Rating: 
Summary: A really great investment...
Review: As a mainframe database programmer who has recently switched to client server environment, I found this book extremely useful and easy to understand. Adamski uses practical applications, exercises, reviews and thoughtful questionnaires to guide you through the course. Your introduction to object oriented programming is well handled and is easy for even the novice to understand. The work modules/examples that accompany the books are obtainable free of charge from the Internet.As you work your way through the examples that Adamski provides, you constantly re-enforcing your knowledge by repeating the same steps and learn new techniques(as you go along), so that each operation becomes second nature. By the time you have finish working your way through the book, you will be able to look at any form, query, report, or table and understand clearly, the steps that were involved in putting the application together. The book has helped me immensely in my day to day professional life. If only other authors could get their ideas across as Adamski can. He is really to be commended for this book.
Rating:
Summary: A really great investment...
Review: I bought the Access 97 version and thought it was fantastic. However, ensure you can get your student disks/files before investing your money. I received my "student" disks/files because I asked for them, and Course Technology was very apprehensive to email them. Course Technology reluctantly zipped them and emailed them to me. Not all files were available on their web site. The bottom line is, if you cannot get the student disks/files, don't buy the book, because the case studies are essential in learning from this book. If you can get the files, you will have made the best investment in learning through this tutorial.
Rating:
Summary: Access 97 - Comprehensive and Enhanced
Review: I bought the Access 97 version and thought it was fantastic. However, ensure you can get your student disks/files before investing your money. I received my "student" disks/files because I asked for them, and Course Technology was very apprehensive to email them. Course Technology reluctantly zipped them and emailed them to me. Not all files were available on their web site. The bottom line is, if you cannot get the student disks/files, don't buy the book, because the case studies are essential in learning from this book. If you can get the files, you will have made the best investment in learning through this tutorial.
Rating: 
Summary: Beyond Beginner
Review: I bought this book for a college course to learn Access for work. I had tried to learn the program on my own only to find this book extremely helpful in understanding databases, queries, forms, and reports. I finished the book is about 2 weeks for a 4 month course! Do not buy this book if you want to learn customizing, macros, and VBA. This book is for beginners, but what I have found out (by ordering another book), is that the New Perspective series has to be the best there is at taking you step-by-step as to the process of creating within MS Office Programs. Buy reference books once you acquaint yourself with the programs. This book will take you to a beginner-intermediate status, and a reference book beyond that.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Beginner
Review: I bought this book for a college course to learn Access for work. I had tried to learn the program on my own only to find this book extremely helpful in understanding databases, queries, forms, and reports. I finished the book is about 2 weeks for a 4 month course! Do not buy this book if you want to learn customizing, macros, and VBA. This book is for beginners, but what I have found out (by ordering another book), is that the New Perspective series has to be the best there is at taking you step-by-step as to the process of creating within MS Office Programs. Buy reference books once you acquaint yourself with the programs. This book will take you to a beginner-intermediate status, and a reference book beyond that.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Beginners only
Review: I bought this book for a college course. I had very little knowledge of Access and this book was extremely helpful. I often found that computer books start at an intermediate level or so basic that you fall asleep. This book is very well illustrated and takes you step by step, starting with the very basics of Access and slowly building to more complex usage. All the examples are realistic and flow continually from tutorial to tutorial. Each step is illustrated with hints/solutions on possible problems encountered. I liked the fact that a case study is used starting with Tutorial 1 and continues throughout the book so you see a work in progress. You also don't have to create a database from scratch and waste time typing in data. I highly recommend this book for beginners.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Beginners only
Review: I bought this book for a college course. I had very little knowledge of Access and this book was extremely helpful. I often found that computer books start at an intermediate level or so basic that you fall asleep. This book is very well illustrated and takes you step by step, starting with the very basics of Access and slowly building to more complex usage. All the examples are realistic and flow continually from tutorial to tutorial. Each step is illustrated with hints/solutions on possible problems encountered. I liked the fact that a case study is used starting with Tutorial 1 and continues throughout the book so you see a work in progress. You also don't have to create a database from scratch and waste time typing in data. I highly recommend this book for beginners.
Rating:
Summary: A Thorough And Accurate Tutorial or Textbook
Review: I used the New Perspective Series earlier to learn Visual Basic and was impressed. This book was outstanding as well. The Series has three choices for learning Access: one titled "Brief," a second titled "Introductory" and this most complete volume titled "Comprehensive." Most will do just the ten Access tutorials, skipping two introductory Windows 98 tutorials. Each tutorial has two to four one-hour sessions. More than one hundreds pages of quizzes, case studies, and labs supplement the tutorials and make the book an excellent text for junior college or commercial courses. You need a working copy of Access 2000. For each tutorial, the student designs tables, queries, forms, and other elements step by step at his computer. This book is very detailed and very clear. Almost every keystroke is described, and every important input and output is captured with screen shots. Base files and data for the tutorials and problem sets first have to be downloaded first from the Internet. No table data entry is required except where required for learning. The book is beautifully printed and illustrated, almost totally free of typos, and lays flat for ease of use. Don't turn your nose up when the first two Windows tutorials describe how to use a mouse. It gets really good quickly and ends with macro and Visual Basic For Applications in tutorials 9 and 10.
Rating:
Summary: A Thorough And Accurate Tutorial or Textbook
Review: I used the New Perspective Series earlier to learn Visual Basic and was impressed. This book was outstanding as well. The Series has three choices for learning Access: one titled "Brief," a second titled "Introductory" and this most complete volume titled "Comprehensive." Most will do just the ten Access tutorials, skipping two introductory Windows 98 tutorials. Each tutorial has two to four one-hour sessions. More than one hundreds pages of quizzes, case studies, and labs supplement the tutorials and make the book an excellent text for junior college or commercial courses. You need a working copy of Access 2000. For each tutorial, the student designs tables, queries, forms, and other elements step by step at his computer. This book is very detailed and very clear. Almost every keystroke is described, and every important input and output is captured with screen shots. Base files and data for the tutorials and problem sets first have to be downloaded first from the Internet. No table data entry is required except where required for learning. The book is beautifully printed and illustrated, almost totally free of typos, and lays flat for ease of use. Don't turn your nose up when the first two Windows tutorials describe how to use a mouse. It gets really good quickly and ends with macro and Visual Basic For Applications in tutorials 9 and 10.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Tutorial
Review: So, you're not a programmer, and you want to learn Access. Skip those fat books full of pictures, and don't waste your money on authors that think you're stupid. If you're serious about Access, get the comprehensive (expert) edition. It has all the material from the introductory edition, plus more, and it's well worth the marginal cost. (I don't know anything about the advanced version.) After you get through this material, you can find a good reference work. As a beginner at Access, I feel like this book was worth my money.
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