Customer Reviews

Programming Microsoft® Visual Basic® .NET for Microsoft Access Databases (Pro Developer)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am the author of this book. I am submitting this review because I believe there's a confusion about what's in the book. This is, in part, because the title changed three times on the way to its final release, and some book sellers didn't get the last change. For example, the book title on this page is correct, but the book cover shows the wrong title. I write this review to give potential readers a good idea about what's in the book and why the content is important for those creating solutions with Access databases.
I want to begin by saying this book is about Programming Visual Basic .NET. My goal is to introduce you to the .NET Framework through Visual Basic .NET. As result, the coverage is broad without drilling deeply into any one area. For example, you'll find 3 chapters on VB.NET programming, 2 on Windows Forms, 3 on ADO.NET, 2 on ASP.NET, and 1 chapter on XML Web Services. In addition, there's an introductory chapter on the .NET Framework and an appendix on XML for Visual Basic .NET Access database developers.
The second point that I want to make about the book is that it targets Access database developers. All the database samples in the book, except one, are for Access databases, and every chapter has at least one complete sample -- most have several samples. There is a separate chapter devoted to securing .NET applications for Access databases. To say the book is about Access databases is true. However, it is not about the Access UI. If you currently create solutions exclusively with the Access UI and you want to continue doing that, this book is not for you. However, if you currently program Access solutions with either VBA or VB, then this book is an easy way to transition to VB.NET.
I want to close my review by mentioning why I think it so important for Access developers to learn VB.NET. The simple answer is that .NET is coming. Microsoft introduced it in Visual Studio .NET, and then added it to Windows 2003. A Microsoft roadmap explains that the next version of SQL Server will include the .NET Framework. Can Access and the whole of Office be far behind? Beyond the certainty that .NET will be on a growing number of computers near you, there is the issue that now is the right time to learn VB.NET. This is because VB.NET is at the beginning. It can only become richer (more complicated) with each succeeding version. The best time to learn .NET is right now. My hope is that you use my book to help you do that.

This book is definitely for MS Access developer. All examples use Northwind.mdb. The first part introduces Visual Studio .NET environment using many practical MS Access examples I've used in my application systems. The 2nd part deals primarily with VB.NET capabilities. The 3rd part introduces you to ADO.NET using MS Access with many practical examples like add, change, delete, master/detail. The remaining chapters talk about ASP.NET and XML with MS Access. I've read VB.NET books and taken VB.NET course but don't have the confidence converting my applications. With this book, I'm all set to go. A must have for all MS Access developers ready to move to the .NET world.

The target audience for the book is, quite simply, Access developers who are accustomed to VBA and/or VB 6.

This book serves a good purpose, as the .NET materials I have seen to date all refer to SQL Server in their examples; they acknowledge Access, but fail to show its uses. I am not crazy about seeing "old" technology such as ADO used in some of the examples, but for a book of this nature (transitioning between coding languages) I guess that is inevitable that some old/new information would be included at various points.

Do not purchase the book if you're intending to use the built-in VBA capabilities of Access or other Office applications -- that's strictly not covered. What you will find, though, is a good sense of how VB.NET operates on its own, and how to create applications that draw upon the data stored in your Access databases.

This should be a good base point for someone who's developed in Access, and wants to investigate moving forward; it should be a means to an end, rather than the destination itself. Additional reading on ADO.NET and classes will be helpful, I believe, to continue fleshing out knowledge to be truly effective in your work, but this book does a good job of introducting those concepts.

Rick Dobson is usually so darn thorough! He takes nothing for granted. And this book is no exception. As a long-time Microsoft Access developer, what I want to learn is not everything about .NET, but about .NET with Access. This book must have been written just for me. Of course, after I have .NET working well with Access, then I would have a head start moving on to .NET with SQL Server and etc. This book covers Windows Forms and Web Forms in .NET. It covers XML. It covers coding techniques. It covers security. What a great head start I now have on .NET! I'm psyhched, and I'm going to redo my website in .NET and Access!

I'm a brand new developer using VS.NET, and having never used Visual Studio before I've grown very tired of every single book on .NET
spending %60 of their time explaining how it was done in Visual Studio 6, and how it is done in Visual Studio .NET. This book isn't much
different except that I see a shocking amount of emphasis on the "old" ADO method of data access. In fact, if I read this correctly,
there is more written on ADO/ADOX than there is about ADO.NET.

This is about the 10th book on .NET that I've purchased and every one so far (especially those from MS Press) spend 2-6 chapters talking
about .NET, what it is and why is is so bloody terrific. Book authors, PLEASE, lets stop introducing and re-introducing the same stuff
in EVERY .NET book! Write a "Beginning .NET" for all that stuff and save your readers some time!

Overall my opinion is that this book is mediocre. What this book is is a general .NET book with an
emphasis on database programming (albeit with the "old" ADO stuff).

In short, I'm glad I bought it used for only $10.

As I read the review that compained about the heavy use of ADO rather than ADO.net in the first part of the book, it seemed to me that the reviewer missed what Dobson was trying to do. This book really teaches two subjects--VS.Net and ADO.Net as it applies to Access. I appreciated that he used the old familiar ADO while discussing the new, unfamiliar VS.Net, and then, when the reader should be comfortable with the first topic, began to teach the second. I think he did a good job of laying the groudwork for using Visual Studio.net before then introducing the complex topic of switching to ADO.net. I would recommend this book for anyone transitioning from VB or VBA to .net using Access databases.

I have been working in this profession for 30 years and have migrated from COBOL to VB-3, to VB-6, and now to VB.Net. The title of this book is "Programming Microsoft Visual Basic.Net for Microsoft Access Databases."
When I started reading the book it began with very basic VB for the first 128 pages. Then once you do get into the VB sections of the book, there is a lot of repetition and not all of MS Access/VB programming is covered. Everything is done using embedded SQL commands. No raw access to MS Access. Try and find an INDEX change, or a SEEK command.
Rick, you should publish a second book and finish the topic and send it to everyone who purchased this book free.

I'm an Access developer and thought that this book would help me leverage my knowledge on Access and VB/VBA for use in .Net but unfortunately I found that this book rehashes on what I already know. Any intermediate or higher level programmer will find that this book will tell you once more about how to use Windows controls, program loops, etc. that he/she should already know very well by now. Also, the simple code samples are easy enough to read that they should NOT need to be described in great detail. What's worse, ADO (not ADO.Net) is used extensively so once more this is information I already know. There is no reason to limit yourself to the old ADO whether you are using Access databases or SQL Server databases. It's like driving a brand new car but leaving it in first gear.

I think programmers who are just past the beginner level but well before intermediate level will find this book worthwhile because it does go in quite a lot of detail, detail that would be too much for a beginner but old hat for more experienced VB/VBA programmers.

The writing style of the author too poor. He explain all the source code of the project and put it (source code) on the next page. It is very difficult to browse it steps, the book also less screen shot. Unlike Visual Basic .Net Programming which author by Harold Davis is writing in a good style. He explain the piece of code one bye one and finally he show the complete procedure. Screen are always show in the page of explaination. Finally the explaination is good but the writing style should improve.

Nice walkthrough of setting up database security (MDW file). Only reasonable source I found for this.