Reviews (8)

Not for the newbie!
Definitely not for the newbie.This is for the seasoned access programmers.I you are new to programming (at least in access) and are looking for a book on how to program with access, this is not for you.This is a great book for those seasoned programmers who are looking to make their applications better.

Very Solid, useful book for development of Access Applications.
Easy to read first few chapters with basic design info, remainder of the book focuses on complete applications that can serve as a template/best practice for almost any other MS Access application.
I've learned much in the first 3 chapters
As a self-taught Access developer for the past eight years, I have an extensive library of books dealing with beginneing to advanced areas of Access. I bought this book to add to my library, figuring it to be another reference item. However, in a casual browsing of the content, I discovered this book has much more to offer. I was pleasantly surprised to see information on levels of magnitude for linked tables, never having known that the number of sub folders for linked tables can affect the speed of reading from them.
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Subjects:  1. Application software    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - General    6. Database management    7. Desktop Applications - MS Access    8. Development    9. Microcomputer Database Management Software    10. Operating Systems - Windows    11. Access    12. Computers / General    13. Home Computing   

Reviews (7)

Microsoft Access 2003 Step-by-Step
Comprehensive and very easy to find whatever I'm looking for. I'm very pleased with my copies: one on my bookshelf and one in my laptop case

They mean it: Step by Step
It is quite astonishing what some expect from a book that says "Step by Step". It is for absolute beginners! But for those this is a great book. It takes away the mystery of Access. So far I have only been hearing what kind of a complex and difficult to handle program Access is.
This book tells you what to do but does not explain why...
As the title explains, it does take you step by step on doing a few simple tasks but it does not explain what the reasons for...primary keys for example, it just tells you to pick a primary key for this task but on another taks it will tell you not to pick a primary key.What good does knowing how to change a "primary key" when you dont know what it does or what the ramifications are.The same goes for a lot of things that the book tells you do do but doesnt explain why you are doing it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Software - MSOffice    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - General    6. Database management    7. Desktop Applications - MS Access    8. Microcomputer Database Management Software    9. Microcomputer Integrated Application Software    10. Microsoft Access    11. Programming - Software Development    12. Computers / General    13. Home Computing   

Reviews (7)

Best Reference I Have Found
I started a new job in the Information Reporting Office of a State Education Department.I am fluent in SPSS programming, but have had little experience with Access. My job turns out to entail retrieving many data files in an Access format from a master database stored in Oracle on a mainframe using ODBC.I have had to learn quickly how to manipulate those databases to obtain the information needed to put into files for Federal reporting purposes.I needed a comprehensive reference to Access that would allow me to learn how to use Access to perform data manipulations that are easy to perform with Statistical Analysis packages such as SPSS. For example, every School is assigned a 12-digit code, and each sequence of two or four digits embedded in the code has a distinct meaning, such as a reference to the county of location or type of school.So I had to learn quickly how to "parse" the long "string" field into new separate string fields made up of the component parts of the 12-digit string. I also needed to aggregate data on field values to obtain counts and sums.These are basic functions, easy to look up or find in the index when using a program like SPSS.These sorts of functions do have counterparts in Access, but the indexes of such books are geared to the business user and do not refer to such functions with the standard terms such as "parse," "string function," or "aggregate" that are familiar to people used to using statistical packages to manipulate data.
Index is awful
Let's face it: When you want to get started you don't sit down, read through 800 pages, then get to it.What you really do is read a little, skimming what you really need to get started. When you need to know something, you look it up.There's the rub.Unfortunately, ALL of these books suffer from the problem of having a very bad index.I know the index spans many pages, however, I have seldom found ANYTHING I wanted by looking it up under the obvious heading.For that matter, often the subject is not to be found anywhere in the index at all.Which means it either isn't covered in the book, or it can not be found easily.The "9 in 1" books thing sounds good, until you realize that there is not necessarily an integrated approach to really teaching the whole of Access and the relationship between its parts.The real problem is that Access is layered on top of 3 'languages' (VB, SQL, and Macros) and has different ways of getting things done for its three main parts (Queries, Forms, and Reports).(And VB even supports 2 different object models, DAO and ADO.) It is often unlclear how all these different areas interact.They can interact together easily, but why is a function spelled one way in an expression, a different way in VB and again different in SQL?There ought to be a cross reference table translating between them.Or when can you nest aggregate functions and when can't you?Much of what Access is secretly doing is translating your groupings and expressions into SQL with Unions and inner/outer-joins or what not.None of this inner working is explained, leaving you clueless when Access refuses to do what it thinks you want to do.Yes, Access is a confusing product owing to the way different parts were cobbled together.But it can also be very easy to do certain things, like turning a report's groupings inside out.Some of these things are explained in this book, but most are not.A comprehensive index would be a start, but they would of course need the text to go with it.You'll have better luck finding specific information by searching on the internet.I have found many great and helpful web sites, but I still haven't found any one book on MS Access that comes close to really explaining it properly.And none with an even decent index.It sounds great to read on a book's jacket that it will cover VB or XML or web stuff, but the important stuff is often overlooked.

A good guide for dummies and others
I am a complete dummy when it comes to Access.I have had very frustrating experiences trying to use Access in the past.I am now using the guide to design and develop a relational database.It's written in simple language and goes through everything in a reasonable order, with the more advanced programming-related chapters at the end. I have a feeling this book will become my best friend as I work through this project. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Microcomputer Database Management Software    8. Microsoft Access    9. Access    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (2)

What took so long?
The price was about $15 cheaper than the school store,but it took so long gettig here!(15 days) To much worry!

If you need to know Access, this is your book
At work, I had to rebuild an Access database that had been corrupted after a crash.I managed it but knew I needed to know not only what to do but why I was doing it.I took a class at a local community college and this was the book used as a textbook.As I worked my way through the book, all of the things I had puzzled out started to make real sense.Plus I learned some of the small tricks you don't learn when you teach yourself a piece of software.I could have sold the book back at the end of the class but I decided it would be better to keep it as a reference book.I haven't been disappointed.This one makes more sense than the Access Bible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Access    6. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (9)

Good starter book
We had already begun to create the database so much of the book was not necessarily helpful. But there were many tips and hints that helped us improve on the database. I would reccomend this book especially for those who have never opened Access before and for those want to tweak and improve their current database to be more user-friendly or professional looking.

Why pay when you can get it free?
This book is poorly designed and poorly presented.It starts out by assuming you know something about Access, or about databases, and only after a few chapters addresses the needs of beginners.The author's style lacks conciseness and clarity, and at times reading this book seems to get in the way of learning. And then there are (yawn) the endless attempts at humor.A light approach to a technical subject can be fine, but when you have to wade through it to get to instructional material it's a little much.Microsoft has free on-line tutorials for Access 2003.After giving up on this book, I used them, liked them, and learned from them.And, they're FREE.

A Good Fast Way to Get Started
This is a quick and dirty guide to using Access to get information into and out of a database. Access is part of Microsoft's Office Suite. It's designed for small, personal use database applications. This book fits that philosophy quite well. It uses the front end philosophy that Microsoft has done so well to enable a database to be designed, an input form to be created and an output report to be generated.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Microcomputer Database Management Software    8. Microsoft Access    9. Access    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (3)

Worthless........for some
Stupid book, stupid class, waste of time.Unless you are totally, 100% computer illiterate.I have a friend from Arkansas named Shawn, who didn't even know how to turn the computer on (literally), who used this book and is now typing his own personal letterheads and using all the Microsoft programs taught in this book to their full extent.He woulda given it 5 stars if maybe I found some use for it other than starting fires, making patties, disposable coasters, etc. Exploring Microsoft Office 2000 Professional, v. 1
Well laid out, high physical quality, effectively written text good for teaching pure beginners how to use this tool [and even v.1 has some tips for those who are experienced] with lots of useful exercises.What limitsthis to 3 stars is the fact that OUTLOOK 2000 is not covered in any waywhatsoever, despite the fact that it is an essential part of OFFICE whichis heavily used in many organizations.The index also proved lacking whenI wanted to find out about 'speaker's notes' in POWER POINT.

Highly Recommended
Very comprehensive coverage of Office 2000 application. I get stuck on something, there is an answer! It saves so much of my time! Try it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Business Software - General    3. Business Software - MSOffice    4. Computer Bks - Integrated Software    5. Computer Books: Operating Systems    6. Computer programs    7. Computers    8. Computers - Integrated Software    9. Electronic spreadsheets    10. General    11. Microcomputer Integrated Application Software    12. Microsoft Access    13. Microsoft Excel (Computer file    14. Microsoft Office professional    15. Microsoft PowerPoint (Computer    16. Microsoft Word    17. Office Automation    18. Word processing    19. Business & Economics / Information Management   

Reviews (4)

Incredibly useful book
This book is terrific. It has helped me go from a novice user of Access, to an advanced user. It has everything you need to know to build a solid database in an accessible format. The information is easy to find and incredibly easy to understand. I use it at work and I am continually having to track it down because it gets borrowed by my coworkers. Finally I asked the company to just buy a second copy, which they did.
a nuts & bolts book for a database user
It is easy to follow, clear cut and useful. The reader should have a working knowledge of access. I found the work on queries best followed by reports then forms. It could use better proof reading but that's a minor thing compared to the books content. I definitely got the books price in useful information.

Very practical and useful
Great book.It is very practical and useful.I have managed to do several things following the book as a model.I understood relational databases, but needed some ideas and how-to's for making an application spiffy.I wasn't sure the queries would be useful, but low and behold had to do some queries in another database and they were very useful (most of my databases are not number based).I highly recommend it as a practical guide to doing some cool things! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. General    6. Information Storage & Retrieval    7. Microcomputer Database Management Software    8. Computers / Database Management / General    9. Database software   

Reviews (9)

Finally, an interesting AND helpful Microsoft Access book!!
First, let me start off by saying that this book is NOT for beginners.You need to have a good understanding of the different types of queries and functions before reading this.
A must have for finacial Analyst or Data Analyst
This book is great. It took me about 3 days to finish reading, gain practical knowledge through this book, already help my production through my analysis.
Excellent
Needing to go beyond Excel?Wanting to start using Access for all your data analysis needs?This is the book for you.Great primer for those Access developer books.Takes you from the beginning into some pretty cool advanced topics.Data discussed in examples is also available for download.A must have for anyone using MS Access for any data analysis project. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Relational databases    8. Access    9. Computers / Database Management / General    10. Databases & data structures   

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Reviews (8)

Finally, someone puts the pieces together.
I have spent the past ten years making my living developing integrated & automated financial systems using Excel, Access, and VBA for accounting and finance departments.That said, I literally have dozens of Excel, Access, and VBA books on my bookshelf.This is the only book that I have ever seen that integrates Excel and Access.It of course uses VBA to accomplish much of this.
EXCELLENT!!!!!
Do you use Microsoft Office to handle data? If you do, then this book is for you! Author Michael Schmalz, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that will show you how Access and Excel can work together to improve your reporting and data analysis.
Shows how to combine the two programs to get the best from both
Michael Schmalz's shows how to combine the two programs to get the best from both. All too often Excel and Access users remain separate; yet user interfaces exist which allow Access databases to be integrated with Excel's analytical features for maximum results. Chapters cover everything from VBA applications and graphs to working across desktops with package applications. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Computer Books: Spreadsheets    3. Computer programs    4. Computers    5. Computers - Spreadsheets    6. Data Modeling & Design    7. Data processing    8. Database management    9. Desktop Applications - MS Access    10. Spreadsheets - Excel    11. Spreadsheets - General    12. Access    13. Computers / Spreadsheets    14. Computers / Spreadsheets / General    15. Computers/Database Management - General    16. Excel    17. Excel Access Visual Basic VBA ADO DAO SQL query graph report   

Reviews (1)

Great Book, For Those Who Are New To Computers!
This is a great textbook!This book is very easy to follow, as it has provided step-by-step instructions on how to do each of the chapters in this book and of Office XP.It also has a chapter review section with more exercises. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Business Software - MSOffice    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer programs    5. Computers    6. Computers - Integrated Software    7. General    8. Microsoft Access    9. Microsoft Excel    10. Microsoft Office    11. Microsoft PowerPoint    12. Microsoft Word    13. Computers / Business Software / General   

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Reviews (13)

grammar-based approach can't get off the ground
It seems like most of the people writing reviews for this book already know databases to some degree. I didn't, so I'd like to share my experience.
Wish all beginner books were like this
This book is easy to read, easy to follow and has practice problems at the end of every chapter with the answers in the back. What more could one ask for?
Very helpful, very simple, very direct
I bought "Learning SQL" in order to begin to prepare myself for the Microsoft Certification Exam for SQL Server 2005. I had some prior knowledge of SQL, but almost exclusively in writing SELECT statements. "Learning SQL" broadened my knowledge with its simple, easy to follow chapters. All of the important concepts are explained, and the examples given are very clear and intuitive.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. General    6. Programming Languages - SQL    7. Relational databases    8. SQL (Computer program language)    9. Access    10. Computers / Languages / Programming    11. Computers / Programming Languages / SQL    12. SQL    13. sql, structured query language, sql schema,   

Editorial Review

Billed as "The only Access 2003 book you need," Read more

Reviews (6)

Horrible Book I hvae ever Seen
Iwish Icould select rating for this book lower that one star. This is a horrible book I have ever seen in my life. This
Manual
Easy to read. Already used on one project. Just another manual in an excellent series.

A lot of how, not enough why
This book is not for beginners, and may not be for anybody. It is poorly indexed, making it very difficult to find a desired topic. It is also largely based on step-by-step examples, without enough explanation of why something works the way it does. In other words, plenty of detail on specific, pre-determined tasks, but scant exploration of broad topics and ideas. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Microcomputer Database Management Software    8. Microsoft Access    9. Access    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (9)

The Platinum Standard for Technical Documentation
Not only is this series the absolute best when it comes to MS Access, it is the best technical documentation I've had the pleasure to use since the early days of Vax/VMS. A perfect blend of explanation, examples, syntax, and guidance. A level of art to which all others should aspire (and regrettably too many do not).

THE Reigning Champ
Without a doubt, THE best book on Microsoft Access you will find. Most Access Developers will have several books on the shelf next to their desk gathering dust while they search through Google to resolve their latest dilema. Although I'm a Googler as well, my copy of ADH is frayed and worn...but never dusty. The authors write confidently and authoritatively, yet it seems that they take precautions to avoid intimidating the novice. I've seen reviewers referring to this book as "not for beginners." I was at the beginner-intermediate level when I first thumbed through it at a bookstore. I thought the pricetag was a little too high, but after about ten minutes I had to own it. Since then, it's brought me a long way. Whatever your level, if you really want to learn this stuff you will find great value here.

Excellent explanations
I'm comfortable with Access but when it comes to VBA I'm a newbie. This book doesn't only tell you what to do, but explains the why behind it. I have a database that I've put double digit hours (10+) into one problem. I got the book read up on combo boxes, the problem area, and in 30 minutes debugged my code to make them do what they were suppose to do. If I get nothing else out of this book it was worth it for that one issue, but upon further reading I'm learning the why's of Access. The code is still a little foreign but now I'm much more comfortable working in VBA. They use Reddicks naming convention which is different to me, but that's easy to look past. A great book!! Thanks Sybex! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Microcomputer Database Management Software    8. Microsoft Access    9. Access    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

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Reviews (21)

One of the most invaluable references I have in my library
I'll keep this brief, as my title says it all.I have been developing access applications on a professional level for many years.Have several applications that large companies use to run there business.This cookbook has helped me in more ways then I can count.I wish I could find more like it.I use it just as a cookbook.Look thru to find a similiar situation that I am trying to solve.The examples are written very well.The code is very exact and on the money.While most of the examples listed are not always exactly like what I'm trying to solve, it definitely gets the creative juices flowing on how to solve my problem.
Recipes for Access Developer Success
The Access Developer's Handbook Set (search ISBN: 0782140114) and in particular, Volume 1: Desktop Edition (search ISBN: 0782123708) is my definitive resource to approximately 4 years of Access development.I've got more stickies and highlights in this set than all other Access books combined.So when I came across the Access cookbook and realized that the same two indispensible authors (Getz & Litwin) put together a resource of Access developer solutions, I had to have it.
Access Developers.. this is a must have!
When I started my job, my first assignment was develop several Access databases. What they wanted was beyond what I knew of Access. After buying this book and Access Database Programming and Design, I was well on my way to develop a quite advanced Access database application. I would ask myself, "I wonder if I can..." After consulting this book for the anwser, BAM! I found it there. This book covers everything from simple VBA to advanced techniques such as incorporating a email system into a database, linked dropdown combo boxes using SQL, and creating VB Form control that tells you who all is currently in a database using ADO and VBA! I would say anyone wanting to cook a mean Access database should definitely pick this one up. It is an invaluable reference if you want to develop professional Access databases with incredible functionality! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Software - General    2. Computer Books: Database    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Computers - Data Base Management    6. Database management    7. Desktop Applications - MS Access    8. Microsoft Access    9. Access    10. Computers / Data Base Management    11. Computers / Database Management / General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (43)

Just What I Needed
In seeking out materials to train myself on Access 2003, I have found several books that have done adequate or good jobs of teaching the program. Most of them, however, did not do so well on teaching database theory or on instructing in how to use the native programming environment. This book helped to fill in the gaps. It is not perfect but it certainly was a good place to start.
this book got me started on databases...
Years ago, I've picked this book up to learn Access... I haven't used Access for quite a while now (mostly an Oracle person now), but I still have fond memories of this book.Not only does this book teach you Access, and it does that very well, it also go through the database fundamentals. An overall great book, imho.

If you own 2 Access books, this should be one of them
I first read Steven Roman's book on Access a few years ago when it was written for Access 97. I recently bought a copy of the current version as a reference.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database design    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Microsoft Access    8. Operating Systems - Windows    9. Access    10. Computers / Data Base Management    11. Computers / Data Modeling & Design    12. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (13)

Good for intermediate users.
Considering that it's only one volume, this book is about as comprehensive as you can get. Good instruction, great index, and an excellent accompanying cd with exercises and additional information. The book itself could have been more concise, though. At times it's repetative and redundant, but for no other reason than to clarify the author's methodolgy behind the current lesson. Being an intermediate user, this was a great book; however, if you consider yourself advanced, I'd skip this and try to find something more specific. This isn't really a great book for beginners either; you'd probably find it a bit overwhelming and the terminology a bit confusing. Regardless, it's a great reference tool for any user, and I recommend it.

Not as good as you might think
I have had "Bibles" of the last 3 versions of Access. I was disappointed with the earlier versions in that they did not go into macros and VBA as much as I wanted. I was overjoyed that this version does, but found many problems. All the books in the "Bible" series have problems with proofing. There are too many typos. Even a section on spell check in this book had the wrong words entered for the spell check. The bigger problem is with the examples provided on the CD. Some files are missing in the chapters. And the coding does not always work. I tried to program a personal project using a much-needed procedure and could not get it or my lesson to work. What a surprise - the completed project that was provided on the CD did not work either. Wiley needs to proof and test more before going to press. Also a little too high level for beginner Access users - assumes that the average user understands the VBA terms and their applications.

ACCESS Bible
This was third helper I found--it should have been the first. All I would have needed! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books And Software    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Microcomputer Database Management Software    8. Microsoft Access    9. Access    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (5)

Information at the Expense of Instruction

The right book
This book worths my money.All I need to do is to learn the syntax for Access VBA.I already has novice level of general programming.This book has clear and simple explanation of Access VBA syntax through its practical examples.
Table of Contents
"Here's the TOC I got from another site in case it helps."
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Subjects:  1. Business Software - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Desktop Applications - MS Access    6. Microcomputer Database Management Software    7. Programming - Visual Basic - VBA (Visual Basic for Applicati    8. Access    9. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (2)

A very good book for self-learner
My boss asked me to develop a leave system. I have no experience about Access VBA before. I bought a lot of books. However most of them are too thick and theoretical. No step by step examples are provided. Fortunately after reading this one, I can finish my task now.

Microsoft Access 2000 with Visual Basic for Applications
I consider this book to be ideal for people needing real hands on knowledge of Access. I'm using it in self-study to learn advanced concepts and VBA. I feel this is the ideal text for the self-learner.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers - Data Base Management    3. Database Management - General    4. Access    5. Basic, Visual Basic & QBasic    6. Computers / Database Management / General