Customer Reviews

Microsoft Access Small Business Solutions: State-of-the-Art Database Models for Sales, Marketing, Customer Management, and More Key Business Activities

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This book is so poorly written that once you put it down you do not want to pick it up again. It is highly repetitive as if trying to fill empty pages and from my perspective does not offer a great deal in terms of learning. Even the form design in Chapter 14, the only chapter where "form" design is touched upon, is esthetically and functionally is amateurish at best. I have read many books on Microsoft Access and this one ranks pretty low. It would have been better had the authors took the time to develop one or two complete applications rather than wasting time on table designs for a bunch of applications with little pedagogic value.

I have only begun to read this book. It doesn't take long to realize the authors are sharing their experiences from many years of developing database applications. While focusing on Access there is also advice about if and when to upgrade to client server architecture.

While the subtitle of the book highlights "Database Models", the book is much much more. There is lots of extra content that had even greater value to me as a 25+ year database developer. I have already begun using some of their tools and tips in my projects.

I would recommend Microsoft Access Small Business Solutions to all levels of database developers.

Wow! very good information here. What a departure from the rather clinical writting of the other reference books on Access. Great added CD content too.

This reference is an excellent resource for anyone who is learning or a skilled user of Access. The lessons and practice files give the reader a practical approach to solving some complex database construction issues that Access database designers often have.

Great value added tool in a Access database designers toolkit. Highly recommended.

I consider database modeling the most important expertise an Access developer should have. However, all the books I know treat this subject only under a mathematical perspective, which is too much abstract and boring for someone who is beginning to write his own apps.

What I like about this book is that it teaches how to think about database modeling by using a practical approach. It shows real-world database models, designed by seasoned developers. This valuable experience is rarely written on books.

This book does not focus on VBA programming or UI design. Its purpose is to show how to build database models, and it does it very well.

I recommend it for beginners and intermediate developers, and also for those who want to design professional solutions (not only for small business, but for enterprise as well).

Would you build a house on a weak or faulty foundation? Of course not. We recognize that a house with such a foundation will have problems sooner than later. Pouring cement properly may not be the most interesting part of building a house but it is one of the most important.

Tables are the foundation of a relational database. Whenever a database has problems after it starts being used almost always it is because the design of the tables was incorrect or inadequate. And fixing it while the database is in use can be every bit as hard as fixing the foundation of a house while it is being lived in.

The introduction makes this point: "This book... is an excellent resource for workers and consultants who may lack expertise in relational database modeling, but who need to quickly develop a database solution." "You may be amazed by how the right table structure can make it so much easier to create the forms and reports you desire."

This book can save you time if you need an Access database but do not have the time or desire to read a book on data modeling before designing your database.

If you are new to MS Access, or want to expand or find new ideas for a project, look somewhere else. This book is half-baked solutions. Just a collection of poorly explained tables. If you have questions about MS Access, this book will answer a few, but will leave you with plenty more unanswered questions.