Access?2003 Power Programming with VBA

Microsoft Access remains an important part of the Windows developer's environment, in that the doughty database management system represents a simple and relatively straightforward core for forms-based software modules. Access 2003 Power Programming with VBA is a resource for programmers (particularly novice ones) working with Access and its native tongue, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The emphasis in these pages falls on getting specific tasks done (examples include modifying a stock menu bar, connecting to data sources, listening for interface events, and exporting XML). Other coverage is more basic, and appropriate for Access developers in their novitiate stage. It deals with such fundamentals as declaring variables, establishing control structures (such as loops and case statements), and using the features of the Visual Basic Editor.

Will this book help you? Probably, to some extent. It's well-written and the authors have made wise decisions about which aspects of the Access universe to include and which to leave out (Access is a big subject). Their explanatory sections are clear and easy to follow, and their code is clever enough. On the other hand, the odds are small that you'll get all the information you need out of this book, unless the application you want to write is super-simple. Take this book as one step in a potentially long journey toward the application you want, and in an even longer one toward VBA mastery. --David Wall

Topics covered: The most important tools and techniques to be used in writing applications based on Microsoft Access 2003. Software design and the differences among the many Access releases are covered at first, and a clever section on Access development without VBA explains database schema development and the use of standard forms. Most of the book deals with VBA, though, including its capacity to create graphical user interfaces, connect to databases, integrate with other applications, and work with XML data. A chapter on multi-user applications (which has mainly to do with database locking) is helpful.