Rating: 
Summary: Do not buy this book unless you like to suffer.
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN:1591133343)I have been purchasing Alison Balter's Access development books since the Access 97 version, and I have never been disappointed. This book contains a great deal of technical information, but that is not its strongest point. What distinguishes Ms. Balter from so many Access development authors is that she considers the subject from a business application development perspective. You won't find chapters full of irrelevant exercises. Almost everything in this book can be put to immediate use. I wish that Ms. Balter would branch out into some other development platforms. I would be like to see what she could do with VB.net or C++ development.
Rating: 
Summary: The best book for power users and novice developers!
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN:1591133343) I have been purchasing Alison Balter's Access development books since the Access 97 version, and I have never been disappointed. This book contains a great deal of technical information, but that is not its strongest point. What distinguishes Ms. Balter from so many Access development authors is that she considers the subject from a business application development perspective. You won't find chapters full of irrelevant exercises. Almost everything in this book can be put to immediate use. I wish that Ms. Balter would branch out into some other development platforms. I would be like to see what she could do with VB.net or C++ development.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reading - Good Reference
Review: A great compilation of technical information and suggestions for development on Access 2002. Unlike most references, this one follows in sequence, and most importantly covers the topic in depth without assuming some key point. I look forward to the Enterprise development book.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for anyone who wants to advance Access skills!
Review: A really helpful book- took my Access knowledge to the "next level". This book helped me develop my career as an access advanced user . Book provides the knowledge to perform routines that would seen otherwise impossible in addition to just some really cool things in Access/VB. The book is easy to read and while the examples take some time to grasp they are easy to apply to real life databases. The book serves as a reference at work and home study guide. I absolutely recommend it for anyone who would like to become an "Access Master"
Rating:
Summary: Great book for anyone who wants to advance Access skills!
Review: A really helpful book- took my Access knowledge to the "next level". This book helped me develop my career as an access advanced user . Book provides the knowledge to perform routines that would seen otherwise impossible in addition to just some really cool things in Access/VB. The book is easy to read and while the examples take some time to grasp they are easy to apply to real life databases. The book serves as a reference at work and home study guide. I absolutely recommend it for anyone who would like to become an "Access Master"
Rating:
Summary: Great book for anyone who wants to advance Access skills!
Review: A really helpful book- took my Access knowledge to the "next level". This book helped me develop my career as an access advanced user . Book provides the knowledge to perform routines that would seen otherwise impossible in addition to just some really cool things in Access/VB. The book is easy to read and while the examples take some time to grasp they are easy to apply to real life databases. The book serves as a reference at work and home study guide. I absolutely recommend it for anyone who would like to become an "Access Master"
Rating:
Summary: No info on macros? Incomplete book!
Review: After devoting 40 pages to how to build a table, and 42 pages to how to build a query (yawn) the author decides to completely ignore the topic of macros. When introducing VBA, she spends 3 pages explaining why she feels developing in modules is superior than using macros. While some of her points are valid (and others are not) it is still WRONG to write a 1300 page book on a program and ignore one of the more important tasks in the program. Macros are more easily understood by users who have to work with the database day in and day out. If you are developing small applications to be used by small numbers of people who are familiar with Access, macros are easier for them to understand than VBA code. Macros can run a series of queries in a specific order to create new tables, update records, etc. They can automate tasks for users, and users like them because they can understand them. I can't believe this book was even printed without this information. Balter's editors should have dragged her to a dark alleyway to make it clear that in spite of her personal bias against them, customers of this book deserve to have information on macros included in the text. The rest of the book may be decent - but this glaring hole in the information is unforgiveable.
Rating:
Summary: No info on macros? Incomplete book!
Review: After devoting 40 pages to how to build a table, and 42 pages to how to build a query (yawn) the author decides to completely ignore the topic of macros. When introducing VBA, she spends 3 pages explaining why she feels developing in modules is superior than using macros. While some of her points are valid (and others are not) it is still WRONG to write a 1300 page book on a program and ignore one of the more important tasks in the program. Macros are more easily understood by users who have to work with the database day in and day out. If you are developing small applications to be used by small numbers of people who are familiar with Access, macros are easier for them to understand than VBA code. Macros can run a series of queries in a specific order to create new tables, update records, etc. They can automate tasks for users, and users like them because they can understand them. I can't believe this book was even printed without this information. Balter's editors should have dragged her to a dark alleyway to make it clear that in spite of her personal bias against them, customers of this book deserve to have information on macros included in the text. The rest of the book may be decent - but this glaring hole in the information is unforgiveable.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, readable technical presentation
Review: Although numerous texts exist to train users in the use of wizards and the creation of simple forms and reports and other books exist for the experienced programmer, no publication bridges the gap between these two as well as this publication. Its uniqueness rests in the fact that it instructs the reader in the advanced nuances of queries, forms and reports and leads you into the world of VBA programming. The book is replete with VBA examples, ranging from simple one-liners to more complex code. As a VBA developer, this book is a great reference for many of the not-so-common tasks that I need to accomplish. I'm anxiously looking forward to Alison's next publication, the companion book for Enterprise Development, which will address in detail many of the newer feature of Access 2002 (e.g. XML).
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this
Review: Consider yourself an Access expert? Open this book to any random page and chances are you will find a tidbit of information that will force you to re-think that assessment of yourself. Alison Balter has distilled several books' worth of ideas into this one comprehensive volume. Particularly useful are Ms. Balter's advice and tips; the chapters covering advanced design of forms, reports, and queries; debugging and error handling advice; and a wonderful section on enterprise/multiuser applications. Descriptions and examples are well presented, succinct and clear. The included CD is filled with example database files that perfectly complement the ideas in the book. A strongly recommended book. I await Ms. Balter's next writing effort - the line forms here.
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