Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • Why Would You Move?

    I was reading a thread on Quora about why SQL Server is chosen by companies, and another on StackOverflow about why Oracle is a good choice. As much as I sometimes joke about the Oracle RDBMS, I think it’s a solid platform, and certainly wouldn’t resist working with Oracle databases if the opportunity presented itself. I like working with technology and enjoy learning about how different platforms work. However I also know that if I started working with Oracle, I’d be much less efficient, and certainly quite slower, in producing work than with SQL Server.

    I’d also probably make a lot of relatively poor decisions about how to run the database instance.

    I’m sure I’d get better writing PL/SQL, but that would take time. And in any setting, that also means that I’d be costing my company money while I learned the tricks, best practices, and skills needed to produce a well tuned, efficient Oracle-based application. It’s really no different than the way I have seen many highly skilled Oracle developers and DBAs come to work with SQL Server and try to treat SQL Server as if it ran the same way as Oracle (<shudder>cursors</shudder>).

    That’s why when I hear about companies making a quick switch to a new platform or language, I question the move. Certainly there are domains of problems that Oracle might solve better than SQL Server. There are situations where MongoDB is better than an RDBMS or Java makes more sense than C++, but there should be strong, solid technical reason why it’s worth trying something new. Not because a manager wants to save some licensing fees or a developer wants to try something new.

    By all means, experiment, but do so in small ways. Try new technologies with limited investments, and if they work, increase the investment. However for large projects, stick to what your staff knows best. Their skills are often the limiting factor in producing well written software, and in almost every situation, their salaries will far outweigh any cost of software that you license.

    Steve Jones

     

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 2.5MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and LibSyn. 

  • It’s about Perception

    This editorial was originally published on Dec 9, 2009. It is being re-run as Steve is on vacation.

    It’s not just the code. Sure the code’s important, but it’s not necessarily the most important thing. It’s more than just the way something works, even if the code is written correctly and performs all the right calculations. That matters, to various degrees in different applications, but it isn’t the most important thing. The important thing is the way the application gets used, and the way the users feel about it. In other words, the perception of the application.

    The perception of all of our systems and the services we deliver is what really counts. I heard someone recently paraphrase a well known saying. I don’t remember it exactly, but it was something like “People never remember the quality code we deliver, but they never forget the lack of quality in our code.”

    That’s true, no matter what we deliver. Our users don’t remember the 500 days our database server ran without an issue; they remember the day it was down. They remember when our application rollout broke something or made them work more. And they definitely remember when the application is slow or doesn’t help them in their jobs.

    As an IT group, even as technologists in general, we have to  take this into consideration when we design and build solutions. Building great software doesn’t just mean meeting the specifications we were given to  the letter, or duplicating the functionality that we think is being performed or we think is needed.

    We need to make sure that our systems work with the user, that help the user and make their jobs easier. It has to provide some tangible benefits to the end user or they just don’t perceive it as being useful to them.

    I’ve rolled out applications before that had cool, new features that hadn’t existed before, or we had incorporated new functionality they had requested. But for some reason it didn’t work well, or smoothly, or the user didn’t understand how to use the system. The perception was that the application was a failure.

    None of us wants to be in that situation. We don’t want our work to go unappreciated. To do that we need to take the users’ perception into account when we’re designing and building software. We need lots of feedback as we go along and make sure we’re building the application the users actually want.

    Steve Jones

     

  • What will you see at SQL in the City

    London, Oct 24, 2014

    Seattle, Nov 3, 2014

    Come join us.

  • Learning Options in Seattle Next Month

    The 2014 PASS Summit takes place next month. Actually a few weeks, on Nov 3-7, 2014 in Seattle. While many people attend the conference, there are some additional options for learning that you might think about in addition to the conference itself. While the conference is great, getting deeper dives on topics that last more than an hour is something you may consider.

    Make SQL Server Go Faster – A two day class, Monday Nov 3 and Tuesday Nov 4, from Brent Ozar Unlimited. You’ll get two days in depth training on practical tips for improving SQL Server performance. $695, but worth it.

    SQL in the City 2014 – Seattle – From Red Gate, my employer. We’ll have the hour long sessions, but we’ve split things into two tracks and have linked sessions. Our development track, focusing on Continuous Delivery, is really 3 hours of content that has breaks. Lots of admin stuff, and the chance to see how Red Gate tools make your job easier and faster, but we cover concepts that can be applied to other tools, or your own processes.

    Pre-Conference Sessions – Each year there are two days of pre-conference, all day sessions. We’ve had post-conference sessions as well, but not for a few years. This year there are lots of choices, and a couple I struggled to choose between. I decided on Allan Hirt’s pre-con as I could use some HA skills beefing and as a former sysadmin, I find it interesting. If you can swing the $495, it’s a good investment.

    SQL Saturday #337 – Oregon – The Saturday before, if you’re in the area early, Portland is a short drive/train/flight away from Seattle. A free, full day of SQL to get you warmed up for the Summit.

    Also, don’t forget about our Monday Networking Dinner as well. Come join us. It’s free, and you get to meet other SQL Server pros.