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Summary: This Book is GREAT
Review: Excellent coverage area on build enterprise database app with VB6
I think this is a must have for DB programming developer
and every source code is working !!!!
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Summary: The Best Book I have on ANY Topic
Review: I have been programming Access/VB/SQL Server Database for 3 years. I read this book and realized how much I didn't know. Mosts books I have purchased end up gathering dust or serve as a quick reference or code sampler. This book went far beyond that in covering topics and conceptial design issues I have not seen in any other books. Finally it uses examples that as an industry programmer, I can relate to. Its case study at the end will walk you through setting up an e-commerse web sight using MTS, ASP, and SQL Server. Excellent, Relevant choice of examples.
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Summary: More approachable than its "Beginning VB 6 Database" sibling
Review: I have read both this book and its series "predecessor" by John Connell, starting with Connell. While there is considerable overlap between the two, as other reviewers here have remarked, I'd choose this one if I were only to buy one book. Not that Connell is not a good book; it's just that I found this one more readable where it covered the same material. The "Professional" appellation should not frighten off beginning to intermediate readers, nor convince them that they must start with the "Beginning" title first.After reading the introductory, "basics" chapters of this book I came away with a much better understanding of such things as connection strings, ADO objects, and basic SQL syntax than after reading the Connell book. My major gripe about many programming books--and I have been devouring them in bulk over the last two years--is that they often launch into code examples without adequately and systematically explaining the various methodologies involved. For instance, I don't think I have ever read elsewhere a better overview of the ADO Object Model (Chapter 7)--it's well done because it's covered in an organized and systematic fashion that is appropriate for this book's target audience (the intermediate programmer who might be new to some of the technologies presented here but who is not to programming per se) rather than as a chaotic catalog of example after example--though there are plenty of those as well where appropriate. Great content aside, another niggling gripe I have with this and other programming books, perhaps more often with Wrox (maybe it's just a sample error because I read more of them,) is the presence of annoying grammatical errors. If only someone could teach the editors (are they awake out there?) how to use semicolons, because sentences smash into each other like minivans at the supermarket with irritating regularity. The copy editors, who are supposed to fix typos, also must be asleep at the switch. We are entitled to expect better from a forty-dollar book. But just grit your teeth and focus on the content. In short, if you already know something about SQL, database design, and VB, but need help making them all work together, I think this one is the ONE you should buy if you can only buy one.
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Summary: Excellent Single Source For SQL Server Programming
Review: I wrote this review on 06/19/2000. Now I'm an official .Net programmer. To those who are not "Classic VB" mavens, but have to write code in it, this is one of two books that are a must. The second is Balena's "Programming Visual Basic 6.0" by MS-Press. If it's done in VB, Balena shows you how and why. Plus it has the book on the CD. This book + Belan's = success in VB 6.0. (Original Comments:)
I've been a programmer long enough to know that no one book could "have it all." First the plusses. The book is well organized and very readable. The section on normalization is most understandable that I have encountered. I've done three-tier applications the hard way - UNIX, and I've never tackled a WEB project before. Now I am confident that I can tackle an "n-tiered" application with the Microsoft DNA without embarrassing myself. This book has armed with me the "Hello, world!"'s that are necessary to get some real work done. The minuses are not show stoppers. Wrox doesn't have a CD so you have to download and unzip the source code. There are some typos in the samples. And, I hate to get picky on semantics, "Professional" programmers avoid data controls. Most text books use data controls, but a rookie should know that they are never acceptable in a production program. At best, we use them for "proof of concepts" and, sometimes, to build cut-and-paste code. Finally, if you're looking for help using VB 6's Data Access Tools with Oracle, this book will be of minimal value. For Oracle, the best book - the only book, as far as I know, is "Oracle Programming With Visual Basic" by Snowdon. It's VB 5 oriented, but it is useful.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Single Source For SQL Server Programming
Review: I wrote this review on 06/19/2000. Now I'm an official .Net programmer. To those who are not "Classic VB" mavens, but have to write code in it, this is one of two books that are a must. The second is Balena's "Programming Visual Basic 6.0" by MS-Press. If it's done in VB, Balena shows you how and why. Plus it has the book on the CD. This book + Belan's = success in VB 6.0. (Original Comments:)
I've been a programmer long enough to know that no one book could "have it all." First the plusses. The book is well organized and very readable. The section on normalization is most understandable that I have encountered. I've done three-tier applications the hard way - UNIX, and I've never tackled a WEB project before. Now I am confident that I can tackle an "n-tiered" application with the Microsoft DNA without embarrassing myself. This book has armed with me the "Hello, world!"'s that are necessary to get some real work done. The minuses are not show stoppers. Wrox doesn't have a CD so you have to download and unzip the source code. There are some typos in the samples. And, I hate to get picky on semantics, "Professional" programmers avoid data controls. Most text books use data controls, but a rookie should know that they are never acceptable in a production program. At best, we use them for "proof of concepts" and, sometimes, to build cut-and-paste code. Finally, if you're looking for help using VB 6's Data Access Tools with Oracle, this book will be of minimal value. For Oracle, the best book - the only book, as far as I know, is "Oracle Programming With Visual Basic" by Snowdon. It's VB 5 oriented, but it is useful.
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Summary: Good overall/recap of VB and data access
Review: If you are looking to get overall information about how to use databases with Visual Basic 6, go for it. If you already have experience on working with VB for n-tier applications and knows ADO pretty well, look elsewhere. This book covers a great deal of material, thus going over some details of them. This book is good for beginners to intermediate people that wants to have quick solutions. For the others, for example, if you are looking for a better implementation of n-tier or to pass data between components; you will have some information in this book but I would suggest the Visual Basic 6 Business Objects and VB6 Distributed Objects, both from Wrox, to get a full coverage on the subject. Overall, this book is good for VB/Data starters.
Rating:
Summary: Good overall/recap of VB and data access
Review: If you are looking to get overall information about how to use databases with Visual Basic 6, go for it. If you already have experience on working with VB for n-tier applications and knows ADO pretty well, look elsewhere. This book covers a great deal of material, thus going over some details of them. This book is good for beginners to intermediate people that wants to have quick solutions. For the others, for example, if you are looking for a better implementation of n-tier or to pass data between components; you will have some information in this book but I would suggest the Visual Basic 6 Business Objects and VB6 Distributed Objects, both from Wrox, to get a full coverage on the subject. Overall, this book is good for VB/Data starters.
Rating:
Summary: A Rather Helpful Addition to the Library
Review: This book does help resolve issues encountered when developing VB6 database apps. While the depth in the examples sometimes leads to some hardcore trial-and-error time, at least you come out of it pointed in a productive direction. I'm working through this book cover to cover, and learning more from it than I have from my entire VB collection. VB-dB programming is my main interest, and this book is the very best I've seen.
Rating:
Summary: A Rather Helpful Addition to the Library
Review: This book does help resolve issues encountered when developing VB6 database apps. While the depth in the examples sometimes leads to some hardcore trial-and-error time, at least you come out of it pointed in a productive direction. I'm working through this book cover to cover, and learning more from it than I have from my entire VB collection. VB-dB programming is my main interest, and this book is the very best I've seen.
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Summary: Excellent programming by example guide
Review: This book is excellent for experienced programmers looking for a "how to guide". The examples follow a logical flow and are explained in detail. Experienced programmers will find this an excellent guide in translating their functional understanding of another programming language into the functions available in VB6. I especially like the way that the author offers more than one way to accomplish the same task. Database application programmers could not ask for a better program by example guide then this book. I have purchased several books on VB6 and have been disappointed with the layout, explanations, or scope. This book is exactly as advertised. This is truly a programmer to programmer book.
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