Book - learning material for MS Access

[Tim]

I have Access 2003 and would like to learn more abot it. I don't find it
very intuitive like most of MS other products. I feel where I'm going wrong
is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me in the
right direction for such material.

I have googled and found a few tutorials and e-books but I dopn't find them
especially helpful.. They outline how to do things but not the philosophy
behind them.

Can anyone help?

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access

On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:44:06 +0100, "Tim" <tim@spam.comwr ote:

>I have Access 2003 and would like to learn more abot it. I don't find it
>very intuitive like most of MS other products. I feel where I'm going wrong
>is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me in the
>right direction for such material.
>
>I have googled and found a few tutorials and e-books but I dopn't find them
>especially helpful.. They outline how to do things but not the philosophy
>behind them.
>
>Can anyone help?
>

I'd suggest a reading of:

Access for Starters: The Missing Manual

Here's a couple of paragraphs from the overview:

Maybe you got Access as part of Microsoft Office and wonder what it
can do for you and your household; maybe you're a small business
manager and don't have a techie on staff to train the office in
Microsoft Access. Regardless, you want to quickly get your feet
wet--but not get in over your head--and Access 2003 for Starters: The
Missing Manual is the book to make it happen.



Far more than a skimpy introduction but much less daunting than a
weighty tech book, Access 2003 for Starters: The Missing Manual
demystifies databases and explains how to design and create them with
ease. It delivers everything you need--and nothing you don't--to use
Access right away. It's your expert guide to the Access features that
are most vital and most useful, and it's your trusted advisor on the
more in-depth features that are best saved for developers and
programmers.



If you'd like a copy of the e-book (.chm file) send your email address
to my throw-away yahoo address: charliehoffp at yahoo dot com, and
I'll email you a copy.


--
Charlie Hoffpauir

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

[Chuck]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access

On Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:20:52 -0500, Charlie Hoffpauir <invalid@invali d.com>
wrote:

>On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:44:06 +0100, "Tim" <tim@spam.comwr ote:
>

>>I have Access 2003 and would like to learn more abot it. I don't find it
>>very intuitive like most of MS other products. I feel where I'm going wrong
>>is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me in the
>>right direction for such material.
>>
>>I have googled and found a few tutorials and e-books but I dopn't find them
>>especially helpful.. They outline how to do things but not the philosophy
>>behind them.
>>
>>Can anyone help?
>>

>

Access is not a program you run like Word or Excel. Access is a programming
language like C++ or Java. It helps you write a program you can run.

Chuck --

[Tim]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access


"Charlie Hoffpauir" <invalid@invali d.comwrote in message
news:h797641u45 puf00e45kkfuq1m km99i2q1n@4ax.c om...

On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:44:06 +0100, "Tim" <tim@spam.comwr ote:
>

>>I have Access 2003 and would like to learn more abot it. I don't find it
>>very intuitive like most of MS other products. I feel where I'm going
>>wrong
>>is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me in
>>the
>>right direction for such material.
>>
>>I have googled and found a few tutorials and e-books but I dopn't find
>>them
>>especially helpful.. They outline how to do things but not the philosophy
>>behind them.
>>
>>Can anyone help?
>>

>
I'd suggest a reading of:
>
Access for Starters: The Missing Manual
>
Here's a couple of paragraphs from the overview:
>
Maybe you got Access as part of Microsoft Office and wonder what it
can do for you and your household; maybe you're a small business
manager and don't have a techie on staff to train the office in
Microsoft Access. Regardless, you want to quickly get your feet
wet--but not get in over your head--and Access 2003 for Starters: The
Missing Manual is the book to make it happen.
>
>
>
Far more than a skimpy introduction but much less daunting than a
weighty tech book, Access 2003 for Starters: The Missing Manual
demystifies databases and explains how to design and create them with
ease. It delivers everything you need--and nothing you don't--to use
Access right away. It's your expert guide to the Access features that
are most vital and most useful, and it's your trusted advisor on the
more in-depth features that are best saved for developers and
programmers.
>
>
>
If you'd like a copy of the e-book (.chm file) send your email address
to my throw-away yahoo address: charliehoffp at yahoo dot com, and
I'll email you a copy.
>

Many thanks for your suggestions - I'll be sending an email addy to you
shortly. Many thanks again.

[Tim]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access


"Chuck" <libbeyc@school link.netwrote in message
news:3j28645ov2 lcrj6ifok3r9j0j l4bpbftdg@4ax.c om...

On Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:20:52 -0500, Charlie Hoffpauir
<invalid@invali d.com>
wrote:
>

>>On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:44:06 +0100, "Tim" <tim@spam.comwr ote:
>>

>>>I have Access 2003 and would like to learn more abot it. I don't find it
>>>very intuitive like most of MS other products. I feel where I'm going
>>>wrong
>>>is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me in
>>>the
>>>right direction for such material.
>>>
>>>I have googled and found a few tutorials and e-books but I dopn't find
>>>them
>>>especially helpful.. They outline how to do things but not the philosophy
>>>behind them.
>>>
>>>Can anyone help?
>>>

>>

Access is not a program you run like Word or Excel. Access is a
programming
language like C++ or Java. It helps you write a program you can run.
>

Hmm - the philosophy behind C and C++ is a language which suits processors.
If you understand typical processors, you can understand the basis of C and
C++. I can't talk about Java. I would regard Access as a tool rather than
a language, it's more akin to understanding your mobile phone or some other
complex instrument.

[Element]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access

Regarding the side point about languages -- although unlike C / C++ /
Java (thankfully), MS Access and MS Office contain VBA, which is a
more than decent high-level programming language. Anyone who
arbitrarily looks down upon it is usually a pompus elitist without
cause.

On your main question: if you're going to be creating any significant
databases (large or small), I strongly suggest the book "Introducti on
to Database Systems" by C.J. Date. It will get you off on the right
foot so you can avoid huge headaches down the road, regardless of
which DBMS you're using (Access, DB2, SQL Server, etc.).


Mark H.

On Jun 25, 6:44 pm, "Tim" <t...@spam.comw rote:

I feel where I'm going wrong
is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me in the
right direction for such material.

[Tim]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access

Many thanks for the suggestion. I would suggest that VB's success is it's
accompanying library.

Element wrote:

Regarding the side point about languages -- although unlike C / C++ /
Java (thankfully), MS Access and MS Office contain VBA, which is a
more than decent high-level programming language. Anyone who
arbitrarily looks down upon it is usually a pompus elitist without
cause.
>
On your main question: if you're going to be creating any significant
databases (large or small), I strongly suggest the book "Introducti on
to Database Systems" by C.J. Date. It will get you off on the right
foot so you can avoid huge headaches down the road, regardless of
which DBMS you're using (Access, DB2, SQL Server, etc.).
>
>
Mark H.
>
On Jun 25, 6:44 pm, "Tim" <t...@spam.comw rote:

>I feel where I'm going wrong
>is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me
>in the right direction for such material.

[lyle fairfield]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access

On Jun 25, 6:44 pm, "Tim" <t...@spam.comw rote:

I have Access 2003 and would like to learn more abot it.  I don't find it
very intuitive like most of MS other products.  I feel where I'm going wrong
is the philosophy of databases and was hoping someone might point me in the
right direction for such material.
>
I have googled and found a few tutorials and e-books but I dopn't find them
especially helpful.. They outline how to do things but not the philosophy
behind them.
>
Can anyone help?

One can't learn much about databases by studying Access. Try to get
SDKs for SQL-Server, and if they exist, Oracle and maybe DB. Read
them. Intersperse these with Codd, and those listed in articles about
Codd who agree and disagree. Out of the fog will come understanding,
after a year or two. My own personal opinion, supported by no one, is
that one can't understand databases without a background in sets,
vectors and matrices, in fact that databases are simply and
application of the principles of these disciplines. Without them we
get such abominations as the "many-to-one" relationship, [SHUDDER]!

[lyle fairfield]

Re: Book - learning material for MS Access

lyle fairfield <lyle.fairfi... @gmail.comwishe s he had written:

such abominations as the "one to many" relationship.