This course teaches Microsoft Visual Basic programmers how to create database applications using components.

At Course Completion

At the end of the course, students will be able to write a Microsoft Visual Basic-based application that accesses data from a database; write a Visual Basic-based application that uses component object model (COM) components; create an ActiveX control; create a COM component; and list the opportunities that Visual Basic developers have to incorporate Internet technologies into their applications.

Prerequisites

This course assumes the student has a good working knowledge of the Microsoft Visual Basic programming system. Potential students should be able to accomplish the following tasks before taking this training:

• Create an application with multiple forms and add functionality for multiple events to the controls on those forms
• Write a Function procedure and a Sub procedure, and invoke them from Event procedures
• Declare variables and use conditional statements
• Describe the purpose and use of each of the controls in the Toolbox
• Add a simple menu interface to an application
• Retrieve and validate information from a user
• Add a custom control to a project
• Describe the relationship between properties, methods, and objects
• Add run-time error handling to an application
• Run the application and use debug mode within the Visual Basic environment
• Create an EXE file from the project files
• Design and use a relational database
• Use SQL syntax to create database queries

Topics:

• Understanding Microsoft Visual Basic-based development
• Creating an application
• Debugging and error handling
• Compiling an EXE file
• Overview of the State University Bookstore application

Labs:

• Essentials

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• Use Visual Basic to create a simple application and an executable file for users.
• List the files that comprise a Visual Basic-based application.
• Use the Visual Basic debugging tools.
• Add run-time error handling to a procedure.

Topics:

• Universal data access
• Connecting to a data source
• Getting data from a connection
• Organizing data
• Presenting data

Labs:

• Using visual data access tools

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• Describe the visual data access tools that come with Visual Basic.
• Use the visual data access tools to create a connection to a data source and access data from the connection in an application.
• View the structure of a database using the Data Environment designer and the Data View window.
• Create database queries using Query Builder.
• Create data-bound forms using the Data Environment designer, Data Form Wizard, and the ADO Data control.
• Create a report using the Data Report designer.

Topics:

• Designing an application
• Creating class modules
• Adding properties, methods, and events
• Using a class module
• Creating data-bound class modules

Labs:

• Using class modules

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• Explain the benefits of using class modules in an application.
• Use a class module to create a COM component within a Visual Basic project.
• Create a COM component that exposes properties, methods, and events.
• Create and use data-bound class modules.

Topics:

• Creating an ActiveX control
• Exposing properties, methods, and events
• Testing a control
• Creating property pages
• Creating a data-bound control
• Creating a data source control

Labs:

• Building an ActiveX control
• Data-binding an ActiveX control

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• Describe the benefits of using ActiveX controls.
• Create an ActiveX control that exposes properties, methods, and events.
• Use control events to save and load persistent properties.
• Test and debug an ActiveX control.
• Create and enable property pages for an ActiveX control.
• Enable the data-binding capabilities of an ActiveX control.
• Create an ActiveX control that is a data source.

Topics:

• Overview of ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
• Handling data access errors
• Connecting to a data source
• Retrieving data from a data source
• Sorting and searching data
• Updating data
• Using disconnected data
• Creating dynamic record sets
• Understanding performance considerations

Labs:

• Using ADO

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• List the major components of the ADO object model.
• Explain how to handle errors using ADO.
• Connect to a data source using ADO.
• Use an ADO record-set object to retrieve and manipulate data.
• Describe and use a disconnected record set.
• Use an ADO record-set object to store nondatabase data.

Topics:

• Overview of Microsoft SQL Server security
• Using cursors
• Enforcing data integrity
• Executing statements on a database

Labs:

• Advanced data access issues

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• Discuss SQL Server security implementations.
• Describe different cursor locations and when to use a specific cursor type.
• Use a stored procedure to execute a statement on a database.
• Handle referential integrity errors.
• Describe ways to enforce data integrity.

Topics:

• Introduction to using COM components
• Creating a client application
• Using Microsoft Internet Explorer

Labs:

• Using COM components

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• List the main steps required to use an external COM component in a Visual Basic-based application.
• Create a Visual Basic-based client application that uses a COM component.
• Create a Visual Basic-based application that handles events from a COM component.
• Create a Visual Basic-based application that automates Internet Explorer.

Topics:

• Introduction to COM components
• Creating COM components
• Creating an object model
• Adding error handling

Labs:

• Building COM components

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• Compile a project with class modules into a COM component.
• Create an object model in a COM component.
• Debug and test a COM component.

Topics:

• Optimizing an application
• Deploying an application
• Deploying an ActiveX control

Labs:

• Deploying the StateUBookstore solution

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• Describe a variety of techniques for optimizing the performance of an application.
• Use the GetSetting and SaveSetting statements to save application-specific information to the registry.
• Use resource files.
• Create a Setup program using Package and Deployment Wizard.
• Package an ActiveX control for use on a Web site.

Topics:

• Using the WebBrowser control
• Creating Active Documents
• Creating dynamic hypertext markup language (DHTML) applications
• Creating Microsoft Internet Information Server applications

Skills:
Students will be able to:

• List the ways Visual Basic can enhance a Web site.
• Create applications that use the WebBrowser control.
• Explain what Active Documents are.
• Create an Active Document.
• Use the DHTML Page designer to create client-side code components.
• Use the Webclass designer to create server-side code components.