Recommended Access & VB Books

[OMoore]

Hi all,

After months of figuring access out the hard (and slow) way and posting frequent silly questions, I've decided to buy some books to help me along. I started as a newbie and have learned a lot from DIY and Tek-Tips.

From looking at this website and Amazon, I'm going to buy the following:

Access 2000 Developer's Handbook 2 Volume Set
and
Access 2000 VBA Handbook

Are these the books that everyone would recommend or are there better buys out there?

I want to make sure I getThanks,
Owen

 

[Rolliee]

I really like WROX and especially their book on Programming.


rollie@bwsys.net

 

[OMoore]

Rolliee....

Is the book - Beginning VB.Net by Richard Blair or Programming Microsoft Visual Basic .NET byFrancesco Balena?

I've found these on Amazon. From your point of view, why is it so good?

Owen

 

[Rolliee]

Owen,

I have found that manyof the books address the ACCESS processes that are associated with everything but actual programming. Each has it's own facet and does that facet well. I needed the overall vb techniques and they are hard to come by. For instance, DAO vs ADO. WORX admits that ADO has lots of advantages but... There are lots of '97 users out there and DAO is more usable at this point in their opinion. I believe that to be true also. We are in the trenches we need usable stuff, not flash and smoke. That may be a bit hard, but you asked. What you need is a good helper who knows ACCESS and you have it in Tek-Tips. You will never know how valuable it really is. Look at alal the examples you can find. They are out there. Let me blow the whistle for BilPowers. He has a site that has many examples. I have many many examples but mine are not as available as Bill's. Get yourself some people who will send you examples - if you wish me as one, email me.

rollie@bwsys.net

P.S. Work in the area of your greater interest and allow yourlself to be exposed to others.

 

[RoyVidar]

Hi!

Did a quick keyword search on recommended books here at TT. The question has been asked and answered before. Your first choice seems to pop up frequently in most threads. It's also my first choice (only have vol I desktop development)

thread702-431961, thread702-767181, thread707-731129, thread181-733629, thread181-596047

That said, choosing reference books is also about preferences. You'll need some programming skills to get full benefits out of Getz et al...

When I started programming, I used a book by Allison Balter, Mastering Access <version>... that fitted my needs at that time, but take the time to go to a bookstore having something to choose from, browsw a bit, compare... pick something you like, only ensure there are programming samples available (CD/website).

And as Rolliee also says, TT is quite a recourse. Use the Keyword search, there are a lot of treasures here;-)

ADO vs DAO - hmmm, since the introduction of ADO, there's some uncertainty concerning how long Microsoft is going to support DAO, so ensure the book(s) you're buing have good coverage of both (Getz et al has). Btw, here's one (of many) discussions on the topic thread1121-782286.

Roy-Vidar

 

[Vie]

Hi Owen,

I'm not as advanced as the other respondees to your thread but I appreciate your question. The Access Developers Handbook is a must-have. It doesn't start off from a beginner's standpoint but it covers topics that I haven't found anywhere else.

I also like Steven Roman's "Access Database Design and Programming" from O'Reilly. It's not a major tome on programming or design but his (more or less) general discussion of the topics of concern in Access databasing is really, really helpful. It's a book I go back to when my head starts spinning. Roman really understand his subject and conveys it well.

Also, it's not the greatest book in the world, but the "Using Access" 2002 (or whatever version you have) Special Edition from QUE is not a waste of money. It doesn't really teach you how to do things but it's fairly comprehensive and is a step above the built-in help files of Access (it's a lot like them).

Finally, for a tutorial, step-by-step book, I really like (though there are actually some errors in my edition) Access Programming by Example by Bob Villareal from QUE. It's much less expensive than the books above but he goes into some things that are really useful that aren't addressed in too many other books of its ilk and Villareal's way of explanning is more accessible than most (AND he doesn't assume you're a moron).

Good Luck!
Vie

 

[Vie]

Oh, also, I would add that unless you are designing databases that are going to be deployed using SQL Server, don't buy the two volume Access Developers Handbook Kit. The second volume, Access Enterprise Developers Handbook, is targeted for larger database applications. If that's not what you're doing, save the money and just get Access Developers Handbook.

Vie

 

[awinger]

Just dropped in and wondering about the Bill Powers (?) reference for some examples. Could you provide a URL for his site please? A search didn't yield anything relative for me.

Thanks,

Ray

 

[OMoore]

All,

Thanks very much for all your advice. I've ended up buying

Access 2000 Developer's Handbook 2 Volume Set
and
Access 2000 VBA Handbook

all by Getz et al..

Vie, I'm designing the database for deployment over a standard network, however, I found out during the week that the we will soon be getting an SQL server, so the second book may come in handy!

Rollie, Roy - I couldn't agree with you more - TT is the most valuable source for help. It is a fantastic website. But something that it doesn't generally give you and that has become glaringly obvious to me is my lack of underlying knowledge of Access and VB. I've seen with some of the threads I've started that the answer can be quite simple and that if I understood the method I was using a little more that I would have come to the correct answer sooner or that I would have been able to modify the answers in other threads to suit my application. For example, Littlesmudge has recommended I use Recordset instead of Dcount (see thread thread702-792986). I have never used recordset and barely know what it does. I need to start taking the good advice I'm getting on TT and be able to run with and develop it myself, not have to ask - well what is that - where do I use it etc. Once I'm pointed in the right direction by TT, a good book with descriptive examples should teach me what I need to know, so that if necessary I can come back to TT with an "educated" and relevant question. In my opinion this is what TT was created for, to help everyone, newbie's and programmers alike to help themselves, not to babysit and nurse. I've ended up going into a bit more detail here than I meant to!!

Rollie, thanks for the offer of help.

Thanks all,
Owen

 

[BoatingGirl]

Pardon me, OMoore, but I'd like to add a question to your thread.

I am new to programming/developing and I am getting my feet wet in Access 2002 (as a new job responsibility, WHEE!) and I have the Developer's Handbook desktop set. They are wonderful, I agree.

The problem that I am running into is that I don't understand VBA syntax or grammer. I am ok with copying the code out of the book when I need it, but I would like to understand what I'm doing so I can modify it and create my own when necessary. Does anyone have any suggestions for books that would give syntax definations?

I read the threads that RoyVidar posted, but I haven't found one that spoke to this question.

Thank you for your help in advance!

~Boating Girl

 

[MinnKota]

I have found the Developer's Handbooks a valuable resource, but they are not for everyone. I have also used the Access for dummies book (which is an excellent book for beginners).

So the Developer's Handbooks are a good advanced-level set, and Access for Dummies is a good for beginners, BUT I have yet to find a satisfactory intermediate level text.