Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • The Reorg

    I haven’t been thrilled with how Microsoft has been run over the last decade. As a stockholder, I’ve been disappointed. As a technologist, I’ve shaken my head all too often at the various ways in which I think the company has failed to grow and reinvent itself. I’ve been concerned over the lack of coordination and focus that many groups have had, changing priorities and abandoning technologies instead of building products that impressed people with their fit, finish, and constant enhancement.

    Don’t get me wrong. I think SQL Server has grown, changed, and amazed me at times with the enhancements. At the same time I’m disappointed with the lack of improvement in tooling for things like replication and Service Broker. There seems to be a lack of coordination at times between the various languages used by pieces of the platform, almost like the fractured standards that plauged parts of the Office Suite in the past. I moan the lack of resources devoted to improving features like encryption. At times it appears that whole sections of the platform are ignored during development cycles.
    I don’t know if this large scale reorganization will improve the way Microsoft functions. I have concerns about the bundling of Windows into one group, and the potential issues with trying to force the product to work the same way on tablets, phones, and desktops. Devices and services sounds good, but ultimately I think that Microsoft needs to ensure that the software works well, with a high degree of fit and finish that meets the particular platform on which Windows runs.
    I like how Windows Phone looks, but I bemoan the lack of applications. As important as marketing can be, I truly think that Microsoft needs to get back to the “developers, developers, developers” mantra and not only entice developers, but reward them for helping catapult Windows Phone onto equal footing with iOS and Android.
    Most of all I wish Microsoft would go back to being a technology company, with a focus on cool, exciting technology, with a leader that appreciates, uses, and understands how exciting technology can be.
    Steve Jones

  • The Vacation Struggle

    poolIt’s a little over halfway through the year and once again I’m struggling to get away from work and get through my vacation. It’s not that my boss won’t give me time off, which is a common complaints from many workers in the technology industry. Instead it’s my fault. I’ve got a lot of ongoing work to get done, various commitments for events, preparation for travel, and most of all, I enjoy my job. I’ll add that a few family events have prevented us from executing on vacation plans along the way as well.

    Skipping vacation is not the best way to go through your career, and during the last month I’ve stopped to take stock of the situation and do something about it. I have a generous vacation allowance and there’s no need to hoard it, saving for a once-a-year-two-week trip. I have some family coming into town soon, and I booked a few days off while they are here. I’ve also extended one of my trips, planning on a mini-vacation with my daughter. I plan on saving some days to ski near the end of the year, but I’ll also be taking some long weekends and trying to recharge my interest in life, coming back to work refreshed.

    It can be hard to plan and take vacation, and I’m sure many of you have tips and tricks that you’ll share on how you get away from work and enjoy your life. Many of us see our careers as important, necessary, and hopefully fulfilling, but we also need breaks away from the stress and pressures of work.

    We should work in order to live, and enjoy, the rest of our lives. Time with family, friends, hobbies, and more is important. Life passes by quickly, and sometimes unexpectedly. One of the things I’ve learned as I age is that each day is precious, and that could end at any time. I seem to lose friends and acquaintances  all too frequently. All too often I find people passing that are well below retirement age, which is sad, tragic, and a reminder that life is short.

    Take your vacation. Get away from work when you can, if for no other reason than to see what else in the world there is for you to experience.

    Steve Jones

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  • Two Weeks until SQL Saturday #222 in Sacramento

    It’s just two weeks until my next trip. It feels like I just got back from London, and one again I’m prepping to leave again. This is my only trip in July, which I appreciate. It’s been a busy year so far, with lots of travel for me and I am glad to have a little downtime.

    This trip is a mix of vacation and work. I’ll be heading out early as Red Gate has a mini-SQL in the City event on Friday. We’re trying to get customers to come, but if there is space next week, I’ll send out a registration link. I speak Saturday and then head back to San Francisco. My daughter is joining me on this trip, with the chance to tour the NoCal area for the first time. She was actually here with me when she was 1, but didn’t remember that trip.

    I’m presenting my talk on searching binary data, which I’ve done a few times in the last year. This one will be a look at how you get information out of office documents from within SQL Server. It’s a neat feature for the product, and I’d like to hear how people are using it. Let me know if you are, or if I convince you to try it.

    I’ve also got a joint presentation with Grant Fritchey on A Day in the Life of a DBA, showing the common problems you face and a few ways Red Gate can make your job easier.

    I’m looking forward to a Sun/Mon/Tue vacation, getting some time off and recharging before I have a busy fall with the US SQL in the City tour.

  • Test Your Restores

    Test your restores: he first tip in my Hard Earned Lessons of a DBA piece.

    I can’t emphasize this enough. I’ve been called in as an employee and consultant to companies that never had tested a restore. Quite a few of those times there has been data loss.