Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • Create a SQL Azure Database–Old Portal

    Another post for me that is simple and hopefully serves as an example for people trying to get blogging as #SQLNewBloggers.

    I worry about beta software, so when I wanted to create a new Azure database, I stuck with the old portal. Call me nervous, but the new portal worries me at times. It works, but since the default is the old one, I often use that one.

    You can use either, but here I’ll show you how to create a database with the old (which will be gone someday) portal.  It’s simple and easy, and this only takes a few minutes.

    Creating a Database

    Here’s the “old” portal. I wish it had a major version number, because that’s what it needs.

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    I’ve got a few things running here. In the lower left corner is a “New” button, which I can pick. When I do, I choose Data Services and get this.

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    I select SQL Database and then click “Custom.” You could click quick create, but I wanted to show more options. There aren’t a lot, but you can put in a few.

    You get the settings page. The first thing you need is a database name. You can pick your subscription as well as the size of the system. Be aware of charges when you pick sizes. S0 is not cheap.

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    I had an existing server, so I used that, but the system will create one for you if you need it. This is really the name you connect to, so if you care, create one first and then use it here.

    The next screen is really for the main admin account. Enter a decent password and save it. You can reset this form the portal once it’s up, so don’t be too concerned, but build good habits. Don’t use the same password everywhere and use a password manager so you pick strong ones.

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    Once that’s done, create the database. It will take a little time, but you’ll see a moving “Creating” item in the status. There’s no percentage, but I think it was about 3-4 minutes for me one afternoon.

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    Once it’s done, the database list will show you the database as online.

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    If you go to the dashboard, you’ll see  a number of items listed.

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    Scrolling down, you might see the important item that you care about. How to connect. The server is listed, and if you’re using an app with ADO, PHP, OLEDB, etc, you can click the link and get the strings you will use.

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    That’s it. Simple, easy, and ready for you to use.

    SQLNewBlogger

    I was actually working on something in the new portal and wanted to go back to the old portal to see how things worked. As I waited for the main screen to refresh, I though, hey, write a post.

    So I captured screen shots. It took maybe 10-15 minutes to type this up.

    References

    None used.

  • Your Portfolio

    I believe in managing and working on your career regularly. Early in my life, I randomly went from job to job. I looked for new opportunities when I lost old ones. I took the first job I was offered. I really let my career happen, as opposed to actively trying to move it in a direction that was best for me.

    One of the things I have suggested to many people is to build a blog and chronicle their career. This is a way to showcase your knowledge and allow a potential hiring manager to perform some due diligence on who you are.

    However the front page of your blog, with the last 5-10 posts you’ve written on some random topics might not be the image you want to present. Perhaps you can better show yourself off and control the image that you present to the world.

    I thought about this when I read a piece about a photographer assembling a portfolio of their work. I thought, this might be a good exercise for a technical person as well. Perhaps there are specific skills, posts, software that you want to show. Put the links on your resume or cover letter that build the impression you want to make. Maybe send someone to a landing page that contains the projects that you are more proud of.

    Certainly this might not work, and a manager might just randomly look through your blog, but I think it’s worth a bit of time, especially for a developer. Showcase the things you are most proud of, or perhaps most applicable to the positions you’re seeking.

    Above all, it might be a good chance to re-evaluate what you think of your career and relive some of your proud accomplishments.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 2.0MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and LibSyn. feed

  • SQL Saturday #403–Louisville

    This weekend I’ll be attending SQL Saturday #403 in Louisville, KY. If you’re in the area, think about taking a few hours out of your Saturday and coming to learn some SQL Server stuff. There’s a great schedule, with 6 tracks and 6 sessions per track.

    That’s 36 opportunities to improve your skills and career!

    I’ll be delivering two sessions during the event. I have my Branding Yourself for a Dream Job first thing in the morning at 8am. I know it’s early, but I like to give you some ideas for networking and planning your career for the rest of the day.

    My second session is Continuous Integration for Databases at 10:30. I’ll give you a taste of how to improve your software development process by using version control and a build server to verify and test your database code.

    There are some great afternoon sessions, but I likely won’t be there as I have family in town and want to spent a few hours with them. However come grab me in the morning and say “hi”. I really enjoy meeting the SQL Server community and look forward to another great SQL Saturday in Louisville.

  • Mission Critical Deployments

    Talk about a lot of pressure to get a software deployment correct. A software install on an Airbus airplane resulted in a file containing parameters being wiped. This error caused (apparently) an airplane to crash when three engines cut off in flight and four people were killed.

    I don’t know if this is the final report on this, but the fact this is a possibility concerns me as a technologist. Certainly we have probably had similar mechanical failures and installation issues in the past, but there are some scary issues here with regards to software. There was a faulty software installation (yikes!), a poor architecture (not assuming more then 2 engines would stop), too much tolerance for software errors (the review letting this pass), and poor overall design (no alerts on the ground).

    I can’t decide if I think that software makes issues like this more or less likely. Certainly checks of physical systems are skipped regularly by people. It’s far easier, and more reliable, to automate checks of software systems, especially with deployments, than it might be for complex mechanical changes. However, maybe that’s not true. Perhaps mechanics are more likely to notice a loose bolt than a misconfigured software menu. Or maybe we need a new type of mechanic that’s savvy with technology.

    Ultimately I think that any software that makes changes to systems, including through deployments, needs to have double checks by an independent process and clear alerting of any issue, not relying on someone to look for the success of a long series of steps. We also need to take review of potential software errors very seriously and ensure the tolerance for potential issues shrinks as the impact of those issues rises.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 2.2MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and LibSyn. feed