Introduction

Anyone who buys a book ”or considers buying it ”wants to know who the book is for, what sets it apart from others like it, and how the book is organized. This introduction answers these three questions, as well as covering sample files, support, and systems requirements.

This is my second book on Microsoft .NET technology. The first was directed to programmers learning to use Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET. This second book also targets developers creating solutions using Visual Basic .NET. However, the books differ in several ways.

First, the focus here is almost entirely on Microsoft Access databases. This approach is unusual for .NET database books, which tend to emphasize SQL Server databases. Second, this book addresses a mix of topics that are especially relevant to Access developers, such as using the ADO.NET type libraries in .NET solutions. Third, I cover Visual Basic .NET and related .NET topics in much more depth than in my earlier book. I believe that if you are truly comfortable using either classic Visual Basic or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) with Microsoft Access databases, you should feel right at home with the samples in this book. Furthermore, after working through the samples, you should be able to create any kind of solution that you care to with Visual Basic .NET and Access databases.

Who Should Read This Book

This book targets developers and computer fans who use Access databases and want to get a firm grasp of the Microsoft .NET Framework. These two defining elements (Access and the .NET Framework) define the book s scope and its treatment of topics. While other types of databases can be used to create solutions with .NET, this book deals almost exclusively with Access databases. The book demonstrates Visual Basic .NET programming techniques instead of addressing a broad range of languages compatible with the .NET Framework because developers creating solutions with Access and Microsoft Office are likely to have experience programming with VBA. Beyond that, many classic Visual Basic developers have substantial experience with Access databases even if they currently work primarily with another database type, such as SQL Server.

You don t need to be familiar with the .NET Framework to learn from this book. However, you will definitely benefit from a working knowledge of how to program solutions with either Visual Basic 6 or VBA in Access. The book uses this knowledge as a springboard for learning how to use Visual Basic .NET to program solutions for Access databases. While this book provides a firm foundation in how to create solutions for Windows applications running on LANs, you will also gain exposure to Web development techniques, including ASP.NET and Web services.

The book also contains instruction in ADO.NET. You can use your ADO.NET skills for crafting solutions operating in either Windows or Web environments. Developers with hard-earned ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) skills will be pleased to learn that they can still use familiar development techniques in the .NET Framework through the application of the COM Interop feature to the ADO type libraries.

Note  

You can acquire a background suitable for this book from one of my previous books, Programming Microsoft Access Version 2002 (Microsoft Press, 2001). This earlier book includes numerous code samples illustrating the application of VBA to the creation of solutions with Access databases.

Another audience for this book includes .NET developers who want to enhance their ability to create solutions specifically for Access databases. This community of developers consists of those who have not found the specific information they need in other, more general Visual Basic .NET or ADO.NET books. All the database samples in this book (except one) are for Access databases. Therefore, you are likely to encounter a wide variety of techniques that you will find applicable to creating solutions for Access databases. In particular, the book systematically reviews the use of several OLE DB data provider classes with Access databases. The samples reinforce your general understanding of Windows and Web forms as they illustrate how to leverage that knowledge for performing data access, data manipulation, and even data definition tasks .