Customer Reviews

Mastering Visual Basic .NET Database Programming

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I picked up the book, I thought I would just be learning about how to design a database. As a seasoned programmer, I am not interested in information I can grab off the web. I was delighted to find so much un-documented information in this book. Instead of a dry, design your database manual, you get an around the world tour of almost every flavor of technology that surrounds data access. Chapters 10 and 12 are my all-around favorites - X/Path, XSL/T XML and the related technologies. I would like the authors to write a book just on XML alone. Another favorite topic of mine (which was again, very clearly explained): SQL Server access over HTTP. This was great information that I can definitely use in my systems today. A terrific book overall.

Although the title indicates that this is a book purely about database programming, don't let it fool you. This book is filled with much more information than just database programming. You learn how to build ASP.NET applications, work with customized user controls in VB.NET. XML also gets a lot of coverage in this book and you learn, step-by-step how to build a custom XSL stylesheet. The authors walk you through building the template and XPath queries. XPath isn't an easy language, by any means, but the examples step you through from the simple to the complex, giving you indepth information along the way. Another thing that I was really surprised with was the fact that all the examples I've tried so far work. This is really surprising in a programming book, especially one that's written in time to be published right when .NET launched. I'm very impressed with the quality of the code, as well as the way this book is written.

First of all, the title is a bit pretentious.
Going through this book, you won't find much about as much as connecting to an Oracle, Sybase or db2 database. I guess, they are minor players in the eyes of the authors/publisher.

Secondly, coverage of development for the "Windows Forms" environment is very limited, compared to development for the browser and, generally, Net. You might not find out, how to map and bind fields in an Access database to a textbox on a "Windows Forms" form, but you will be able to create a shopping cart application.

Thirdly, a lot of space is dedicated to general notions, database theory and normalization (which, by the way, is much better covered in books dedicated to relational database theory), while a lot of info dedicated to XML was squeezed out of the book, to the CD only, or just completely missing (like hardcore info on working with Access).

If your database is SQL Server, and your playground is the Net, buy the book. Otherwise, check it out in the bookstore, and JUDGE FOR YOURSELF ...

The book itself, in material and workmanship, is somewhat flimsy, has a cheap feel to it, and is falling apart after about a month of casual use on a programmer's desk.

I picked up this book thinking that it would help me design ASP.NET systems with a SQL backend, but found even more than I expected! There's two whole chapters dedicated to just XML and it gives you great insight on how to use x/path and x/slt practically. A lot of other books seem to give text book examples and syntax. I can look these up on the web. This book is much better because you get real-life walkthroughs and working projects. It seems to avoid the trap of being a mere reference book.

I am new to the .NET world. This book gave great guidance on knowing when, why, and how to make the switch over from OLE DB and COM. Well worth buying if you want to know how to build systems using the new .NET architecture. This book is great because it doesn't just dwell on syntactical differences, like most .NET books do. Instead, it gives you both conceptual on how to architect a system and practical information on how to implement the system. You understand where you should put your .NET code - I was especially excited to see a chapter on deployment, which often gets overlooked. A lot of books tell you how to build a system, but leave out the part on what you do once it's built. This book covers all the bases. My copy is completely filled with post-it notes.

This is the worst VB book I've read in all of my life, I needed to get to speed with ADO .Net, and as this book's title says "Mastering" I thought this could be the one I needed, especially after reading some of the other reviews.

If you are an absolute and complete beginner in database programming this book might help you, but if you already know your basics, step away from it and get David Sceppa's book instead. Half of this book is about the basics of Transact-SQL, but the really basics, not the advanced stuff, and after that you get a bunch of really dumb examples of the database objects that will rise too much doubts in your head, instead of helping you, you'll just get more confused.

I gave it two stars, because I was able to use a couple of examples in one of my applications, but that was after I had read Sceppa's book.

What a dissapointment.

Part One of Visual Basic .NET Database Programming is without question the best explanation of the .NET framework I have read to date. The authors do an outstanding job of not only explaining the "how," but ensuring that the reader understands the "why." They meticulously craft an engaging picture of relational database concepts and how Microsoft's latest data access technologies can be leveraged from both the desktop and the web to build a scalable and robust database-driven application. This book is a wonderful guide for both the beginner and the seasoned programmer, as it provides an insightful explanation of relational databases and database design and lays down a clear pathway into the world of .NET.

Merhaba!

This book is a great way to become more than just a developer - and
become an architect! Not only do you get practical examples of the code,
but the author also steps you through the theory behind why you should
do something. Helps you design your systems rather than hack up code. If
you are interesting in building any data driven .NET systems, this is
the book for you. Learn everything you needed to know about ADO.NET.

What a great book - there are so many insightful chapters covering such a wealth of information that you would think that it wouldn't cover it deep enough. But no - you discover things that you can't find online - clearly the authors have contacts within Microsoft - it's obvious from the foreword. Even from only reading a few chapters, I was able to put together a robust database system with a VB.net and ASP.net front end using web services.

This is not the book for a light superficial reader. This is a book for a serious learner. I have been dancing around the idea of database programming in VB.net for several months now. But this is the book that has really got me started.

I admit I threw away this book after reading 6 pages in the first chapter. It has got me confused and overwhelmed by all the new glossary and high detail level. But a couple of weeks later I have decided to give it another try. And I thank God I did so.

Skipping the first two (basic science) chapters you can start rightaway by the third (visual database tools) chapter and still keep up. Beleive me if I said that each single word from there on is an essential piece of information.

Although I haven't finished reading it but I thought it's quite fair to clarify the above points about this great and serious book.

I am really enjoying reading it, I take it with me everywhere. And I have started already practically verifying examples to help me through the course of learning which is by the way "Amazing"...