(This article was updated in August 2018 for use with Visual Studio 2017.) Moving Beyond Microsoft Access I’ve written a lot about Microsoft Access over the years and still believe it’s a great training ground for people who want to learn to design database applications. Its user-friendly interface provides an easy learning curve and introduction […]

Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023 In the last chapter, I talked about some of the current options when it comes to getting started in the programming field. I mentioned several development tools that you can get familiar with to decide what path you want to take as […]

Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023 So far, I’ve given you some general ideas of what it takes to start and maintain a career in software development but you’re probably still wanting some direction as to the actual first steps of learning how to program. In this chapter, […]

Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023 You’ve probably heard people talk about how we’re living in the Information Age with an emphasis on how much information there is to process from all different directions. This is certainly true and it can be a challenge for the average person, […]

In my upcoming book, Your First Guide to Database Design, my goal is to provide a clear guide for users at all  levels of experience on how to organize their data into an efficient database, regardless of whether they’re using a desktop database like Microsoft Access or a network software such as MySQL. The first chapter […]

Every so often, I remember that I have a blog attached  to the site and I make new promises to myself to keep it up to date but it doesn’t seem to happen that often. 2011 was a busy year for me which was one reason I didn’t update the blog much.  It’s easier to […]

I thought about taking the blog down when I realized how long it had been since I posted here but instead, I decided to say goodbye to Facebook for awhile and devote those misspent energies to something a little more productive. I started a new full-time job in January, which is another reason I’ve been […]

I’m plowing my way through writing the next chapter of the Microsoft Access for Beginners series and have the insomnia to show for it.  This chapter, an introduction to Visual Basic for Applications, is one I’ve been wanting to do for awhile and should have done a long time ago but always found a way to […]

While new technologies … might make things easier for the average professional, they will never replace a solid understanding of the technologies they are built on top of.

(This article was also published on Medium) I hate filling out forms, especially if I have to print them out or do it by hand. Handwriting is uncomfortable for someone who rarely does it, especially if you were told all the time you were growing up how bad your writing was. The most handwriting I […]