I am teaching myself Access and am a VERY basic user. I don't know VB and can't write my own code. But I [u]have</u> been able to do things like putting nested iif statements in a query. Can anyone recommend a good book that discusses queries, functions, expressions, that sort of thing? I also would like to learn more about normalization and switchboards.

Thank you

For queries funtions and expressions just type "expressions" on Access help and this will give you a lot of samples. On normalization, you could do a search on the web on the xubject and find some good sources. Try the MSDN library. It covers the subject well.

I remember buying the Access 2000 Bible a long time ago, I am not sure on your version of Access, but that book was an excellent source for this type of information.

If you are a bit more interested into Hard Core Access, I recommend Alison Balter's books. (just mentioned that on another tread). Try amazon's ratings on books. Anyway, the best thing to do is to go to a large book store and glance all the access books and you will see the subject that you are interested in and you could probably find the best book to suit your needs.

Hope that helps.



Sal

Alison Balter has a good series on Access from beginning to Enterprise development. She has a good teaching style.

You may also want to go to a class. Just get into the right level cause the more advanced students try to intimidate you.

mmcdonal

True. Another thing I do is, I take classes at universities or community colleges to ensure that the amount of time that I have between classes islonger. This allows me to absor more information and do more testing on my own. This one week crash courses are not always the best and only route.




Sal

Thanks, Sal and mmcdonal. I'll definitely check out the Alison Balter book.

Two books that I've had several years use out of, and still keep going back to them:

Access 97 VBA by Smith & Sussman (Wrox)
Microsoft Access 97 Developers Handbook

So both are highly recommended by me.

Clive Astley

I settled on the Beginning Access 97 VBA (Smith & Sussman - Wrox) and The Microsoft Access 97 Access Developers Handbook (Getz etal - Sybex) and the VBA companion book to the Sybex book as my early and ultimate references. I also bought the 2000 version of the Sybex developer's set (the pair of Access 2000 Developer's Handbook & VBA book) because I got an acknowledgment for having read and reread the 97 versions so many times that I pointed out a number of errors and suggested solutions and needed a copy to see my name in print. More than any other, these books got me started with programming in Access and are a starting point for any questions I now have.

That said, I don't think either of them is really a beginner's book for learning to use Accesss. I personally started with the Dummies book for Access 2 and later 97 and an Access 97 VBA for Dummies book as these were quite easy to digest. Microsoft Press has a number of good books for general use as well and I would suggest their book by John Viescas as a good overall introduction that doesn't get too deep into VBA programming. This book is quite detailed and covers the ground of normalization, form design, relationships, expresssions and all the basic stuff that you really should know before you start doing programming. If you search the MSDN library, they have excerpts of books and complete books available for reading online. A favorite of mine has been their Jet Programmers Reference (I didn't find it today but I'm pretty sure it's still there, I've read it at least twice and printed out everything I thought I might not remember). Another example that is pretty darn good is the 'Buuilding Applications With Access 2000' book at:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de.../acbatitle.asp

If you are using a newer (or older) version of Access, it is easy to browse and search the MSDN library for pertinent references.

I spent a great deal of time in the public library and at book stores like Chapters looking at and reading books. You can frequently get excerpts from books for download and if you use a p2p file sharing application like Kazaa, you'll find tons of books for download, frequently in Word or pdf format. Many of these books are specialized and not for the beginner but I'd imagine you could find many that are. Although I prefer paper format books, I love the option of searching content online and the portability I get with the copy on CD that some books provide.

It is difficult for a beginner to distinguish between fact and fiction and there is a great deal of opinion on user support forums. While reputable books by large publishing houses are generally quite reliable, it is always wise to test alternate approaches whenever you can.

Ciao
Jürgen Welz
Edmonton AB Canada
[email protected]

Normalization and basic database design: Best book for beginners and non-programmers I've read is "Database Design for Mere Mortals" by Michael J. Hernandez.

I am looking Professional Access 2000 Programming (Wrox). Does anyone knows where I might find a copy. I have someone else book. This book is very helpful for me.

Melanie Weaver

franzwil's suggested is A1. Good book for general database design, methods and theory. Another book excellent for this but targeted at more of an advanced beginner/intermediate level is 'Designing Relational Database Systems' by Rebecca M. Riordan MSPRESS. Good book to progress to.