Customer Reviews

Microsoft® Access Version 2002 Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft))

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

 

 

This is a great book. I had used Access to perform queries and generate reports a few years ago, but had forgotten the details, and I had never made a database myself. Recently I needed to make a database and some reports from scratch. Since I thought I was not a "beginner" I first purchased Microsoft Access Version 2002 Inside Out (by Feddema), which was a mistake. That book may be a suitable reference once you know the Access basics (and I'm not even sure it's that great a reference), but it didn't help me learn the basics. Then I got Step By Step and by following the chapters and the samples from the CD I was able to make rapid progress. The book is well written, easy to follow in a logical order and has examples of all the basic skills needed to create and use a basic database. It took two full days to go through the examples, but I learned enough to create the database I needed to make. It will also be a good reference for the occasional Access user who needs a refresher in basic skills. Highly recommended.

This book uses a bogus garden store example to teach you how to go through various functions in Access. This book is great if you have never used Access before. However, if you are trying to set-up a database for more specific needs/functionality, I don't think step-by-step gives you enough information to accomplish this goal. After I read this book cover to cover and completing all of the exercises, I was able to create a basic (simple) database. If that is all you want to do, this book is perfect. The major problem I had with this selection, was there is not enough explaination as to why I was doing something. I could easily follow the concise step by step instructions and accomplish what they were telling me to do in the sample database, but there was no explaiation as to what each step I was performing was accomplishing. Now that I have created a simple basic database, I need another book to create calculations, and basically use the database the way I need to.

Step-by-step was great for teaching me the absolute basics, but I think I would have done better by getting a different book that could take me beyond that. If I had, I probably could have actually acomplished what I need to to with Access. Instead, I am back again buying another book.

This book covers all the basics of Access in a format that is easy to understand. It does require familiarity with Windows, but most people looking for this level of understanding in Access have that already. The CDRom files makes the lessons easy and informative. It is written for XP, but I have 2000 Professional, and with a few exceptions, I could do all the lessons in the book. If you are going to use the book for a different version than XP, though, you really have to have a working knowledge of Access already. All in all, a good resource that I believe will serve me well in the future as a reference book.

This book is great for beginners, but not much for actually figuring out how something works to be able to use that 'something' in a personal database that you may create from scratch. But I do recommend it for beginners to learn how to operate Access and create a simple database.

This introduction to Access has a few things to recommend it but, in my mind, they are not enough. As this series is prone to do, it does provide a step by step introduction to using the program and covers basic features. The illustrations are slightly better than average in that they are in color and are large enough to actually examine closely. The book also comes with a disk with all of the needed files for tutorials that build upon each other. These are all well done but it is not enough.

Missing is a good explanation as to theory and practical procedure. You learn how to do things but very little about why they are done. That being said, this is marketed as a bare bone, entry level text. For a cursory introduction, it does an adequate job.

I was very disappointed by this book. The book itself is quite visually pleasing - nice color screen shots throughout. Also the CD-rom that comes with the book has a new database for each progressive example, so if you mess something up, you can get a fresh copy of the database with the exercise done to work on the next exercise.
So why is the book so bad? It really doesn't explain very much. It goes through examples of various access tasks and walks you through what to do. But there is very little explanation of what you are doing! There are no exercises to reinforce your knowledge. Also, the tone is very boring and it is easy to follow the instructions in a zombie-like manner without thinking and learn absolutely nothing. There is no fun in this book.

The book is top notch in its layout and presentation. True to its name, it basically gives you an in-depth tour of Access with sample databases on cd-rom. The paper its printed on is great quality, the illustrations are excellent as well. I never felt lost in the material.

This "tour" is clear and comprehensive. This book is totally geared towards an introduction to Microsoft Access. It doesn't teach you general database theory or construction. I bought this book because I had a work project that involved Access, and I had never built a database before. It serves its purpose in this regard, but I can't say I come away with a full knowledge of the best ways to design a database.

I found this book to be a wonderful title for beginners. The attached CD has all the workfiles and the learners can concentrate on the learning process without having to enter a lot of data manually. This book does not have information on Macro and VBA. I loved learning from it.

An excellent book. The CD lessons are very helpful and the book is well written. It covers so much more than I ever found in a single chapter in an all in one MS Office instruction book.

I purchased this book to get to know Access 2002 in depth, but my company upgraded to Office 2007 so I had to start all over again!! 8-(