Customer Reviews

Waite Group's Visual Basic 6 Database How-To

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

 

 

I don't usually buy a computer book before checking out the customer review on the books. This time, I was in the hurry and had no time to check the review, so I wasted $.

On the cover, the publisher claims the book is "THE DEFENITIVE PROBLEM SOLVER". Shame on the publisher and the authors. The code in the book doesn't compile. ActiveX components are missing from the CD. In other words, nothing works.

The Waite Group, you owe me $+ tax.

I was looking for a book that explained the differences between and the advantages of the various data access methods available in Visual BASIC 6, and which would guide me through implementing my chosen solution. After working through the first few sections, I'm more confused than ever. Instead of helping you decide which path to follow and then guiding you down it, this book takes the route of saying "Here's something neat" - "Oh - and this is neat too" - "And *this* method is pretty cool" without making it clear (at least to me) whether you're supposed to use them in conjuction with each other or pick one and use it exclusively in a given program. In fact, I moved from the "Bound Controls" to "Data Access Objects" sections without realizing through several examples that these were probably not meant to be mixed together. The examples often seem to say "Do this, then do that" without making clear _why_ you're doing it. I don't know about you, but I can't learn by rote nearly as effectively as I do if I _understand_ why something works the way it does. I keep thinking "Well, maybe it's designed for someone more experienced at VB database programming than I am," but in working through the examples, I get the feeling that someone with much VB database experience would already know most of this stuff. I'll put the book on the shelf and maybe it will be a useful reference once I've got a clearer understanding of the subject, but it hasn't been much help as a beginner's guide.

I have read other reviews here and I disagree. I find this book incredibly helpful. It will not write your application for you, but it will tell you how to do the details. It has helped me write a major application. I use it as a resource not a learning manual. Once you know DB programming, this book cannot be beat for VB-Access combination

I usually don't write reviews, but this book has helped me so much that I felt a social responsibility to say it.

I got a job that involved database and reporting work that evolved into being primarily VB with databases three weeks after I started the job. (Isn't it amazing how job descriptions can change after the hiring is complete?)

Anyway, I had to learn fast and accurately to keep the job, and this book provided all I needed to save my job!

It was also a great desk reference to troubleshoot when I got stuck down the line. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone who wants to learn and wants to buy only one book that they can continue to use after they're more comfortable.

This book is for the Advance VB user only. I calculated that 60% of the examples do not compile unless there is some re-coding. This book gives a weak description for each of the covered topics. Function are missing from the sample code that comes with the book. For example, half the code in Chapter 10 and 11 does not work due to missing functions. I am a developer with the full Enterprise Visual Studio 6.0. I review VB manuals for our developer support department. I wish that I could get the author to give me my money back or at least send me working sample code.

Publishers of computer books are taking the easy way out and reprinting the same stuff again and again - just putting a new title on it. Many of the examples are VB5 code and won't compile under VB6.

In the rash to satisfy the need for VB 6.0 DB development manuals the publisher (and with it the authors) have used the usual trick of repackaging an existing VB 5.0 book with a new cover and a couple of hastily written chapters trying to cover the large number of VB 6.0's new features. The code is useful to understand the technique but often does not compile under VB 6.0 and is written without following bookwide coding conventions. Roger Jennings' VB 6.0 book is a much better buy.

While this book was appropriate for database techniques using JET, and DAO it was not really appropriate for the more heavyweight SQL server RDO/ADO access techniques/ overview. This unfortunately, is another example of a "salad bar" "taste me, taste me" computer tome/book that misses its mark by trying to be all topics/things to everybody. I was particuarly annoyed by the meager 50 pages devoted to RDO and the 70 pages devoted to ADO all of which were absurdly abbreviated in their scope; it would have been far better to omit them entirely. If you want a serious book on these topics, buy the 6th edition Hitchhiker's Guide to VB/SQL SERVER.

It would be good if the authors would update the example files so that they compile in VB6 and make them available for download. Also, the authors have elected to adopt a very terse narrative style, thus leaving the reader to fend for himself when he can't figure out what the authors mean. So the narrative is cryptic and much of the code that comes with the book does not compile.

This book has some good examples of using Visual Basic 6.0 and the various data access techniques, etc...

However, the book reminds me more of a shopping list with it's individual check marks; than a clearly written educational manual.