Follow this (and other microsoft.public.access...) newsgroup and the USENET
newsgroup comp.databases.ms-access. Read the questions and answers, even if
they aren't immediately pertinent to something you are doing.
You'll find detailed information on specific subjects in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base at
http://support.microsoft.com, lots of information of
varying kinds at
http://www.microsoft.com/office, tech articles on
developing Access database applications at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/understanding/access/, and very current
Office information, including tutorials, at Office Online,
http://office.microsoft.com/home/default.aspx?Origin=EC010227011033&CTT=2.
One of the very best sources of Access information that I know about is The
Access Web, FAQ site for comp.databases.ms-access, which you'll find at
http://www.mvps.org/access. There are links there to many other sites with
good-to-great Access information. There are some different links at
http://ntaccess.tripod.com, and some that are duplicates. A really good
"all-round" Access site is that of MVP Tony Toews,
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm.
The only Access newsletters that I know about are what I would consider
"pricey" for the few articles they contain. The one magazine that once was
totally devoted to Access has also gotten pricier at the same time that its
Access coverage has dwindled. I no longer subscribe to that magazine and
don't recommend it. I've never subscribed to the "pricey" newsletters, but
have seen sample copies. I respect many of the authors, but can't recommend
them at the price.
As for books, you'll find some recommendations in some of the referenced
sites. For the true novice, I like "Access <versionnumber> Step by Step"
from Microsoft Press, or "Special Edition - Using Microsoft Access
<versionnumber>" by Roger Jennings from Que or "Microsoft Access 2003 Inside
Out" by John L. Viescas from Microsoft Press. To move from Power User to
Developer, "Programming Microsoft Access <versionnumber>" by Rick Dobson
from Microsoft Press is good. And for an invaluable reference for the
developer, you can't beat "Access <versionnumber> Developer's Handbook" by
Litwin, Getz, et al, from Sybex.
Frankly, a comparable amount invested in any of these books would, in my
view, be better spent than a year's subscription to any of the magazines or
newsletters.
Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
