Question What are the best books to read to learn Access 2007??

[UnrulyJulie]

I am beginning an Access project and am having a hard time wading through the dozens of books available that handle Access 2007- can you tell which are the best for someone with limited programming experience? Thanks so much for your tips!!

 

[Steve R.]

Recommended Reading List. The thread is getting "old". Nevertheless some basic stuff would still remain relevant. If you can get an "old" book on-sale, so much the better.

Amazon.com dump of Access2007 books.

 

[georgedwilkinson]

The Microsoft Office web site has some excellent tutorials, too.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

note that it doesnt have to be an A2007 book

the interface has changed, and there's a few more features - but the basics never change

 

[SOS]

And here's a good set of tutorials (free as well):

Access 2007

Access 2007 VBA

 

[UnrulyJulie]

Thanks all for your replies. I did the Amazon search - and was overwhelmed with the choices. I also have Books 24x7 website access - but again, the number of books available is astounding. The Microsoft tutorials are not detailed enough, nor are the Skillsoft tutorials. Thanks again for the pointers - I had searched the forums for a reading list but didn't come up with anything - thanks for the link!!

 

[gemma-the-husky]

fwiw

most of the general primers teach you about tables/queries/forms

some major on macros, which a lot of us never/rarely use

very few have substantial sections on code, which is most important, and a serious problem.

-------------------
so with this in mind, virtually any of the standard primers are fine - i actually like the content/style of Alison Balter's books but thats by the by

however, head and shoulders above any other book ive seen, as far as instructive use of code etc is the Access Cookbook (O'Reilly) I just cannot rate this highly enough. Far and away my most used text book. Its not a primer, just deals with how to approach some real world issues.

 

[SOS]

I would say that the Access 2007 VBA Programmers Reference is a really good book for VBA as well.

 

[Galaxiom]

Nothing on its own is detailed enough for this immense subject. Access skills are more or less infused over time. It isn't something you can sit down an learn in a week from a book. There is a certain amount of creative art involved in inventing solutions. That is part of what makes Access so interesting. Experienced programmers that look like masters of the art to you and me will still tell they are learning.

Get a primer to make the climb onto the bottom of the learning curve. Then get to work on a simple but meaningful project. Google as you go and ask questions here about what you can't work out.

Be prepared to wonder if you will ever get your head around it and don't give up.

 

[UnrulyJulie]

Thanks for the additional posts, everyone! I've worked with a lot of ERP systems software, so I understand a great deal about table structures, parameters, etc. and realize this is a huge learning process - reading the wrong materials, though, can make a hill seem more like a mountain. I appreciate the specific suggestions - and believe me, I'll be posting questions, I'm sure! Thanks again for your thoughtful responses.