Chapter 1 Introduction

1
Chapter 1 Introduction

• Outstanding Features About This Book
• A novel writing style is adopted to try to
  attract students or beginning programmers
  interesting in learning and developing practical
  database program
• A real completed sample database CSE_DEPT with
  three versions (Microsoft Access, SQL Server 2005
  and Oracle Database 10g XE) is provided
• Covered both fundamental and advanced
  database-programming techniques
• Three types of popular databases are covered and
  discussed in detail with practical sample
  examples Microsoft Access, SQL Server 2005 and
  Oracle Database 10g Express Edition (XE)

2
Chapter 1 Introduction - 2

• Various actual data providers are discussed and
  implemented in the sample projects, such as the
  SQL Server and Oracle data providers. Instead of
  using the OleDb to access the SQL Server or
  Oracle databases, the real SQL Server and Oracle
  data providers are utilized to connect to the
  Visual Basic.NET directly to perform data
  operations.
• Provides homework and exercises, and these allow
  users to understand what they learned better by
  doing something themselves.
• 7. Good textbook for college students, good
  reference book for programmers, software
  engineers and academic researchers.

3
Chapter 1 Introduction - 3

• Who This Book Is For
• This book is designed for college students and
  software programmers who want to develop
  practical and commercial database programming
  with Visual Basic.NET and relational databases
  such as Microsoft Access, SQL Server 2005 and
  Oracle Database 10g XE.
• Fundamental knowledge and understanding on Visual
  Basic.NET and Visual Studio.NET IDE is assumed.

4
Chapter 1 Introduction - 4

• What This Book Covers
• Chapter 1 provides an introduction and
  summarization to the whole book
• Chapter 2 provides a detailed discussion and
  analysis of the structure and components about
  relational databases.
• Chapter 3 provides an introduction to the
  ADO.NET, which includes the architectures,
  organizations and components of the ADO.NET.
• Starting from Chapter 4, the real database
  programming techniques such as data selection
  queries with Visual Basic.NET 2005 are provided
  and discussed.

5
Chapter 1 Introduction - 5

• What This Book Covers
• Chapter 5 provides detailed discussions and
  analyses about three popular data insertion
  methods with three different databases
  Microsoft Access, SQL Server 2005 and Oracle.
• Chapter 6 provides discussions and analyses on
  three popular data updating and deleting methods
  with seven real project examples.
• Chapter 7 provides introductions and discussions
  about the developments and implementations of
  ASP.NET Web applications.
• Chapter 8 provides introductions and discussions
  about the developments and implementations of
  ASP.NET Web services.

6
Chapter 1 Introduction - 6

• How to Use This Book
• Chapters 2 and 3 provide the fundamentals on
  database structures and components, ADO.NET and
  components it covered.
• Starting from chapter 4, which includes chapters
  5 and 6, each chapter is divided into two parts
  fundamental part Part I and advanced part Part
  II.
• The data driven applications developed with
  design tools and wizards provided by Visual
  Basic.NET, which can be considered as the
  fundamental part, have less coding-loads and
  therefore they are more suitable to students or
  programmers who are new to the database
  programming with Visual Basic.NET.
• Part II contains the runtime object method and it
  covers a lot of coding developments to perform
  the different data actions against the database,
  and this method is more flexible and convenient
  to experienced programmers event a lot of coding
  jobs is concerned.

7
Chapter 1 Introduction - 7

• How to Use This Book
• Chapters 7 and 8 give a full discussion and
  analysis about the developments and
  implementations of ASP.NET Web applications and
  Web services.
• For undergraduate college students or beginning
  software programmers, it is highly recommended to
  learn and understand the contents of Chapters 2
  and 3, Part I of Chapters 4, 5 and 6 since those
  are fundamental knowledge and techniques in
  database programming with Visual Basic.NET 2005.
  For chapters 7 and 8, it is optional to
  instructors and it depends on the time and
  schedule.

8
Chapter 1 Introduction - 8

• How to Use This Book
• For experienced college students or software
  programmers who have already some knowledge and
  techniques in database programming, it is
  recommended to learn and understand the contents
  of Part II of Chapters 4 6 as well as Chapters
  7 and 8 since the run-time data objects method
  and some sophisticated database programming
  techniques such as joined-table query, nested
  stored procedures and Oracle Package are
  discussed and illustrated with real examples.
• Also the ASP.NET Web applications and ASP.NET Web
  services are discussed and analyzed with
  twenty-four (24) real database program examples
  for SQL Server 2005 and Oracle Database 10g XE.

9
Chapter 1 Introduction - 9

• How to Use the Source Code and Sample Databases
• Visual Studio.NET 2005 or higher must be
  installed in your computer.
• Three databases management systems, Microsoft
  Access (Microsoft Office), Microsoft SQL Server
  2005 Management Studio Express and Oracle
  Database 10g Express Edition (XE) must be
  installed in your computer.
• Three versions of sample database, CSE_DEPT.mdb,
  CSE_DEPT.mdf and Oracle version of CSE_DEPT, must
  be installed in your computer in the appropriate
  folders.
• To run projects developed in Chapters 7 and 8, in
  addition to conditions listed above, an Internet
  Information Services (IIS) such as FrontPage
  Server Extension 2000 or 2002 must be installed
  in your computer and it works as a pseudo server
  for those projects.

10
Chapter 1 Introduction - 10

• How to Use the Source Code and Sample Databases
• The following appendices are useful when one
  needs some references and practical knowledge to
  install database management systems
• Appendix A Provides a completed SQL commands
  reference.
• Appendix B Provides detailed descriptions about
  download and installation of Microsoft SQL Server
  2005 Express.
• Appendix C Provides detailed descriptions about
  download and installation of Oracle Database 10g
  Express Edition (XE).

11
Chapter 1 Introduction - 11

• - Appendix D Provides detailed discussions in
  how to create user database in Oracle Database
  10g XE and how to duplicate Oracle 10g user
  database using Unload and Load methods.
• - Appendix E Provides detailed discussions in
  how to add and connect Oracle 10g XE database
  into Visual Basic.NET applications using the VB
  Design Tools and Wizards.
• - Appendix F Provides detailed discussions in
  how to use three sample databases CSE_DEPT.mdb,
  CSE_DEPT.mdf and Oracle version of CSE_DEPT.

12
Chapter 1 Introduction - 12

• All of these appendices can be found from the
  site www.cambridge.org/9780521712354/appendix.
• Three sample databases such as CSE_DEPT.mdb,
  CSE_DEPT.mdf and Oracle version of CSE_DEPT are
  located at the site www.cambridge.org/97805217123
  54/database.
• To use these databases for your applications or
  sample projects, refer to Appendix F.
• All sample projects can be found from the site
• www.cambridge.org/9780521712354/DBProjects
  .

13
About the HW Tech Support

• Home works are located at the end of each
  chapter, starting from Chapter 3 and ending in
  Chapter 8.
• Selected home work solutions are located in the
  Cambridge site at the folder (need a valid log
  in)
• www.cambridge.org/9780521712354/HomeworkSoluti
  on.
• Send any technical question or problem related to
  the book and homework to bai_db_book_at_bellsouth.ne
  t.

14
The Book Materials on the Web