Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for the Experienced VB Database Developer!
Review: "Serious ADO" is written by Rob Macdonald, an independent software expert specializing in enterprise system design using Windows, COM(+), ADO, and MTS. The book is based on the authors real world database development experience. It is designed for intermediate to advanced Visual Basic developers. The book teaches how to use ADO to build component-based systems and web applications as well as traditional client server systems.The first part of the book is titled "ADO In Depth". It provides detailed coverage of ADO's components and how they work. Real world code examples are provided for better understanding of all concepts. Oracle and SQL Server are covered, including the major non-traditional data sources. Key concepts such as locking, transactions, connection pooling, and marshalling are covered. Part two is titled "ADO at Large". It explains how ADO is used in real world scenarios. Topics include advanced user interface creation, binding processes, Data Environment, and Microsoft Transaction Server. It shows how to use ADO to build components that benefit from MTS and COM+. If you are an intermediate to experienced Visual Basic database developer, then this book is a must.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the Experienced VB Database Developer!
Review: "Serious ADO" is written by Rob Macdonald, an independent software expert specializing in enterprise system design using Windows, COM(+), ADO, and MTS. The book is based on the authors real world database development experience. It is designed for intermediate to advanced Visual Basic developers. The book teaches how to use ADO to build component-based systems and web applications as well as traditional client server systems. The first part of the book is titled "ADO In Depth". It provides detailed coverage of ADO's components and how they work. Real world code examples are provided for better understanding of all concepts. Oracle and SQL Server are covered, including the major non-traditional data sources. Key concepts such as locking, transactions, connection pooling, and marshalling are covered. Part two is titled "ADO at Large". It explains how ADO is used in real world scenarios. Topics include advanced user interface creation, binding processes, Data Environment, and Microsoft Transaction Server. It shows how to use ADO to build components that benefit from MTS and COM+. If you are an intermediate to experienced Visual Basic database developer, then this book is a must.
Rating:
Summary: Just Plain AWESOME!
Review: As a developer I am in constant search of new and better ways to write web apps. This book will demonstrate and explain how to harness the power of ADO. Though it is not for the beginner, anyone with a solid foundation of ADO can run with this. The book is well organized, to the point, and very detailed. It also includes a cd with tons of cool code to play with! EXCELLENT!
Rating:
Summary: My bookshelf loves this book
Review: because here is one ADO text that replaces 5 ADO books with a red spine. Having spent months trying to get my head round ADO, I have finally succeeded thanks to Serious ADO. It has explained everything I needed to know, and some things I had previously ignored. I love the layout - and the content - so full marks all round
Rating: 
Summary: Not as approachable as I had hoped
Review: His ideas are good, but to understand them requires some work on your part. They didn't even bother to use the type of font and layout that you would expect from a textbook, thereby leaving you with the feeling that you're reading something that's just been typed in a hurry and you can't wait for the book! I think this book is best suited for the person who is already an expert (or nearly one) and wants to get a "black belt" in ADO programming for use in some of the more hard core projects out there.
Rating:
Summary: Not as approachable as I had hoped
Review: His ideas are good, but to understand them requires some work on your part. They didn't even bother to use the type of font and layout that you would expect from a textbook, thereby leaving you with the feeling that you're reading something that's just been typed in a hurry and you can't wait for the book! I think this book is best suited for the person who is already an expert (or nearly one) and wants to get a "black belt" in ADO programming for use in some of the more hard core projects out there.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book -- readable and informative
Review: I am NOT a full-time coder, just a guy who has to hack out some VBScript Active Server Pages for my Web site a few times a year. I'd been meaning to figure out how to hook up ASP pages to some kind of database so I picked up a few books on ADO (I'm not ready for ADO.NET yet, sigh). Now, my momma always told me, "if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all," so I've refrained from awarding the other books the zero-star reviews that they need so desperately. But I want to give MacDonald the five stars he deserves. Nearly anyone can, with enough work, understand a complex technical topic. A far smaller number can then explain that to others in a complete fashion. Fewer still can explain it in an engaging way, as it's hard to inject an author's "voice" into a text without adding too MUCH of that voice (which can be irritating) while at the same time not injecting too LITTLE of that voice (which makes the text read like a VCR manual). MacDonald is one of those who can do that. Grumbles? Well, I guess I wish that he'd re-write the book to suit just MY needs, and focus only on VBScript on Active Server Pages... but I'm kidding, I know that'd be a much smaller market. If you want to understand ADO, then I can't recommend Rob's book highly enough. Thank you, Mr. MacDonald.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book -- readable and informative
Review: I am NOT a full-time coder, just a guy who has to hack out some VBScript Active Server Pages for my Web site a few times a year. I'd been meaning to figure out how to hook up ASP pages to some kind of database so I picked up a few books on ADO (I'm not ready for ADO.NET yet, sigh). Now, my momma always told me, "if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all," so I've refrained from awarding the other books the zero-star reviews that they need so desperately. But I want to give MacDonald the five stars he deserves. Nearly anyone can, with enough work, understand a complex technical topic. A far smaller number can then explain that to others in a complete fashion. Fewer still can explain it in an engaging way, as it's hard to inject an author's "voice" into a text without adding too MUCH of that voice (which can be irritating) while at the same time not injecting too LITTLE of that voice (which makes the text read like a VCR manual). MacDonald is one of those who can do that. Grumbles? Well, I guess I wish that he'd re-write the book to suit just MY needs, and focus only on VBScript on Active Server Pages... but I'm kidding, I know that'd be a much smaller market. If you want to understand ADO, then I can't recommend Rob's book highly enough. Thank you, Mr. MacDonald.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to getting the best out of ADO
Review: I found this book an approachable, clearly presented and thorough guide to using ADO. A strength of this book is the way in which it give the reader an understanding of how ADO works 'under the covers' and the consequences of different design decisions. The author presents a balanced view of the technology, clearly explaining the benefits and power of ADO while never succumbing to the somewhat sycophantic attitude towards Microsoft that can be found in some other books. Not, perhaps, an ideal book for those new to working with databases, but if you are looking to understand how ADO really works and make best use of it in your applications then this book comes highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Best ADO book ever!!!
Review: I haven't finished the book yet, but every page that I read, brings more knowledge than the last. Very informative, to the point, and in-depth. Not for the beginner, but for a VB developer that is very familiar with the basics of ADO. I have paged through many ADO reference books that are completely unapproachable and confusing at best. Books like that are worthless. There are many wonderful features to ADO which are unlocked with this fantastic book. Also, tons of cool code to play with!
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