Rating: 
Summary: You'll end up wanting more
Review: In addition to DAO and ADO, John Connel's book introduced me to the fundamentals of SQL, essential in programming databases. I wanted more of it. It also taught me the basics of HTML for creating web pages. Again I wanted more. Sprinkle HTML scripts with Visual Basic codes and you get an active server page (.asp) and as you may have guessed, I wanted more of it. I got to create the basics of my own home page. The book introduced me to Dr. Quinlan's ID3 algorithmm, but I wish I know more about it. After reading the whole book, I ended up wishing I know more about OLE DB, the ADO interface and its objects (Connection, Command, Parameter, Recordset, and Field objects) and their methods and properties, including the ADO Collection. Still and all, I'll give the book five stars. It gave me more than my money's worth. But I must warn you: you may end up wanting more.
Rating: 
Summary: Much chaff; very little wheat.
Review: If C/C++ programmers need any more reasons to dislike VB, this book will provide one. It's incredibly wordy and repetitious - I really believe the author was paid by the word. I've read introductory books on other languages with no complaints, but this is different. I don't need to be repeatedly re-assured that setting property values in design mode means I'm a real programmer. Wading through page after page of BS trying to glean bits of truly useful information got so frustrating that I finally gave up and stuck with on-line docs.I really don't understand how this book came to be so raved over. Petzold it's not, that's for sure. I can't help but think that if the author had stuck strictly to disseminating technical information in a concise manner ( a la Petzold, for instance) that the information in these 800+ pages could have been contained in a 20 page pamphlet.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent starting point for VB database programming
Review: If you want to start programming with VB and Access this is the book to have. John Connel has an excellent writing style and keeps you interested from start to finish. You can not go wrong with this book or any Wrox book for that matter, I have 4 Wrox books and find them to be of the best standard.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for VB beginners
Review: I read this book (all 800 + pages) in a day and a half and agree with many of the reviews that have given it a high rating. It provides a great introduction to programmers starting off with VB and/or databases. However, I held off giving it a 5 star rating for the following reasons: 1. There are several mistakes in the code that one downloads from the site 2. The approach taken to data validation is not ideal, since it relies on validation being placed in the user interface code. What if the UI programmer doesn't know what validation rules to apply? Better is the approach suggested in another excellent book by Wrox, Professional VB 5 Business Objects 3. The illustration of parent / child database relationships is very superficial and may lead new programmers into quite a few traps: e.g. should the user be allowed to save a parent record (e.g. Order) without any child records (OrderDetails)? Sometimes this won't make sense, as in an order without any orderdetails. Should the user be allowed to delete all child records for a parent? See the Professional VB 5 Business Objects book for one possible approach. However, congratulations for a very good book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Beginers Book
Review: This book is written very well however it lacks information about connecting to other databases besides Access. Writing SQL for an Oracle database is not discussed at all. Transactional is covered but not in the depth that one would hope. Overall it is a good starting point.
Rating:
Summary: Dense Packed Real World Learning
Review: From page 1 through to the end, John Connell knows how to hold a programmers attention. His attention to detail, understanding what is important, and conveying this in a meaningful way is his epertise. I am pleasantly surprised with this book. The writing style is real world but extremely friendly. I can see why so many people gave this a 5 star review. As technical books go, this is one of the very best.
Rating:
Summary: More than meets the eye
Review: There is so much information here that I have not read about before I dont know where to start. These 100+ reviewers cover the contents pretty well. I can see why this is a best seller. My vote is only a drop in the ocean here, but I just wanted to say this is probably the best computer programming book Ive read (and I program in C, C++, and even PAscal). Connell knows his stuff and it shows. Pick this up and see for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: VB stands for VerBose?
Review: Eight hundred and sixty one pages! Dozens of these devotedto leading you down blind alleys so ol' John can impress you with howclever Microsoft is. "Yup, normally you'd have to do it that way, but Guess What! Gee whiz, that devil Microsoft has up and gone and become aware of the existence of databases, and, ya know, they've put some of this stuff in VB6. Why, I remember when..." This sort of tripe is what the author depends on to make you properly appreciative of the power that the exalted ones at Microsoft are allowing you, a lowly VB programmer, to have access to. Connell is still geek starry-eyed about the fact that database programs actually exist. Wow! He writes 'Wow!" probably still in his starched pin-striped pajamas. So much for the form. As to the matter, if what you need is to gain access to the contents of an Access database, then this book'll do it for you. In more ways than enough. If you want to create a database in VB he'll show you that too. However, if you want to actually put data in the database by using VB6, then friends, you're out of luck, 'cos the only way ol' John knows is to use the API. Even then, he's not too sure its going to work! Apparently WROX would prefer a Rah!, Rah! Microsoft enthusiast to someone who can effectively transmit information...
Rating:
Summary: Good for beginners
Review: If you are beginner in Database Programming, This book is the best for you.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and a fun read
Review: I never thought I'd say this about any technical book - but this was a joy to read. The book started out good and just got better as I progressed. Not only does Connell cover db design, normalization, cursors, connections, and the ADO Object Model, butI found helpful code and professional insights on user interfaces, ActiveX controls, web design, DAO, DLLs, SQL, automation, and much more. Mr. Connell weaves these terms with precision and clearity like no one I've read. So, for what it's worth, I highly recommend this. After reading this particular book, I really feed that the light has come on. All of these disparate technologies have been elegantly tied together so even I can understand them. You will find production ready, professional code and advice here. This book is good for professional developers and beginners alike - there is something for everyone to learn.
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