To Access Experts: how to become an "expert"? 4

[Vie]

Hello all,

Well, actually I'm not looking to become an "expert," but I could use some advice from the experts.

I'm an intermediate level Access developer. I would like to get to the next level but I don't know what road to take to get there. I have tried taking a couple of continuing ed classes but in both cases the classes were way below my level of Access ability, even when the course listing was advertised as "advanced."

I have a ton of books on the subject but with the gaps in my knowledge, I am unable to make certain leaps in understanding when confronted with the more advanced topics.

Most of what I know comes from poking around with code and SQL, etc., from reliable sources -- learning how it works and trying out some new things with it -- and from (to be honest) TekTips, BUT ....

short of getting yet another degree (I have two already - not computer-related), can anyone recommend a way of stepping up one's level of expertise? I'm not talking about a quick-fix. I'm willing to put in a lot of time (and money if need be) but I don't know where to focus my effort.

Thanks for any and all advice!
Vie

 

[BNPMike]

Vie

Sounds like you know a lot already.

You say

Most of what I know comes from poking around with code and SQL, etc... and from (to be honest) TekTips, BUT ....

But what? What do you want to do that you can't at the moment?

 

[vlk234]

Becoming an expert, IMO, is simply being able to figure out how to do what you want to do. Practice and poking. Experimentation teaches us quite a bit.

 

[dhookom]

I agree with vlk234. A lot of my "practice and poking" relies on breaking down larger problems into smaller pieces that I can attempt to solve one at a time. I keep a sandbox database (or work with Northwind) trying different stuff. If someone posts a question here in Tek-Tips or a pulblic news group, I will often open the sandbox and start playing around trying to find a solution.

Duane
MS Access MVP
Find out how to get great answers faq219-2884.

 

[easyit]

Hi,

The title "expert" is very arbitrary. I suggest you look around you and find (if possible) 10 or more people in the same line of work(or with the same hobbies/interests). If you know more than them you're the expert...

This goes for any field, job, knowledge etc.

However if you want to learn more (and become a better expert), than keep developing new databases and keep reading newsgroups/forums, but also books and magazines.

Maarten

 

[Vie]

I am no expert. Seriously. And, like I said, I'm not really looking to become an expert but, rather, to become more advanced in my Access abilities.

I wonder if there is any class or subject outside of Access programming and design that would help an Access developer to know?

Thanks for the reponses.

 

[BNPMike]

I'm sure, like me, you learnt everything you know from the Microsoft Users Guide for Access 2 (1993). The books recommended there by Microsoft were:

Date CJ: An Introduction to Database Systems

Kroenke, David and Kathless Dolan: Database Processing: Fundamentals, Design and Implementation

Pascal, Fabian: SQL and Relational Basics

Viescas, John: Running Microsoft Access.

I can't comment on the last three but I suspect, 10 years on, Chris Date's book (now 8th Edition?) is still a vital read. The co-designer of the relational database model, he may not make you an expert in all of Access's bells whistles, buttons and levers but he will let you see the true essence of Access which is amazingly faithful to the vision he and Codd had three decades or so ago.

 

[dhookom]

Normalize, normalize, normalize...
The first step to being a good programmer is building and maintaining quality specifications and requirements. This involves understanding exactly what an application is supposed to accomplish.

Then have a very good understanding of data normalization. If you don't start an application with a good table structure, you may be stuck with a un-maintainable mess or have to start over. There are lots of good sources on the web regarding normalization.

Regarding books, check out John Viescas' site

http://www.viescas.com.

His "Inside Out" series is one of the best for all levels of users. They are very comprehensive.

Duane
MS Access MVP
Find out how to get great answers faq219-2884.

 

[Golom]

Advice from me about how to become an expert should probably not be regarded as "expert advice". That said ...

Formal course work is great to "level out" your knowledge in the sense of giving you a systematic coverage of most aspects of the field of study (Access or anything else.) True "guruness" (if that's a word) comes in part from working on large complex projects where you can see "real-world" situations and problems all the way from requirements specification to rollout. The real world is not so considerate as to present its problems in the nice isolated, linear way that such problems are presented in a formal course of study.

 

[LNBruno]

It sounds like the old "you can't get experience unless you're working, and you can't work unless you have experience."

I've found that volunteering for non-profits can give you real, practical experience while providing free services to the organization; a pretty nice trade-off, IMHO.

< M!ke >

 

[Hap007]

Dear Vie,

I have found, based on way too many years in this business, that IT courses are geared to the beginner. That way, far more people qualify as potential customers of those types of products.

Second, books provide a good source of expert code, but sometimes fall short is providing real life examples of the actual code.

College courses provide a deeper knowledge, but again, sometimes, the theory and the instructors actual work experience can be limited as far as putting the theory into reality.

I have found that the best tool for bridging the gap between a knowledgable user and an 'Expert' has mostly come by examining code from good applications. Perhaps, where you work, there is a very good Access application that you could review. Sometimes, professional access applications come with source code. Possibly buying one of these products, just a learning tool, would help.

I know, in my case, I learned all my 'Access' high level coding from an Access based accounting package that I first sold to a customer, almost by accident, and then needed to learn the package to offer the customer support.

You might want to try the private forum, Access Developers and Consultants for their feedback. forum1121 This forum is right here in the Tek-Tips private forum area.

Good Luck in your quest,
Hap

Access Developer

http://www.fcs-software.com/fcsaccessdev.html

Access based Add-on Solutions
Access Consultants forum

http://www.tek-tips.com/groups/accessDevelopers