Not a reference book, and not a tutorial either, the new second edition of the highly regarded Access Cookbook is an uncommonly useful collection of solutions to problems that Access users and developers are likely to face as they attempt to build increasingly complex applications.Although using any single "recipe" in the book will more than pay back the cost of the book in terms of both hours saved and frustration thwarted, Access Cookbook, Second Edition is much more than a handy assortment of cut-and-paste code.Each of the "recipes" examine a particular problem--problems that commonly occur when you push the upper limits of Access, or ones that are likely to trip up a developer attempting to design a more elegant Access application--even some things you never knew Access could do. The authors then, in a clear, accessible, step-by-step style, present the problems' solution. Following each "recipe" are insights on how Access works, potential pitfalls, interesting programming techniques that are used in the solution, and how and why the solution works, so you can adapt the problem-solving techniques to other similar situations.Fully updated for Access 2003, Access Cookbook, Second Edition is also one of the first books to thoroughly explore new support for .NET managed code and XML. All of the practical, real-world examples have been tested for compatibility with Access 2003, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. This updated new edition also covers Access and SharePoint, Access and SmartTags, Access and .NET; and Access and XML.Access power users and programmers at all levels, from the relatively inexperienced to the most sophisticated, will rely on the Access Cookbook for quick solutions to gnarly problems. With a dog-eared copy of Access Cookbook at your side, you can spend your time and energy where it matters most: working on the interesting facets of your Access application, not just the time-consuming ones.

Access Cookbook contains a comprehensive collection of problems, solutions,and practical examples for the Access power user or programmer who is running up against some of the apparent limits of the Access user interface or of Access application development. The diverse problems and solutions presented here are of interest to Access power users and programmers at all levels, from the relatively inexperienced to the most sophisticated. Each of the book?s 14 chapters focuses on a particular topic area related to the Access environment or Access programming. Within each chapter, individual items follow a standardized format. The authors first pose the problem, and then present its solution. Finally, a discussion follows, which consists of extended analysis of the solution, an insightful examination of how Access works, or interesting programming techniques that are used in the solution but that you can also apply elsewhere. The kinds of problems posed and solved in the book include the following: Specifying query criteria at runtime, rather than at design time Restricting the user to a single row of a form Preventing a report from printing if it has no records Making slow forms run faster Insuring that user interface objects present a uniform, consistent appearance Controlling a printer's paper source programmatically Referencing data from multiple SQL Server databases in a single Access Data Project page Using contact information from an Access database when sending email using Outlook The accompanying CD-ROM includes Access databases that contain the solutions for all problems presented in the text.