Rating: 
Summary: Don't bet on the Beta
Review: Sadly, this book seems to have been based on beta code from MX 2004, not the finished product. I'm just speculating on that, but there are instances of examples that run perfectly under the Beta -- but not what's being sold in the production release.However, MOST of it's right, and if you just can't wait, at the risk of making a few mistakes, buy it. It's really quite a good book, but an example of coming in second by being the first out of the gate.
Rating: 
Summary: Very limited, useless and shallow book
Review: There are not enough words to express how dissapointed I am about this book. It doesn't show even basic database features like how to show a one to many relationship in the same web page using list boxes or drop down lists! Many chapters simply repeat the same material: how to run the wizard to create a page that manages a single (underscore single) table record. The author has been ironic enough to show a multiple table database layout (ERD), and then not creating a single page that is able to manage more than one table! The only list boxes used are filled by hand, not dynamically from a database! Was the name of the book Dreamweaver and Databases? Save your money, go for the online help files in the macromedia web site. I got misled by the high ratings this book got here. Don't make the same mistake. Can I get my money back?
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Resource for Making the Leap from Static to Dynami
Review: This book is a great starting point for web developers who may have been a bit hesitant to move into dynamic database-driven sites. Written for at least moderately experienced developers, the book doesn't waste time with too much 'catch up' information and definitions. Instead, from the first pages, the author gives you the necessary information to roll your sleeves up and start working. The book is written in a friendly voice and style that doesn't make the subject matter seem overly difficult or intimidating. That's not to say that the book is watered-down. It covers a great deal of complex material and presents solid hands on projects for readers to develop. The author was just smart enough to skew his writing to his primary audience and not write over or under them. Although one of the book's strengths is the breadth of platforms covered it's also one of its weaknesses. After consuming this book most developers who want to focus on dynamic sites will choose one platform to focus their efforts on and in the future will look to more specialized books. This book gives you enough info on each of the platforms to cover your bases but no one book can cover everything for every platform. However, for those like myself, who like to have a solid all-around knowledge because of different client needs and demands, this book is going to be an excellent resource that I envision being referenced again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Hands on guide for new Dynamic Application Developer
Review: `To know how to do something is to enjoy it", this was said by the Nobel laureate Pearl Buck. This line I found in the introduction pages of the book before going through the book. This really impressed me as I also have same thoughts about learning, hence moved ahead and enjoyed reading through these pages. The author has written the book in a very interactive way and the best thing is that he is himself a developer, hence has hands on experience of developing the Applications and also is aware of the pitfalls one falls into. So at every point he even advises about such problems. The book is truly a very easy learning path for the beginners. If you have thorough knowledge of Dreamweaver and have worked on earlier version i.e. Dreamweaver MX and are new to Databases, then this is a perfect book. All new and complicated topics related to Dynamic Applications, Database management etc has been taken in a very systematic and easy to understand way. The topics are explained in point form step by step and then the related exercise is given, so that the reader does them and keep learning about them. The book has everything that a beginner would need for developing Dynamic Application, starting from choosing the right tool, to understanding the backend processes involved in the Database-Driven Applications etc. The book also helps you in planning your Application development and explains the Security issue your application would need. All the major technical issues like Building Database for Dynamic Applications and Web Applications, has been very well explained and in a very interactive way. You can begin the actual hands-on process of using Dreamweaver MX 2004, Access, and ASP.NET to build an intranet and, later, SQL Server and ColdFusion to build an organizational Web site. Author has also included all of the code and other information necessary to build the book's demo applications. Conclusively I strongly think this book is a great starting point for web developers who may have been a bit hesitant to move into dynamic database-driven sites. Written for at least moderately experienced developers, the book doesn't waste time with too much 'catch up' information and definitions. This book is going to be an excellent resource that I envision being referenced again and again. Categorically I find the last chapter, which will help you in building your online catalog so that you are engaged in E Commerce. All difficult topics are explained in an easy way.
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