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Surely one of the larger computer books in the Wrox line, Professional ASP Data Access presents a wideranging tour of Microsoft technologies, centering on databases and Web development. It`s a rich grab bag of information that will benefit anyone who needs to understand databases and other standards used with Visual Basic and/or C++.Comprising 1,300 pages, the book provides a significant range of material on Microsoftcentered APIs, like ADO and OLE DB, COM+ and RDS, but it`s the crossvendor perspective that makes it even more valuable. For instance, when discussing database administration, you find out how to do it on SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2, and MySQL (a popular freeware database package). You also learn how to use database stored procedures and XML on Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM databases. The real focus of Professional ASP Data Access is on demonstrating some of today`s best practices for programming databases with Microsoft tools. This includes building threetier Web applications that use database and business objects built in VB and/or Visual C++ ATL and COM+ for better scalability on the server with ASPs used to build browserbased front ends. There`s also good coverage of beginning and advanced uses of SQL (including an excellent section on joins) and today`s popular XML standard for delivering data between tiers. Many chapters look at newer Microsoft database standards, like OLE DB and UDA, plus coverage of SQL Server 2000 advances like data mining, natural language query capabilities, and other features. Ecommerce is explained using a sample Web site that includes membership features. Throughout this title, you`ll find plenty of screen shots for setting up and using the variety of tools under discussion (including screen shots for nonMicrosoft tools).Professional ASP Data Access will teach beginning to advanced readers databases from the ground up, and get them up to speed on the latest in Microsoft (and nonMicrosoft) APIs and standards.Richard Dragan.With the advent of Universal Data Access from Microsoft, we see data being stored in a variety of places mail systems, directory services, Internet services and so on. To build great Web applications you need to drive your site with data, in whatever form it takes. This means data access and manipulation on the server to bring dynamic content to the end user. A wellconstructed site will not only access data, but also manage it efficiently. This is imperative to ensure users perceive the site well and that it scales to cope with increased numbers of users.Active Server Pages, together with ADO and OLEDB, can bring about this access to a myriad of data stores. Existing data access technologies have concentrated on relational databases, but ADO now brings the benefits of semistructured data. So not only can you provide fast access to existing stores of data, but you can also access data in a less structured form, such as mail messages, web pages, XML and so on.
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