed step-by-step tutorial into database-driven webpage development, then this probably isn't the book for you. Try Dreamweaver MX Dynamic Applications, by Jeffrey Bardzell if that's what you want.
This book is broken down into four sections:
1) Data-driven Web Pages -- an intro to the topic, to Dreamweaver MX, HTML forms, and a great section on good coding practices. Coming from a design background, I especially liked that coding section.
2) The Databases -- a description and comparison of the major databases in use, including Oracle, MySQL and those ones by Microsoft that I don't know why anyone would use.
3) The Languages -- an intro on connections and scripting and *very* brief tutorials on the major scripting languages in use, including ColdFusion, JSP, PHP and some dribble about Microsoft. As for this section, you will definately need to get additional training/books/tutorials about your language of choice. This is a 700+ page book, with small fonts, but it doesn't cover these languages very well, nor should it. Those should be left to their own books.
4) Using and Manipulating the Data -- this is where the book finally starts giving some step-by-step info on accessing data, building forms, master-detail page sets, search pages, etc. Again, these sections are brief, but usable. However, having just gone through Bardzell's book (mentioned above), I chose to skip these. Plus, the one section I did look at, the master-detail page set section, had several typos and errors in it. Code errors are completely unacceptable in a tech book, in my opinion. Don't you have editors for that?
Anyway, if you want a good overview of the subject matter, this book really covers an awful lot of area. But it does so at the expense of real depth. However, I think that was the whole intent of the book. This is a real good book for someone just starting in the field, that's not sure what everything is. After going through this book, you could then branch off, in depth, into the area of your choice. (And that area should probably be JSP or PHP/MySQL, since we all know Microsoft is going out of business soon, and open source is king!)
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Starting Point, February 9, 2004
This review is from: Mastering Dreamweaver MX Databases (Paperback)
I am an experienced web developer but was looking for a way to start using databases on my sites. The book is a good introduction to using many different databases and development languages with Dreamweaver MX.
Although the book is not an in-depth volume on any single method of coding or language, it has a great introduction to a variety of databases and languages that you can use on your web sites.
I have found the book very useful when developing both ASP and PHP sites. The book also has many little gems of information. It is certainly a great starting place and will also point you towards more detailed information if you need that. I have been able to use this book to successfully develop multiple sites using Dreamweave MX and databases.
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11 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Technical manual for DWdatabases, March 4, 2003
This review is from: Mastering Dreamweaver MX Databases (Paperback)
MASTERING DREAMWEAVER MX DATABASES
AUTHOR: Susan Sales Harkins, Bryan Chamberlain, Darren McGee
PUBLISHER: Sybex
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades
BOOK REVIEW: The first thing I look for when purchasing a software instructional book is whether or not it has a CD. Then, whether or not the CD has trial versions of the software the book is written about. In the case of MASTERING DREAMWEAVER MS DATABASES, both are true. The CD contains ColdFusion MX, Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, Flash MX JRun4 as well as the files to work through the material given in the chapters.
The next thing I check out is the Contents and Index. Is it written in a manner that allows a reader to locate a specific topic with ease? The Contents of Mastering Dreamweaver MX Databases has two Contents sections. The first is "At a Glance" and the second is the more detailed version. The Index has 35 pages of information. Both the Contents and Index are written in enough detail to allow the reader to find what they are looking for.
Each chapter ends with a summary of what the reader should have learned in that chapter. The chapters themselves have very few graphics and lots of technical reading. Before buying this book, the reader should be fairly well versed on HTML and Javascript. If things like ColdFusion, JavaSever Pages, PHP and Oracle mean something to you, then this book is at your level of understanding.
MASTERING DREAMWEAVER MC DATABASES is a good technical manual for intermediate to upper level of knowledge about web design. Along with having a very good CD, this book will boost your knowledge on how to handle the upper end of web design.
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