Microsoft Books

Good exam review for 70-216. Clear and precise.

Good exam review for 70-216. Clear and precise.

I got the idea to do this book (and the other "From A to Z" guides) when my longtime publisher Microsoft Press decided not to continue publishing my Field Guides and Pocket Guides series. Those books, which sold more than 1.5 million copies, were really popular... but didn't make the publisher as much money as other more expensive books. Redmond Technology Press, fortunately, was happy to publish new, updated, improved A to Z style references... and that's how the "From A to Z" series and the Excel 2002 From A to Z book come to be.
I should explain a couple of important points about the Excel A to Z book. First, it uses an alphabetical organization so you would not sit down and read this book like you might read a novel or a regular computer book. Rather, you look up an Excel task or term in the same way that you might look up a word's definition in a dictionary or an article in an encyclopedia. Second, these books are really targeted at the beginning and intermediate user. An A to Z guide, like the Excel From A to Z book, probably covers much of the same ground, for example, as a Dummies book, a Complete Idiots Guide, or a Step by Step book (except in that alphabetical format of course). But an A to Z guide can't cover as much information, obviously, as a 1000-page computer book. (Okay, you'll be surprised by how much ground I do cover in this book, but there is a limit as to what you can do in a 200pp book--even if one is extremely efficient.)

P.S. Amazon.com requires that I post a "star" rating of this book. I feel kind of sheepish about giving my own book a five-star review, but it really is a good book-better even than all those Field Guides and Pocket Guides I did for Microsoft Press for all those years.

Perhaps the most handy reference collection we have seen come through our ProCert Labs, Stephen L. Nelson's From A To Z collection of quick reference guides really hits the spot. If you are using a Microsoft Office product (and if you are not: its time you bought yourself a computer), this handy reference guide will prove indispensable.

Stephen L. Nelson has been writing quick reference guides for some time now, and it shows in this series. Organized alphabetically, each guide excludes an index because, after all, it is one. The navigation is easy and gets right to the point. I looked up "Selecting Text" and learned that there are six different ways to do so. I discovered each of the six ways in less than half a page; a testament to the concise and straightforward instruction in store for every reader.

And don't let me fool you; the information available in each guide addresses the complex as well as the mundane. You will find quick reference tidbits on everything from Autoformatting (a bane to every Word user) to managing Text Formulas in Excel (which most of us would use if we knew they existed.)

For you Access jockeys, having the Access 2002 From A To Z quick reference at hand will make Applying Filters as easy as cooking with Ron Popeil. The finer points of PowerPoint are described in understandable detail, and if you are looking to quell your questions about Outlook, you will find them the fastest in this quick reference.

Bonus Situation: MOUS

Aside from being a valuable desktop reference, each quick reference guide includes information about passing the Microsoft Office User Specialist exam, and promises that the guide includes all the information you will need to pass the test. Our quick review confirmed this, making these books an excellent choice for those of you who are working toward MOUS certification.

The current series of quick reference guides includes:

Word 2002 From A To Z
Excel 2002 From A To Z
PowerPoint 2002 From A To Z
Access 2002 From A To Z
Outlook 2002 From A To Z
Windows 2002 From A To Z
Each quick reference is about 200 pages, with the exception of the Windows XP quick reference, which tops out at 250. Under twelve bucks apiece, you can't miss with any one of the From A To Z quick references from Redmond Technologies Press. Each book individually provides excellent coverage of every function of its technology, and the entire collection represents a comprehensive must have for anyone who relies on the MS Office suite for advanced productivity.

Because I was not totally computer illiterate, I started using Excel, keeping extensive records. Then, when I wanted to do something other than just entering data into a cell, the "boom was lowered" and that is when I found out all the things I didn't know.

This book showed me all the things that this application can do. It did this in language and examples that were clear and that was easily understood. How refreshing that is when you pick up a manual for a new product.

Another gem by Pogue Press!! I just finished reviewing another one of the books from this line and then I am hard-pressed to come up with a lot of things to say other than "buy it" for this book as well. Excel is probably one of the most well-known applications on the planet, forget about the ones just developed by Microsoft. If you are new to spreadsheets and want to learn how to create workbooks, input data, work with formulas, sort, etc. save the time and money of driving to a class and just pick up 'Excel for Starters' by Matthew MacDonald and I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I never created charts and with the help of this book, I can create charts effortlessly. Once again, author Bluttman has made difficult computer concepts easy for everyone, including someone like me, who actually has a phobia when it comes to complicated computer applications. I plan to purchase all of the books by Author Bluttman, because he is a gifted, clear and helpful writer.
I highly recommend this book.

Excel Charts For Dummies is a great guide for making charts. All the different chart types are fully explained with instructions on how to make them. I wasn't too experienced with how to format charts, but now I am can apply great colors and schemes. The book has a bonus color insert with many examples of stylized charts. Well worth it!

If you can buy only one book on Windows 95, let this be it. The only reason I gave this book a 9 instead of a 10 is because it's on the verge of going out of date, and I would prefer a newer version (1998). HOWEVER, it's still the book to buy. The information is concise and easy to read, yet technical enough to those with an intermediate to advanced knowledge of Windows 95. I bought it as a precursor to studying for the MCSD Windows architecture exams, and I think I made an excellent choice. Buy it!

Have actually rated this book a "9.5", (actually a "10") in the spirit of the Olympics, leave room for the book that has that added edge is a true "10". Mark Minasi, Christa Anderson, and Patrick Cambell have truly done their home work on this one. There is a silent personal touch as you read through the pages, kind of like they understood what some people might be going through and looking for in a book of this type. Don't get me wrong as this is also a very powerful publication and is very useful at my level. It will more than meet the needs of the mid-range user to the power user, wouldn't recommend it to the novice. I just happen to have enjoyed the style compared to some of the other reference books I have used. The layout of both the sections and chapters give it a sense of organization making you feel comfortable reading. It allows a person to move around without getting lost, and if you do, the table of contents isn't very far away. Which is also very well layed out. If you are on, or work within, a network or an administrator in some capacity the network chapter is most excellent and very extensive! Networks are also mentioned throughout the other sections. Even contains a chapter and references throughout for the "registry hacks" that will show you the way, but be careful. The troubleshooting section is heaven. The entrie book fills those voids Microsoft has left out in it's documentation. The CD that is included makes this even a better buy. The multimedia portion is very informative and, again, well put together. The tools section is even better. If you are looking for a book(s) and CD package, I purchased the set which included "Mastering Windows 95" (The Windows 95 Bible) by Robert Cowart, this is the one to buy!! It will help guide you throgugh life with Windows 95. Thank you for the nice work everyone!!!

This was one of the best walk-through book (text and images) that I have used in learning Access. Access is somewhat a more difficult application to learn, but this format was great.

Thnks for the author who developed the first thought of this design.

College Student (4th yr)

This was one of the best walk-through book (text and images) that I have used in learning Access. Access is somewhat a more difficult application to learn, but this format was great.

Thnks for the author who developed the first thought of this design.

College Student (4th yr)

Sam's How to Use FrontPage 2002 is an easy-to-use guidebook to the latest version of FrontPage. I upgraded from FrontPage 98 and found the 2002 version much easier to use. Many of the oddball features of the 98 version have been eliminated. 2002 is a much simpler program to use.

This book uses many illustrations in color to show you what to do. These are well laid out and the text is simply and effectively written. I found the index quite adequate although I supplemented it myself with several items that I thought I might require again in the future.

The only time I didn't follow the recommendations given by the authors was in dealing with images. I find it often easier to copy the images from scanners and other sites and to move them, also, by copying and pasting rather than by some of the methods suggested.

Highly recommended.

A concise yet sufficiently detailed guide to using FrontPage 2002, this book is a gem. It's well organized and chock full of helpful hints and how-to's. Perfect for beginners, it's also a visual tour de force. I was able to create and publish a surprisinly decent website for my office in less than a week. Overall, a very impressive work!

Beginners in anything suffer from a great deal of anxiety and that is even more pronounced when learning something in computing. Furthermore, learning to use a piece of modern software is an exception to the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. No amount of words can possibly replace an image of what will appear on the screen. In most cases, adding unnecessary explanatory text to an image will tend to confuse the reader rather than help. Finally, so much of the interface of modern software is color coded that no number of shades of gray can truly convey the appearance on the screen.
With all of this is a background, it is easy to see why books like this are so effective in teaching beginners how to use Word. The color images show you exactly what you will see down to how color differences are used as an aid in navigation. When beginners ask me about additional learning tools that are available, I recommend books of this form, so that they always know what to do. When teaching beginners how to use the components of Microsoft Office, the most common question that is asked has the form, "It says in the book to click on the ------, where is it?" With books like this, that question very rarely appears.
Most of us can get by rather well using only the basic features of a software product. Using this book, you can quickly learn all the basics of Word in a manner that will step you through using figures that will tell you precisely what to do next.

I purchased this book after using the Frontpage 2000 guide in the same series. Features are much easier to learn when presented visually. I didn't think full colour would have much of an impact, but it seems to make commands easier to learn and remember. I'd especially like to draw attention to the way the guide shows the menus just as they appear, and walks you through the menu selections with a picture for each menu option you need to select. No more "Insert - Picture - Clipart". Every step is shown in full colour. While this guide doesn't have every command listed, it does provide people with the opportunity to learn the more useful commands, like formatting tables, and including pictures with documents. If you're looking for a full reference of every command, this book won't be for you. However, if you want to learn the more useful features of Word 2000 using an easy to understand step by step tutorial, I highly recommend this book!

This wonderful book by Eric Brechner analyzes from the inside of Microsoft the dynamics of Software Development, Organization, Project & People Management, Software Design, Development & Quality. To every harsh criticism, he offers some very interesting and yet simple advice. That doesn't mean that Eric is always "WRight", but he certainly has a good point, and it will make you think and see things in a different light. I strongly recommend it to anybody in a IT profession, specially to managers!

"Hard Code" is a brilliant read for any software developer, architect, manager, etc. It is a candid interpretation of the politics inside Microsoft and the relationships across various roles in the development process.

This might sound a little boring, but no--this guy goes for the throat. In understanding that everyone has a specific job to do--and their objectives often oppose those of everyone else--he accurately and bluntly exposes common points of conflict. More importantly, he gives hard-won, actionable advice on how to cut through all that crap and put everyone on the same page.

For managers and architects, this book [namely chapter 1: "Project Mismanagement"] would be a great supplement to two books of Julie Bick's that also offer unique insight: All I Really Need to Know In Business I Learned at Microsoft and The Microsoft Edge.

Another interesting point in this book was the article, "Google: Serious threat or poor spelling?" Here he actually points out the flaws with Google's business strategy and gives tips on how they [or any company] could overcome their weaknesses to become a true competitor to Microsoft.

It's not like he gives up Windows source code here, but don't be surprised if you get a bit anxious reading it...just waiting for FBI agents to break down your door for accessing coveted insider trade secrets.

Microsoft Dynamics AX is another of the very high end development system that Microsoft has been developing to make the implementation of sophisticated applications relatively easy. Specifically Dynamics AX (which has gone by several names during it's development cycle) is oriented to enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications developers. It might be viewed as a library of subroutines that perform the fundamental actions needed by an ERP system. It is then up to the developer to simply connect these subroutines together in order to produce application.

The end result can be viewed as a very high level language that contains many functions written to perform the actual work. As with any other computer language, it is something non-trivial that has to be learned. And this book is basically a tutorial on the language. It probably is something that could be learned as a language by itself, but experience in other languages, particularily C++ and SQL will ease the learning task. Obviously the reader should have some experience in ERP.

This book is written by members of the development team. It is complete and thorough, but it is a book on the Dynamics AX system, not on ERP.

I found this book helpful when trying to figure out how to do a variety of development tasks such as debugging, reverse engineering, compiling, etc. The section on the development tools was helpful because it provided a guide on what's available for developers. It's easy to understand and provides some good background information on a lot of the tools and techniques. Very useful for either developers or consultants.