Know your user

Work with Personas

Use CoolTips

Disable controls to prevent users from causing errors

Use audible cues

Use color cues

Use IntelliBox

Dockable Windows like ActiveToolbar

Tabbed form alternative – use set parent for forms

Remember preferences

Save preferences in XML

Remember not only last location of file save, but more frequent

Remote Scripting

Log Errors to User, Log, and Developers

rs(“fieldname”) is late bound so use constants or enumerations

use Set fld = rs.field(“~”) then reference field using myfld = fld1 for best results

Never use Select *

Smarter code uses Where?

Static Connections don’t scale, use Disconnected recordsets

JIT drop and reconnect as needed

Always us rs.Open specifying a connection object and not an implied connection, don’t pass a connection string

Dissociate Recordsets - Don’t connect at all – Construct a recordset on its own then save using INSERT

Command Objects for output parameter only use a return status

Parameter Add-In

Avoid refresh method

The prepare property is BAD

Use Stored Procedures

Default Cursor – not needed

Fetch only needed rows, don’t loop to add records to a grid – assign rs to grid datasource

Use GetTickCount API instead of Timer Controls

Use Stored Procedure Wizard

Set data in Grids to read occasionally use update statements

Use client cursor then assign active connection = Nothing

Includes record status?

& is slow at runtime when concatenating select statements, use parameter queries instead

Replace build in SQL statements with parameters to avoid O’Malley problem  

Consider these Passing Recordsets Between Tiers