Programming Microsoft Visual Basic .NET for Microsoft Access Databases

Complicated and boring, doesn't focus on the readers at all. Period.

This book needs many more illustrations. With the small amount of Access experience I have I already knew more than this book told me. The book doesn't even explain how to use a wizard to connect to databases. It trys to get the reader to do everything programmatically. There are much easier ways to accomplish the tasks in this book than the way they are explained here. I do not see where I will ever get much use out of this book. There are much better books out there that are directed mostly toward SQL databases with only a mention of Access databases that are more of a help with Access than this book is.

I bought this book because I wanted to learn what's new with VB.NET, and how to use it to program solutions for Access databases. I liked learning about the .NET Framework because it is such a hot topic. I found it a treat to learn how transferrable my VBA skills are to VB.NET. In addition, it was fun learning about classes and how easy they are to use. In any event, they are important for VB.NET. This book is chock full of samples for programming Access with VB.NET. Chapter 2 included a jump-start sample that enabled me use a data grid with just one line of code. In Chapter 6, I learned how to navigate through data with text boxes and button controls as well as with a combo box, how to create main/sub forms, and finally how to use and format data grids. I was really excited about chapters 7, 8 and 9 which drill down on ADO.NET. These chapters cover such topics as how to handle concurrency violations and tricks for processing parent-child relationships, plus lots more. It was in these chapters that I got the low-down on inserting, updating, and deleting data in Access databases with ADO.NET. As an Access developer with a financial background, I got a charge out of learning to use what I already know about Access security in the .NET Framework.

After reading through 4 chapter's in this book I understand why it was rated so poorly. This book is written without the audience in mind. If I'm using VB.net and Access in combination with each other, I want to know how to create a database connection, update, delete, append, and insert records within the first two chapters of the book. Don't give me a class on Access. This book is missing illustrations, and valible content; where are my pages on handling the common "Concurrency" issues with form datagrids? Another fatal flaw in this VB.net litature is the carry on example. Example: Readers could care less if the author knows how to create a "class" and then apply it to a record update. Readers need the low down dirty code to complete our projects. We will construct our own code to solve oop problems. Poor, poor, poor!

I am Rick Dobson, author of Programming Microsoft Visual Basic .NET for Microsoft Access Databases. While I am obviously positively disposed towards the book, I am also very knowledgeable about its contents. I offer this review so you can have the benefit of my perspective and knowledge about the book. The previous review states my book does not even address Microsoft Access in the first 300 pages. This is just wrong! For example, every chapter from chapters 2-6 contains at least one complete code sample that uses an Access database. Some of these chapters contain more than one sample. Even the first chapter, which is intended as a general overview of the .NET Framework, includes a connection string for an Access database. I comment on just the first six chapters since these chapters comprise the first 300 pages. The previous review already admits the rest of the book addresses Access. Next, the review criticizes the book for not focusing on Access, but it says that it focuses on Visual Basic .NET. I remind prospective buyers of the book that its title is Programming Microsoft Visual Basic .NET for Microsoft Access Databases. Therefore, the book's emphasis on Access databases instead of the Access UI is consistent with the book's title. The title clearly conveys a heavy focus on Visual Basic .NET. That's why Visual Basic .NET comes first in the title. My book is special in couple of ways because of its close attention to close attention to Access databases. First, all the database samples throughout the book, except one, are for Microsoft Access databases. This is very uncommon among .NET books, which tend to emphasize SQL Server - even when they target beginner audiences. Second, my book includes plenty of content that targets the kinds of issues that relate to Access developers. For example, selected screen shoots even show Access datasheet views alongside Windows forms. I cover main/sub form design issues, a typical Access developer technique. A section within the book describes how to implement user-level security, the classic Access security model, with the .NET Framework. The book also presents workarounds for .NET Framework topics that do not work properly for Access databases. I have prepared several additional web pages to help readers decide if this book is right for them.

This book is not what the title suggests it is. This book is 600 pages long and the first 300 pages don't even address Microsoft Access, they are just a introduction to VB.NET. Then when the book finally gets to database access chapters they don't even focus on ACCESS. This book is a failure!!!!!!! It is just another Microsoft VB.NET book. Your better off buying Sams teach yourself ASP.NET in 21 days, it covers more topics than this book. ASP.NET Unleashed is another good title as well.