Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself Database Programming with Visual InterDev 6 in 21 Days (Teach Yourself -- Days)

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

 

 

The core information in this book is excellent. The ideas and procedures are indispensable if you are going to use Visual InterDev 6.0 for its purpose, Developing Data Driven web sites.

As with any computer book in print, there are some understandable problems. Who would have known that MS Data Access Components would totally change how you create Data Connections in Visual InterDev 6?

So far the actual html coding is just plain bad. It will work in today's browsers that will render anything, but that doesn't mean a Teach Yourself book should promote these practices. (Once you start using XML in your pages, YOU MUST close your tags)

Will this book help you create Data Driven sites with Visual InterDev 6? Yes. Do you have to be on your toes and think about what you are doing? Yes.

I would have given it four stars, but the author hasn't updated any errata since Feb 2000.

This one of the most stimulating books I've read on InterDev. Much of the code is very interesting, and some of the chapters come closer to real-world database web programming than other books I've read. I agree with the reviewer below that some of the HTML is dodgy (you shouldn't use <font> as a global container, guys, because you can't insert tables into the page if you do), but compared with some of the HTML CGI coders churn out . . .

InterDev is something of a Frankenstein in the web development world. Ostensibly based on the Visual Basic GUI, it presents several rather inconsistent approaches to database integration. There's the Data Environment, the Design-Time controls, or straight ADO. Added to this is a rather clunky web editor. Its interface encourages the developer to model a web page on the VB Form, an approach which relies on the out-of-date HTML 3.2 standard. But InterDev also ships with an HTML 4 CSS editor. MS encouraged developers to use FrontPage for design, but for years, InterDev generated non-standard HTML that made FP choke.

These inconsistencies are reflected in the structure of the book, although that's not necesarily a criticism. But while it might appear that the book progressively leads you through a series of graded lessons, it's really more like a series of articles.

The chapters on the Design-time controls are interesting, and probably contain the most in-depth discussion of their mysteries I have seen. The drawback is that most developers don't like using the DTs, and you can tell that the authors don't like them either, since they rapidly get on to ASP and JavaScript programming.

This does lead to one minor issue, although it's one that I could raise with many other InterDev books: once you start writing ASP, there's not much real advantage to using InterDev, other than its Intellisense. (But you can get Intellisense extensions for other editors like HomeSite.) Still, the ASP programming examples are all very good, and full of practical code examples.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Sams book without the usual number of typo's, incorrect diagrams, and software missing from the bundled CD. Most seriously, they promise you a demo version of SQL Server 2000, which isn't there. You can order one from MS, but you'll have to pay extra for it. Although you can get an Access version of the Pubs database from the authors' website, some of the ADO techniques presented only work with SQL Server.

It seems that the authors were asleep during the making of this book. This book suffers from poorly put together content: diagrams, layout, lack of files on the cd, and explanations. The first thing that was annoying was on page 15, on the bottom, that says if you need help on setting up the Frontpage98 Server Extension... refer to appendix B. Guess what folks, there is nothing mentioned there. I had to rummage through the internet and the Microsoft site to find any support.

It then gets even better a few pages ahead (19) where it says to locate the database "STYDBVI6" ... sure thing... where is it... on the CD? I think not!

Most of the book appears to be like that. From content missing, to lack of explanations, and other types of errata. While some examples and code can be worth while to look at (even the HTML is bad), it can however increase your knowledge of Visual InterDev. The only price is that you will be struggling and wanting to hit something hard from the annoyance this book might bring at times. However, you'll learn. Make sure you check the author's web site at Sams Publishing for any errata on the book.

I bought this book thinking it would be a nice kick-start to ASP and Visual InterDev. I was wrong.
If you don't have programing know-how the the consistant errata and lack of coding standards will cause you to not get past Day 1.
The coding, which standards change from day to day, leaves out important details, chnages methods in doing the same tasks, and if you type it directly from the book, will cause your programs from Day 2 on to not work correctly.
The amount of errata makes what could have been a good book a sub-standard one, and what is worse is that the Author only lists 2 errata on his website, when I found multiple errata throughout the book...at least 2-3 per 'day'.
Stick with a WROX beginners book and you'll fair much better and save yourself some frustration.
I've been programing for over 10 years, and without my previous knowledge, I would have never figured out the errors in the coding.

I got this book thinking it would be a great start on ASP programing with Visual Interdev.
Although I have learned alot, it has taken a lot longer due to, as other reviewers have pointed out, poor layout, poor coding (errata all over the place) and no coding standards. Each day seems like it was written by someone else as the coding is a little different each time.
I recently got a WROX book on the same topic, and it's 100 times more organized.

This book should have gone through the editing stage a few more times before being published.

Someone with little programing know-how will be lost due to the errors, and the Author's site only points out 2 errata...after going through 5 days the only day I didn't have errata was day 1.

It seems that the authors were asleep during the making of this book. This book suffers from poorly put together content: diagrams, layout, lack of files on the cd, and explanations. The first thing that was annoying was on page 15, on the bottom, that says if you need help on setting up the Frontpage98 Server Extension... refer to appendix B. Guess what folks, there is nothing mentioned there. I had to rummage through the internet and the Microsoft site to find any support.

It then gets even better a few pages ahead (19) where it says to locate the database "STYDBVI6" ... sure thing... where is it... on the CD? I think not!

Most of the book appears to be like that. From content missing, to lack of explanations, and other types of errata. While some examples and code can be worth while to look at (even the HTML is bad), it can however increase your knowledge of Visual InterDev. The only price is that you will be struggling and wanting to hit something hard from the annoyance this book might bring at times. However, you'll learn. Make sure you check the author's web site at Sams Publishing for any errata on the book.