As part of the User group Leader summit in January, Tania Netterfield showcased how User Group leads have the ability to get a book from www.mspress.com.au and post a review about the book.
So I have decided to review the MCPD: Designing and Developing Web-Based Applications using Microsoft the .NET Framework.
As this is my first book review, I hope i communicate my views of the book clear and accurately. If you have any questions, as always I'm happy to take them.
While i first expected the book to be very much developer orientated and focused on development but this was not the case.
Not only did it cover the usual developer topics, but it also covered topics which I very rarely see in a developer book. Such topics as Logging and Monitoring, Creating Development Tests, Testing Strategies and even Delivering Multimedia (this was a complete surprise!).
I was also surprised on the level of quality relating to the chapters on Design, Requirements Gathering, deployment and Reusable Software Components.
Its not often you find a book explaining the concepts behind Reusable Software Components. Having done this process in the real world, i found a lot of synergies between the book and real life. This alone is a great benefit of the book as it appears to be have drawn from real life situations and not just the theory behind them
Although this chapter was not as hands on as I would have liked. It does delivery the core body of knowledge to get you started and head you into the right direction.
Comapred to Developing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET, Second Edition I found the book more well written and with a improved sense of “flow” between chapters. Giving you a smooth transition between the different topics to give you a well rounded education towards your exams.
While I wouldn't call the book the absolute answer to passing your certification, it does give you a great core body of knowledge and gives “tid bits”set you on the right path and point you into the direction. I found it also gives you the insight to find where you need extra study to ensure better success at your exam preparation.
Overall the book is a great study guide and will defiantly get you on the right path. I defiantly recommend getting yourself a copy of you intend to study and prepare for the 70-547 exam.