Access Database Design and Programming

When using software products with graphical user interfaces, developers frequently focus so much on the details of the GUI that they forget about the general concepts that would allow them to understand and use the software effectively. This is particularly true of a powerful database product like Microsoft Access where novice, and sometimes even experienced, programmers often lose sight of the general principles that underlie their applications. Access Database Design and Programming takes you behind the details of the Access interface, focusing on the general knowledge necessary for Access power users and developers to create effective relational database applications. In particular, the book focuses on three areas: * Database design. The book provides an enjoyable, informative overview of database design that carefully shows you how to normalize tables to eliminate redundancy without losing data and to define the relationships that link them. * Queries. The book examines multitable queries (i.e., various types of joins) and shows how to implement them indirectly by using the Access interface or directly by using Access SQL. * Programming. The book examines the VBA integrated development environment (IDE). It then goes on to provide an excellent introduction to Data Access Objects (DAO), ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), and ADO Extensions for Data Definition and Security (ADOX). These sections serve as a handy introduction and primer for basic database operations, such as modifying a table under program control, dynamically adding and deleting a record, and repositioning a record pointer. The concluding chapter focuses on common programming problems, such as computing running sums and comparing two sets. Unlike other Access books that explore in tortured detail every feature of concern to Access programmers, Access Database Design and Programming instead focuses on the core concepts programmers need to develop solid, effective database applications. This book also serves as a "second course" in Access that provides a relatively experienced Access user who is new to programming with the frequently overlooked techniques necessary to develop successfully in the Microsoft Access environment. Anyone interested in learning to tap the power of Access will enjoy and benefit immensely from reading this book, which has been thoroughly reviewed for compatibility with Access 2003, the latest release.Roman, Steven is the author of 'Access Database Design and Programming ', published 2002 under ISBN 9780596002732 and ISBN 0596002734.