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 (9)

My opinion
This book was written for anyone to read.I have read many Reference books and none of them are as easy to read as this.

Helpful but not complete
I used this to supplement my study while working on OCP certification exams (Oracle 9i database). The book has good information but not everything you want to know about Oracle. Frankly, the books helps but it is not complete reference. It would not be a bad idea at all to own a copy of it.
Not very thorough
If you are looking for a brief overview of everything, this book is for you. An developer/administrator looking for detail on any one topic will not find much use for this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - General    6. Database Management - Oracle    7. Oracle (Computer file)    8. Relational Databases    9. Computers / Database Management / General    10. Oracle   

Reviews (13)

Good content overall
I used this book in graduate school while taking the Database Management System course. The book has usefull information. It help me understand and practice normalization. Some unfamiliar concepts also were learnt from the book. I can recommend this book to anyonegetting into the database world.

Very practical.
Indeed, a brilliant rendition of practical information. I am currently working as a chief technical designer in a financial data warehouse project for a fortune 100 company. Chapter 11 (Data Warehousing) unfolded some time-critical points.

IT'S POORLY ORGANIZED AND DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW; NOT INTRO BK
This is a required textbook for an Intro to DB course. Once again, the University of Texas at Dallas has followed a constant pattern of requiring textbooks that are 1) Poorly organized/written books, 2) expensive and 3)The professor haven't read the book themselves AND are not using/following a required book when teaching their course! This said, my review of this book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Database Engineering    5. Database Management - General    6. Database management    7. Information Management    8. Information Storage & Retrieval    9. Office Automation    10. Business & Economics / Information Management    11. Databases & data structures   

Reviews (11)

Oracle is Oracle
The book speaks on most of the database issues that can come up when using Oracle. It is more of a Reference manual instead of going to each topic in detail. This can be useful when one wanted to quickly get the relevent information.
Not so complete...
With a 1200+ page book, entitled "The Complete Reference", I would have expected much more information about proper configuration. Properly configuring Oracle (I'm running it on Unix) is no trivial matter and I found this book to be severely lacking. While it seems like a good reference to have (hence 3 / 5 stars), it looks like I'm going to have to look for other resources.

Disappointed--tries to cover too much
This sounded like a good book, judging by the reviews here, but being relatively new to the Oracle world, I haven't found this book terribly useful so far.Oracle's docs have been much more helpful and detailed. I was hoping for a book that shared the author's experience and tips and helped the reader make decisions, but this seems to be largely a command reference, covering many topics superficially. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. Database management    7. Oracle (Computer file)    8. Relational Databases    9. Computers / Database Management / General    10. Oracle   

Reviews (3)

It is an excellent DBA Handbook
The book is excellent in the sense that it went straight to the essential and important topics. I am surprised that they did cover a lot of topic in a few pages. The book does help if you have some experience with oracle and especially with 10g. If you are new to oracle I am pretty sure you pick up the wrong book and you will be shaken by the concepts in the book. Overall I recommend this book if you are already familiar with 10g.

Great Book. Not for Beginners
This book is definitely not for beginners. If you already have a working knowledge of how to operate an Oracle database, this book will provide a more solid foundation for your knowledge. I particularly found its chapters on RAC and High Availability helpful. The best part of this book is that it covers the most essential knowledge to becoming a highly competent Oracle DBA without trying to be a reference for every Oracle topic. I highly recommend this book.

Bumpy Ride
I'm learning database administration for the first time, so I've been sequentially working through this book.I've made it past 200 pages running all of the commands and scripts; however, I've had to do a lot of outside research in the product documentation and internet forums to get the stuff to work.I've marked up the margins of this book like crazy.Key pieces of the examples are omitted, and some information is just plain wrong (e.g. names of AWR SQL scripts).Being forced to do outside research can help you learn the material better I guess, but the time could probably be better spent if all you want is your certification.One of their commands to move EM from SYSAUX to another tablespace totally corrupted my database console service and forced me to install a new database instance.Buy this book if you're into pain and self-torment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. Database management    7. Relational Databases    8. Computers / Database Management / General    9. Oracle   

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 (29)

Neatly written guide for Sql Developers
O'Reilly's SQL Cookbook is the reference I've seen forSQL developers and personally suggest all developers intrested in SQL to must read it. Modeled after a true cookbook, it offers many short snippets of SQL code designed to solve specific problems. You can pick and choose the components you need to help complete your SQL project.Each item in the cookbook is clearly explained in a well defined format. High recommendation for Sql Dev's. A must read.
Go get this book
It really helps when you need to find SQL query tips in your real projects

Good Book
This is the wonderful SQL book. When I read in Borders, I was suprised to see that this book covers so many useful topics and it covers 4 databases.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Programming Languages - SQL    5. Relational databases    6. SQL (Computer program language)    7. Sql (Programming Language)    8. Computers / Languages / Programming    9. Computers / Programming Languages / SQL    10. Database management    11. Programming languages (Electronic computers)    12. SQL    13. SQL, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, MySQL   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (11)

Wonderful Book - One of the better computer Manuals I've seen
Just plain good. Well written, well put togeather, and makes it all easy to understand. My only complaint is it should come with a box of stick-its :) I've marked so many pages already.
Wish I bought this first...
I bought the "Absolute Beginers Guide..." first.It wasn't 'absolute' enough for me.The layout of this book was much more logical and comprehensive.

it really is ...
this really is the missing manual.get this and "quick steps" and you will have a mated set that dovetail. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Books: Web Programming    3. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    4. Computers    5. Design    6. Internet - Web Site Design    7. Microsoft FrontPage    8. Microsoft FrontPage (Computer software)    9. Web sites    10. Computer / Internet    11. Computers / Internet / Web Site Design    12. Databases & data structures    13. FrontPage, FrontPage 2002, FrontPage 2003, Web design, Microsoft office, HTML, Sharepoint, building Web sites, cascading style sheets, XML, VBA, script, Web developer, Missing Manual, FrontPage: The Missing Manual   

Editorial Review

To the people who are accomplished in its use, Structured Query Language(SQL) is a highly capable, eminently flexible, even beautiful way of describingthe data that you want from a database, or the changes that you want to make toa database. For the rest of us, however, SQL is a first-class nuisance that wedo our best to avoid by relying on relatively user-friendly--but usually lesspowerful--tools. Read more

Reviews (43)

Mere mortals is a great source of information
I enjoyed this book as well as learned alot from it. I wouldn't say it's for a complete beginner but for those who have played with access or another database program. it's a wonderful resource to learn the ins and outs as well as some "theory" of queries. I will recommond this for others to read and will be getting the companion book.. databases for mere mortals.
gradually build up to writing complex queries
SQL by now has acquired many elaborations in syntax. It can be a formidable barrier to a new user. But the authors explain well how to take a query, expressed in plain English, and arrive at an actual SQL query which will work. Hopefully, anyway!
SQL Queries for Mere Mortals
The book was brand new. Just as described. Very fast shipping too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Database Management - General    5. Database searching    6. Programming Languages - SQL    7. Relational Databases    8. SQL (Computer program language    9. SQL (Computer program language)    10. Sql (Programming Language)    11. Computers / Programming Languages / SQL    12. Database software    13. SQL   

Editorial Review

The newest edition of the classic Read more

Reviews (61)

A great introduction to the theory and practice of database design
This is one of the better books on the theory of database systems design. It is not meant to be a book on applications, rather it is a commonly used textbook in upper level undergraduate and graduate classes on the subject. However, this latest edition has reorganized the material somewhat and has added to its sections on XML and SQL in an attempt to show the theory through more real-world scenarios.
the database practitioner's bible
I suppose there are two potential audiences for an introductory database book. The first audience consists of developers who need to know the very basics about databases to design andimplement a database computer application. For that group I would recommend Date's book, but only upon having sufficient "computer science maturity": i.e. having taken one year of programming, and possibly a course in discrete mathematics and/or data structures and algorithms. Without this maturity much of what Date writes will be very hard to appreciate if not comprehend. True, he gives numerous examples that are quite understandable, but he also spends many paragraphs discussing somewhat abstract issues to the novice that will make him or her want to skip ahead. A good example of this is the notion of thinking of a table as the current value of a relvar, or the importance of closure in the relational algebra. The paragraphs he spends on these subtle importances will frustrate the uninitiated reader.
Best theoretical book on Database design ever!
I read this book for training as a senior DBA consultant and enjoyed CJ Date's excellent treatise on databases. This is the ultimate book on database theory. Like another reader commented its not how to get OCP/MCDBA whatever certifications but actually will make life better in the long run as a serious DBA pro. I now actually understand the basis of complex database topics such as cursors, data models, and concurrency/locking topics that previously are skimmed over in other books and training guides. Best book for a beginner and yeah its a bit dry and academic but CJ Date writes clearly. A MUST FOR SERIOUS COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Data Modeling & Design    5. Database Engineering    6. Database Management - General    7. Database management    8. Information Storage & Retrieval    9. Computer Software Packages    10. Computers / Data Modeling & Design    11. Databases & data structures   

Reviews (20)

Informative but steep learning curve
I needed this book for a class, but had not taken assembler yet.by halfway through the course I was so very very lost, I had to drop the class.Well I took Assembler and then retook the class and everything was crystal clear.Do yourself a favor and learn assembler (self or class) before you take computer architecture (or whatever uses this book) or you'll have a much harder time.That being said once you have an idea what's going on this is a very informative book.

Well Written
I used this textbook for a computer architecture course, and found it to be extremely well-written, clear, and fun to read.It contains a wealth of information, from a review of logic design to advanced topics such as pipelining.Every component is explained down to the level of gates and flip-flops, leaving no "black boxes," and allowing the reader to thoroughly understand the material.
Not all that good
This book contains a minimal amount of information required for a textbook for a computer architecture course.The book contains a tear out cardboard page with a very good summary of MIPS assembly language.This, unfortunately, is the most useful portion of the book.Most likely, teachers use it because it is written by P&H, and is cheaper than their book Computer Architecture: a quantitative approach.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Architecture - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Operating Systems - General    6. Computer architecture & logic design    7. Computers / Computer Architecture   

Reviews (11)

Excellent Book
The Chapters are really good and easily understandable. Point to be highlighted here is that the author has explained examples with SAP GUI Screen Shots. Great SD book for experienced consultants, too
I've been an SD functional consultant since 1993 and have recently started working on a very small project as the only SD consultant. Even though I've configured most aspects of SD, I haven't done it all, nor have I done it alone. Since I'm an independent consultant, this book has helped me to get a grasp of all that I need to do and what questions I need to pose to the client. This is the best SD book that I've seen - a definite keeper in my library.

First class guide to implementing SAP R/3 SD
This book is a First Class Guide in implementing the Sales and Distribution Module of SAP. This book is clear and concise. Covering topics from Organizational data to Pricing even LIS (Logistics Information System).Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computer programs    3. Computers    4. Computers - Other Applications    5. Database Management - General    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    7. Management    8. Marketing    9. Marketing - General    10. Physical distribution of goods    11. Sales management    12. Business information systems    13. Computer Software Packages    14. Computers / General    15. Distribution & warehousing management    16. Sales & marketing   

Reviews (14)

Not recommanded
This book is hard to read.The samples are difficult to follow. There is no coherent between chapters. It was a rush. Not recommanded.

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services
Over the years I have come to rely on my wrox books.Here is another good one outlining a new technology in an easy to follow and easy to find structure.One of the best things about this book is that you do not need to have any prior DTS experience as the new SSIS engine from SQL has been totally rebuilt and has very little in common with it's precursor.
Okay, but a little bit disappointing too
I bought this book and had a lot of expectations. 10 Writers were involved to write this book which covers a complete new software tool from Microsoft, introduced with the newly released SQL Server 2005 replacing the DTS Service of SQL Server 2000 and earlier Versions plus adding tons of new features to the enterprise Database Solution which were previously unavailable.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - SQL Server    6. Database management    7. Programming - Software Development    8. SQL server    9. Computer Software Packages    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (3)

Great book on programming new features
This book is clearly written and I feel it does a good job of covering the major new features of SQL Server 2005 well enough so you can get up to speed quickly and save enough time versus puzzling things out using just the online materials that come with SQL Server 2005 to easily justify the purchase price and reading time.A number of people with expertise in various aspects of SQL Server collaborated on this book, and the value of the information in each area reflects the depth of expertise.
great way to explore new features of sql server 2005 for professionals
i was looking forward for this title recently and i am happy to have read it finally. this title digs in deep in most of the subjects that i was not able to find out by myself with my sql server 2000 knowledge and helped me a lot while getting into the details of advanced olap and reporting services.
Great book!
Well, I have been digging into Andrew and Stephen's latest work for a few days now and have been very happy with the results. This book is comprehensive and covers the gambit of topics, including some favorites of mine such as T-SQL, XML, CLR integration, Service Broker, Integration Services, Reporting Services, SMO, and OLAP. Sure, I may be a geek for saying this, but I am looking forward to reading it cover to cover. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Client/server computing    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - General    6. Database management    7. Programming Languages - SQL    8. Relational Databases    9. Sql (Programming Language)    10. Computers / General   

Reviews (1)

Interfaces PC <<>> equipos de electromedicina
No es un libro relativamente nuevo, pero trata las bases de interface entre equipos medicos y computadores personales.Creo que en este libro podra hallar respuesta a sus preguntas. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - General Information    2. Computer interfaces    3. Computers - General Information    4. Data Modeling & Design    5. Detectors    6. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    7. IBM Personal Computer    8. Ibm Pc (Microcomputers)    9. Microcomputer Processing    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology    12. Data capture & analysis    13. Technology / Engineering / Electrical   

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 (14)

Words words and more words but little substance
I bought this book based on all the reviews posted on Amazon.com. I must say I was extremely disappointed. The book does not describe even a single machine learning algorithm adequately - no pseudocode, no mathematical description, and at the end of the day, no real understanding. If you are an analytically challenged manager who wants to pick up a bunch of buzzwords to throw around to impress your equally analytically challeged colleagues or customers who don't have a clue, this might be the book for you - a n overpriced, highly overrated "data mining for dummies". If you want to learn something about machine learning, well.. stick to books like Machine Learning by Tom Mitchell or Elements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Tibshirani, and Friedman.

Very helpful
The major virtue of this book is the emphasis on practical applications and bread-and-butter techniques for accomplishing tasks that one could expect in a business environment. That is not to say that these techniques could not be used in a scientific research environment. They indeed could be, and in fact may be even easier to implement due to the long time scales that are available in research environments for processing information. In the business world however data mining has proven to be an activity that gives a substantial competitive edge, and so many businesses are seeking even more sophisticated methods of data mining and Web mining. Data mining could easily be considered to a branch of artificial intelligence (AI), due to its emphasis on learning patterns and performing classification, and the learning and classification tools it uses were discovered by individuals who would describe themselves as being researchers in artificial intelligence. But many, and it is fair to include the authors of this book, do not want to view data mining as part of artificial intelligence, since the latter stirs up discussions on the origin of intelligence, autonomous robots, and conscious machines, to paraphrase a line from chapter 8 of this book. The authors make it a point to emphasize that data mining, or "machine learning" is concerned with the algorithms for the inference of structure from data and the validation of that structure.
Lucid
I'm surprisingly please with this book. I've been reading up on the topic and associated algorithms in other books for some time; I'm a software developer but don't have a statistics background, and so felt a lot of the texts were too focused on the math and the theory while being thin on content when it came to "rubber hitting the road", or even using clear, simple examples and straight-forward notation.
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Subjects:  1. Artificial Intelligence - General    2. Computer Books: Database    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Data mining    6. Database Management - Database Mining    7. Information Storage & Retrieval    8. Computers / Database Management / Data Mining    9. Databases & data structures   

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