Access 2000 for Busy People

Rating:
Summary: A Great Start
Review: I was directed to use this book when I took an online course to learn Access. I bought the book, through Amazon of course, and was glad that I did. It is extremely well designed and the writing and organization is clear and easy to understand. I would recommend this book as a perfect companion to the software program

Rating:
Summary: Great Book for Access Newbies!
Review: I was in great need of a book that would cut to the chase and teach me the BASICS about MS Access 2000. Most of all I wanted (or should I say had to) learn it quick due to a new position I accepted with a firm who expected me to know it. Alan R. Neibauer is a wonder author and teacher who gets away from the computer geek speak and explains in laymans terms. I am sold. Remember, this book is for BEGINNERS only. If you want some advanced or technical book, this is not it! However, after reading this "hands-on" book I am able to put together a database I can be proud of. Best of all, learning was fun! I am now pursuing a more technical access book/course and feel confident that I have a solid foundation. Thanks Alan!

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners...
Review: If it's your first time using Access, or you are not very comfortable with a computer, this is the perfect book for you! It is very colourful, easy to understand and read.
I would not recommend this for more advanced users. Myself being a Computer major in college, any book I can get is a good start for reference material, this turned out to be a high quality, though simple, desk reference. The most valuable tool for an advanced user, that I saw, is the fact that at the beginning of each chapter there are a couple pages that just list the location or commands used in preforming each of the exercises that the chapter goes into more tediously.
For as little as that book cost, It was worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Too superficial to be of any use
Review: This book is an insult to the reader's intelligence.

Essentially, it does nothing but read the menu for you and show you screenshots. The laziness of authors who can't be bothered to give real instruction, but simply point at the screen and say, "Gee, look at that!" is striking.

The level of database instruction is so shallow that, if it's all you need, you really should explore the functionality of Excel spreadsheets and VBA. This book does nothing to teach you the real power of a relational database application like Access.

Rating:
Summary: Good Starter Book
Review: Well-written, attractively and logically laid out. I especially like the "Fast Forward" section indexes. Easy to find what you are looking for, if contained in the book. I think it would be excellent for users with little or no previous database experience.

I ordered standard shipping just before Christmas. While the Neibauer book was enroute, I had already answered most of my own questions through MS Access Help, and my remaining questions were beyond the scope of the book. I would still recommend for beginners, and for learning Access architecture, and plan to keep it around for reference.