Rating: 
Summary: A work of art...
Review: I've only had this book a day and I've already used it a half dozen times. The index is great, the material is well-organized, and the diction is concise and to the point. I doubt if I'll ever have the time to read it cover-to-cover, but that's not why I bought it - I needed a comprehensive working reference that covers some of the more esoteric topics (I'm a database analyst) - this book fills that role exceptionally well.I would not, however, recommend this to a complete novice - Sybase correctly rates it as Intermediate/Advanced.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the money
Review: This book paid for itself in the first week. The time it has saved me with it's well organized index, intelligent layout, and source code examples makes this my only Access97 Desktop reference. If your already an Access developer, or if you want to be one, buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing New
Review: Did not do much of a job for the money. Alot of information that when presented in the format that it is does not help build an application. I refer to it every so often when looking for specific information.
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Summary: Excellent reference material! Must for serious developers!
Review: I teach Access at a local university and do development work for some businesses. I purchased this book based on the reviews. I was not disappointed. The authors cover almost everything you would need to know about Access. While it is not a tutorial, the explanations should be adequate even for beginners. The authors do assume that you know something about Visual basic and Access. If that is not the case, you'll still want this book but get something like Visual Basic in Record Time and/or Beginning Access VBA Programming to get you started. This book will carry you through practical problems in your development work. If you have never used a database before, you might want to get a beginning book on Access also. This book is perfect for its intended audience - Access developers. Kudos!
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Summary: The BEST Access book ever!
Review: This book is a must have for Access developers! How did I live without it? The book is clearly marked on the back "intermediate/advanced" and the authors assume you understand the basic concepts of relational databases and programming. If you don't, this book may be over your head, but if you know something about Access and coding, you'll wonder how you lived without it. Unlike other books on Access, like "Mastering Access 97 Development", this book doesn't waste your time with beginner level stuff. It is called "Developers Handbook" because it is truly written for developers. You won't have to read the first 200 pages before you learn something--you'll start learning on page one and never stop. To the authors, thanks for a great book! I can't wait for the 2000 edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Bizzare, random organization
Review: Here's how this book was written: Three engineers meet in a bar, decide to make a mint writing an Access book, jot down some chapter titles on the back of a cocktail napkin, tear the napkin into pieces, and divide the pieces amongst themselves. They then spend a couple of months in isolation chambers writing their chapters. Lastly they meet back at the bar, drop their bits of napkin into a hat, and draw again to determine the table of contents for their new book. Perhaps you can find a better explanation for this book that does not involve aliens or Elvis. Following the obligatory what's-new-in-the-latest-version chapter, the first real chapter presents an exhaustive laundry-list of form and control events, all without any discussion of forms or controls. (Recognizing this, the author of this chapter does refer you ambiguously elsewhere within the book should you require some background. Forms and controls won't be discussed for a few hundred pages yet.) OK, fine. The book is a reference, right? You are supposed to know the basics already, and this organization helps nail the details. The next chapter is on writing VBA classes. No reference organization here, it's a chatty tutorial on a concept. That there is no discussion prior to this on the basics of VB, so presumably you've already read the Microsoft documentation on VB. Unfortunately, if you read "Programming With Objects" in the Programmer's Guide, you already read a better presentation than this. Finally chapter 4 gives an introduction to relational databases. Why did we get this basic chapter after the catalogue of events reference and an intermediate tutorial on VB classes? Random selection and isolation chambers. There are 20 more chapters to go, and I suspect there are some gems in there, but I hope there is a better reference and/or advanced tips book than this. For learning this material from scratch you're much better off with Alison Balter's "Mastering Access 97 Development
Rating:
Summary: All you need
Review: Anyone who wants to develop applications for Access 97 need only get this book. It covers everything you need to know, has a comprehensive CD of examples and addins, and can either get you started, or serve as an excellent, excellent reference.
Rating:
Summary: A constant , if weak,companion
Review: Even if you are, like me, struggling to make sense of the complexities of Access, don't be daunted by the Developer tag in the title. This book contains nuggets of pure gold for all levels of user. The authors make it as comprehensible as possible with their straightforward explanations. They eschew the bloated self-regarding style of certain other Access "gurus" who write hundreds of pages on useless topics like naming conventions - instead they give useful practical help to those solving database problems in the real world. The one drawback is that the book itself is so thick that the binding soon collapses through constant usage - let's have a hardback edition!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on Access
Review: Everything you ever wanted to know about acces
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely a must have if you program in Access 97 VBA
Review: This text offered exactly what I needed: a thorough treatment of programming in Access 97 VBA. It covers in depth the subtleties that other texts miss: a wide range of SQL examples, handling quotes in where clauses, specific explanations of properties and methods of different toolbox controls, where to optimize and at what cost, control creation, automation, along with other topics, including a CD with plenty of sample source code and permission to use. I also recommend Ken Getz and Mike Gilbert's VBA Developer's Handbook. Their explanation of possible rounding errors when using the different number types is critical in my job.
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