This book covers a number of absolutely essential APIs that will be needed by any programmer who works with Microsoft databases. First, the author presents a good introduction to ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), the recommended standard for programming with databases.

The text's principle strength has to be its comprehensive tour of Microsoft Transact-SQL (T-SQL), starting with simple SELECT and action queries, to different types of joins between relational tables. What's best here is the author's step-by-step tutorial for each SQL statement, along with an example written using client-side SQL (where the SQL is written in ADO on the client), as well as the same code executed as a stored procedure on the server. (Here ADO is used to invoke server-side T-SQL.) This approach not only provides an excellent introduction to SQL itself, but also furnishes what you need to use stored procedures effectively. Server-side database programming used to be the stuff of experts only, but this book shows how anyone can do it using today's Visual Basic.

The title closes with several case studies that show off database front-ends for a hypothetical auto dealership. In all, Beginning Visual Basic SQL Server 7.0 provides vital material on database programming that can let beginning or intermediate VB developers take their skills to the next level and get the most out of Microsoft database tools and technologies. --Richard Dragan