Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • Privacy and Data

    Privacy. Security. Encryption. Protection. Responsibility.

    All big words, with many connotations. Unfortunately, the meanings behind the words seem to be dwarfed by one other word: profit. Data brokers and even departments inside various organizations make a lot of money from their data, and I don’t expect they’ll want to see that stop anytime soon.

    So much of our data is being collected, sold, and (arguably) poorly secured. Citizens are complaining and governments are taking some notice. The US Congress has a committee investigating how some of the large data brokers are handling data. The committee compiling the report doesn’t have much power, and I’m not convinced that much will change, regardless of the conclusions they reach.

    However I do think that those of us that work as data professionals should be aware that we may find ourselves bound by new rules and regulations over time. I wouldn’t think anyone would preemptively prepare for more control by changing their systems or processes, but I would expect that data professionals might want to ensure they understand how their data is being handled and secured, just in case anyone asks.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 1.6MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Mevio . feed

    The Voice of the DBA podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. Support this great duo at www.everydayjones.com.

  • Your First Week as a DBA

    Summary: There are many accidental DBAs as well as people new to SQL Server who are assigned the responsibility of managing a database system. Learn about the most important things for you to examine on your first week.

    Abstract: Developers, system administrators, junior DBAs, and even managers often find themselves responsible for a new SQL Server system without knowing what things they need to worry about. Since a SQL Server instance can run for months without issues, these accidental DBAs don’t realize that they are neglecting maintenance and other operations that will ensure their systems are protected and running smoothly. This session will teach you the most important things you should do on your first week with a new instance.

    Length: 60 minutes

    Slides: (coming soon)

    Code: (coming soon)

  • The Worst Code

    This piece was written awhile ago by Jeff Atwood, but I saw a mention about it recently. It’s about software developers hating software. It’s a fun piece, and written a bit tongue-in-cheek, though with a lot of truth in there. Certainly lots of the “bundled software” that come with gadgets is unnecessary and poorly tested. That’s sad, as there is the chance to add value to products if the software is well written, and perhaps, open sourced.

    However the thing that caught my eye was the ending. Mr. Atwood says that if a developer in an interview doesn’t say the worst code they’ve seen lately is their own, then they may not be a competent developer. I hope that part is also a joke, and I suspect it is. Though I also think that it’s a healthy attitude for people to see room for improvement in most of their endeavors.

    No matter what type of task you are performing, and certainly programming is an area many of us focus, complacency is a poor way to approach your work. We know we won’t be perfect, we know we’ll make mistakes, we know there’s room for improvement, and we know we NEED TO GET THE PROJECT DONE. The balance we strike in moving forward should be accomplishing tasks, learning what we did right and wrong, doing more of the former (and less of the latter) in the future, all while taking pride in the work we do well.

    Certainly some people are obsessive and perfectionists. There’s probably another few choice words some of you have for those individuals, but most of us need to balance our desire to build something amazing, with the necessity of completing work. We also need those little wins that come from having our work solve problems, even if we’d build software better the next time. The important thing is that you try to do better the next time.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 2.7MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Mevio . feed

    The Voice of the DBA podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. Support this great duo at www.everydayjones.com.

  • Maintaining High Performance When Using Encryption

    Summary: Encryption is becoming required in more and more environments, but implementing encryption can dramatically affect performance. Learn how you can maintain high performance while using encryption in your database.

    Abstract: Encryption is becoming required in more and more environments, but implementing encryption can dramatically affect performance. Learn how you can maintain high performance while still protecting your data with encryption. This session will examine communications, Transparent Data Encryption and a technique for using Symmetric Key encryption without a high performance penalty.

    Length: 75 minutes

    Slides: (coming soon)

    Code: (coming soon)