Database Access with Visual Basic .NET, Third Edition

Whether you are using WinForms, WebForms, or Web Services, Database Access with Visual Basic(R) .NET, Third Edition, is your practical guide to developing database applications with Visual Basic .NET and ADO.NET. The authors provide real-world solutions to the data-access issues Visual Basic .NET developers face every day and share their secrets for becoming a more effective database programmer using .NET technologies. The book begins by reviewing the fundamentals of database development, Structured Query Language (SQL), and Microsoft SQL Server 2000. It then examines how to use the major ADO.NET objects to access data stored in relational databases. Through detailed examples, readers learn how to use properties and methods, as well as more advanced features and techniques. Extensive code listings in Visual Basic .NET illustrate each concept, while business cases apply concepts to real-world applications. The final chapters provide a solid examination of how XML and ASP.NET integrate with ADO.NET to create various types of database applications. A companion Web site provides the code used in the book's myriad examples, all of which is compatible with Visual Basic .NET 2003.Key topic coverage includes: *SQL queries and commands *Using SQL Server 2000 *ADO. NET objects *Advanced ADO.NET features and techniques *SQL Server and OLEDB, as well as ODBC .NET Data Providers *Using Visual Studio .NET Data Projects for managing SQL Scripts *Integrating XML with ADO.NET *Developing Web-based database applications with ASP.NET *Web services and middle-tier objects Database Access with Visual Basic(R) .NET, Third Edition, equips VB developers with the knowledge and skills needed to build a powerful new generation of database applications in less time using .NET technologies. 0672323435B01092003

User review
Good book for getting a handle on DB access in .Net
The book is well layed out and clearly written. It can be read out of sequence. Each chapter is self contained. It shows how you can get a free copy of MSDE sql server 2000 and deftly outlines the versions and how to get started using it. It begins with a good recap of basics of database. It follows with basics of sql. Then does excellent job of enabling you to handle administrative tasks of sql on your machine and getting started. It talks about new interface ADO, ASP Net and ties in xml. Well done. Got me going from startup.

User review
Definitely worthwhile
I struggled for a long time to wrap my head around the new data access methodology of VB.Net. DataConnections, DataAdapters, DataSets, DataTables, DataGrids, DataViews, etc. It was all very confusing. This book divides up each of those components and shows how they stand independent of each other. Most helpful was how it introduced the dataset without using any database. Only when the concepts of the dataset were understood, did it tie in the dataset together to a database source. That approach is what got me past the confusion that was holding me back.

I didn't like the way the authors prefer to set everything in code instead of using the property pane and the designer but I got past that. Also, generally the code examples were more to demonstrate the principles being explained than to actually implement a technique one would like to do in a real-world application. That's not such a bad thing, but sometimes it's nice to have that too. I recommend this book for someone that needs to get the fundamentals of ADO.Net.

User review
Clear book that achieves its goal
Very useful and clear explanations, methodological, covering all the important aspects that any developer would need for accessing data base with Visual Basic.net. highly recommended

User review
Good RDBMS book
Good book from two well-received authors and speakers that have gotten good ratings at our VSLive! conferences. / jim

User review
Takes the mystery out of ADO.NET
This book helped de-mystify ADO.NET for me. Database access in .NET is a complex topic that was handled elegantly in this book. It's clear, concise, easy to read, and has a good mix of prose and step by step instruction that one needs to get a jump start with ADO.NET. I recommed it highly.