Rating: 
Summary: Uprofessional in Writing. Should have been precise
Review: After all, writing a book on a topic does not necessarily mean putting everything under the sky and printing it out under major categories with out being precise and clear in what is being said. I was looking for good material on ADO, bought this book as a prescribed text but find it too jumbled up. The author fails to present the material in a focused fashion that can save lot of reading time. It rather takes more time than needed as things are referred to one another even when not required. Too much of digression with unprofessional comments. Only positive aspect is that it presents all the main interfaces available for SQL server in one book. If you are happy with this alone you will be fine with this book. But if are looking for some quality writing, find it somewhere else. Even a simple and clear 30-40 page explanation on ADO will make you understand it better than the chapters given in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time and money
Review: His examples do not work even load from CD. The writer does not has any direction to go for.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book but weak on some key VB 6 data features
Review: Historically a great series, good info on all forms of data access, however, I was quite disappointed with the authors coverage and synopsis of the VB 6 Data Environment and Data Reports which I have used quite successfully on several large SQL Server database projects - this books lacks any useful information of the Data Environment.
Rating: 
Summary: The first book I grab when I have any database question...
Review: I am a developer and frequently train other developers on intermediate VB and good programming practices. I find whenever a question comes up that Bill Vaughn's book answers it. His definitions are clear and his humor keeps the book interesting. I would recommend this for anyone who need to access a database!
Rating: 
Summary: Hope you have some time
Review: I bought the fourth edition (several years ago) and never really used it. The DAO model was explained much better (and quicker) in "The Jet Developers Guide". However I find myself upgrading to ADO with an accelerated deadline staring me in the face so I go to "the source" for VB and SQL Server - the Sixth Edition. The writing is wordy. The jokes come a little too often. The detail is detailed. It took me two days to pull out code that I should have been able to get (and understand) in half a day. I would recommend that a working example be given and then explained in depth rather than building the entire access method from scratch. If you are familiar with data access you would go back for the details on an "as needed" basis. I noticed that someone mentioned errors in the example code. There were errors in the fourth edition and when the fifth edition came out the first thing that was examined was the errors - they were still there. Perhaps it is time for a little housekeeping with the material.
Rating: 
Summary: Very informative book. Poorly structured.
Review: I cannot give this book five stars although it contains lots of valuable information some of which it is hardly possible to find elsewhere. Unfortunately, sometimes this information is scattered over a few chapters, and it is not sufficient to go to one single section in order to study one particular topic; sections/headings are not very well organised. I realise that HG is not a reference manual, but even if you read it from cover to cover (what I have done), you need to make a lot of efforts to put numerous pieces of the picture together. Another thing that I dislike about HG is that you have to know (and remember) basic stuff like syntax or to have a reference manual on your desk when you are reading HG. Just this creates an impression that the book does not suit beginners. In fact, it does! Just make sure to check out what is written in the reference manuals before reading a chapter or a section in HG. If you are a beginner, you can skip Ch. 4-8. If your are interested in DAO and RDO (with VB and SQL Server), all you need is MS manuals and HG; if you want to learn ADO (with VB and SQL Server), all you need is D.Sussman's ADO 2.0/2.1 Programmer's Reference from Wrox and HG (BTW, guys who admire the Wrox' book, you can find something new for you in HG!). The coverage of the Visual Database Tools in HG is excellent. So, the book is not perfect, but it is extremely useful, and I don't think that there is anything better about VB programming for SQL Server on the market.
Rating:
Summary: As usual, Mr. Vaughn outdoes himself
Review: I have read many of Mr. Vaughn's books, attended his lectures at VBits and have personally conversed with him on SQL issues. Simply put, this book is a must-read for all serious VB developers looking to unleash the power of Visual Basic when dealing with SQL server issues. Written with a nice touch of humor, Bill does a great job of singling out both good and bad methods of data access. Previous commentors who bashed his books obviously have not even read them. My recommendation: BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Good for When you Cant Figure Out Whats Going On
Review: I purchased the book (Hitchhikers Guide), but I don't use it as a primary reference and would not recommend it for someone just starting out using ADO/VB/SQl Server. If you want something thats more of a reference I liked ADO 2.0 Programmers Guide by Wrox Press.Its devoted to ADO and documents fairly cleanly many of the properties and methods although there are typos in some of the code. I *would* recommend Hitchhikers Guide when you want to find out just why such and such operation is taking so gosh darn long. Thats where that book *shines*. I also would recommend it for the little IMHO's that appear in the sidebars. My only complaint about it was that there were to many references to RDO in the ADO section reflecting the authors slight bias towards RDO, I get the feeling he had something to do with the internals of RDO. (I say "the author's" becuase I really don't don't know Bill and feel odd calling him by his first name as if I did.) My biggest problem as a developer, and not an NT Network wizard, is dealing with the compelxities of setting up a decent network, administering a SQL Server etc....There are sometimes just to many hats to wear and I only have one head. As is always the case in our field, you cant have to many books to look at. I also like the idea of hunkering down in a Barnes and Noble or Borders and just spend the time to pick one.
Rating:
Summary: Keep Looking - This is not worth reading - at any price!
Review: I was deeply disappointed by Mr. Vaughn's "updated" version of the landmark 5th Edition. Almost half of the 6Th edition is a rehash of the prior release. The author even includes verbatim excerpts from ed 5. I'm sorry to say that like so many fine technical texts, they become archaic before the end of their year of publishing. And so is the swansong of this 1998 "latest" which discusses far too much RDO and only a cursory overview of ADO. It is the price of technical progress that the computer applications field has rendered obsolete bound publications featuring advanced techniques so quickly. Paper is nice, and it feels good to caress at the end of a day filled with nothing but looking at a high resolution TV, but I'm afraid really useful and timely information comes in the form of electrons. -Bill McNamee
Rating:
Summary: Too little, too late
Review: I was deeply disappointed by Mr. Vaughn's "updated" version of the landmark 5th Edition. Almost half of the 6Th edition is a rehash of the prior release. The author even includes verbatim excerpts from ed 5. I'm sorry to say that like so many fine technical texts, they become archaic before the end of their year of publishing. And so is the swansong of this 1998 "latest" which discusses far too much RDO and only a cursory overview of ADO. It is the price of technical progress that the computer applications field has rendered obsolete bound publications featuring advanced techniques so quickly. Paper is nice, and it feels good to caress at the end of a day filled with nothing but looking at a high resolution TV, but I'm afraid really useful and timely information comes in the form of electrons. -Bill McNamee
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