Microsoft ADO.NET Step by Step

This title is ideal for any developer who seeks guidance on how to exploit the database functionality and advanced, integrated development environment in Microsoft Visual Basic .NET. The book covers core Visual Basic database development topics, with details on using Visual Basic .Net with Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), ADO+, and Microsoft SQL Server. It's full of insightful explanations and expertly rendered examples for rapid acceleration of development productivity, faster applications, and more powerful results.

User review
Book is too tightly coupled on integration with UI
It seems every example in this book involves using Wizards and Data Binding.
If you are writing some sort of logging application that doesn't have anything to do with UI, this is not a good book from which to learn.
Starting with databinding creates lots of generated code which is almost overwhelming to take in all at once.

Lots of space is wasted in this book,,. Too many pictures, not enough code.
When there is code, it is repeated in both basic and c#. While this seemed like a benefit at first, it now feels like eating up space that could have been used for more code. I am going to try to find another book that has a different approach.

If data binding is your thing, you might see this book differently. While I didn't compile every example, the ones I did worked (contrary to some other reviewers)

User review
complexity clarified
An unusual volume where the most complex issues are presented with unusual clarity. The subject requres work but the material for understanding is there.

User review
Got some money to through out the window?
Absolutely the worst book I've purchased. If it weren't for my MCDBA exam, I'd burn this one in a hurry. I don't know what she was trying to do, maybe teach the exam, but you would be well advised that a firm background in VB.net is needed.

User review
Take the reviews advice
I bought this book despite it's bad reviews and I must say that I am sorry I did. This book is very poorly written. I got only to chapter 3 and the examples have led me to debug to get them to work. Example, chapter 3 asks you to connect to an Access database (OleDB) with a SQL Object! No, no. It also in the same chapter references a view in the PROVIDED Access database off the disk named OrderTotals thats not even there!

I would have given this 0 stars, but it was not an option.

User review
This is a very frustrating book for C# programmers.
The book is full of typos, the test databases already have records you are supposed to add, and there are syntax errors galore. A proof reader would have been a plus to this book project. The C# examples blow up continually. I am surprised that Microsoft put there name on this. I am not crazy about debugging my own code. I resent paying for a book where I have to debug someone else's. I don't know if the problem is intensified if you are using Visual Studio 2003. If you are and you code in C#, stay away from this book, period.