Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • Daily 21 Dec 2021

    I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

    Today’s tip is to give thanks, list the kind things others have done for you.

    I am very thankful for my life, especially with where I am today. I tend to do many things for myself, but here are a few things people have done for me in the last week:

    • cooked for me
    • brought me something I forgot
    • bought me a drink
    • thanked me for doing my job
    • sent a kind note after I finished something
    • praised a piece of work
    • did a favor I asked
    • thanked me for cooking

    There are more, but I am finding myself taking note more often when someone does something kind, rather than dismissing or accepting it as something I’d do.

    Instead, I’m learning to feel gratitude for little things.

  • The Challenge of Edge Security

    We know that our organizations will adopt and use more devices over time. Given the growth of cheap computing, frameworks for managing devices, and the desire for more data, I expect some of those devices will collect data, or even contain databases. Azure SQL Edge use is growing, and we will see more devices that contain it (or another database platform), which means we have a larger attack surface area for that data.

    There was a recent report on a vulnerability in edge devices used by AT&T that was detected as part of an attack. The attack used a known vulnerability based on default credentials. The vulnerability was fixed, but the patch required manual work. From various reports, it is unclear whether devices have been patched. It’s also unclear if customer data was accessed. Here is one such report, but there are others, all with similar information.

    When developers build something, whether a device or just software, we often set up easy ways for us to access the system to test features and functionality. Certainly when software is deployed to users, there is often a default credential that is supplied. I don’t know if this is good or bad, and if the management of random credentials for each device might result in better or worse security. Strong passwords might lull customers into feeling that they don’t need to change anything.

    I do think that the installation of any software ought to require a strong password. Once one is entered, and defaults ought to be permanently removed or changed. Leaving around defaults for maintenance or ease of updates is a sure way to get hacked. If we’ve learned anything in the age of computing it ought to be that anything you deploy in the wild will be taken apart and analyzed by someone. Hard-coded values or default accounts will become known.

    The bigger problem might be that patching is still a problem and even more of a problem when it’s not easy. I know that the SQL Server update system is fairly easy, but not dead simple. Many people still don’t apply patches. Heck, even when updates are built into something like Windows, people try to avoid patching their systems.

    For those of us that work with databases, we may or may not control the update process. We can, however, ensure that those that do are aware of when patches are available, how far behind the system is, and where to get the patch. That information, and a little pressure, will become increasingly important as we deploy and work with data on more edge devices.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher, Spotify, or iTunes.

  • Saving PowerShell Results to the Clipboard–#SQLNewBlogger

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

    Working with results and manipulating them is always something I struggle with a bit in PowerShell. I’ve slowly been learning how to limit results to what I want and then save those out.

    Recently, I was reading Learn dbatools in a Month of Lunches, and I learned something new. I can save results to the clipboard easily. Here’s an example:

    Let’s say I want to get backups status. I’d run something like this, using the Get-DbaDbBackupHistory cmdlet:

    2021-12-07 09_44_04-C__Users_Steve

    I see results, but I might want to put this into a report or email that I send to others. I can certainly highlight this in the cmdline and copy it, but there’s an easier way.

    I can pipe this to clip, and then I don’t see the results.

    2021-12-07 09_44_08-C__Users_Steve

    Then I can CTRL+V and paste this into notepad (or anywhere).

    2021-12-07 09_44_12-_Untitled - Notepad

    Super handy way to take information from the PoSh cmdline and ensure I get everything. Miss-highlighting when not paying attention has caused me problems before, especially when the results scroll off the screen. Highlighting a lot of information is hard, so using clip is a good trick.

    SQLNewBlogger

    This was a quick trick I learned while doing something else, so I decided to write a quick post. This took me about 5 minutes to put together.

    You could do the same thing, showing how you’d use this in your job.

  • Daily Coping 20 Dec 2021

    I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

    Today’s tip is to look for something positive to say to everyone you speak to.

    In general, I’m a fairly positive person and I think most others are as well. I smile at people, wave, greet them, and get positive responses overall.

    I’m writing this a few days in advance, and while I didn’t see a lot, I did interact with a few people.

    • I stopped for coffee in the morning and made it a point to greet the person, ask how they were, smile, and wish them well.
    • I went to coach and greeted parents, thanking them for coming and supporting their kids. You’d think they’d all be there, but often I have only 1 of 2, or sometimes none there.
    • I did have to be hard on kids, but I did make a point of cheering things they did well and telling them where I liked their action or effort before asking for changes.
    • I made it a point to thank the staff at the venue, as well as ensure my team cleaned up their space.
    • Stopping for dinner, positive comments before and after the meal to staff, thanking them for their work and wishing them happy holidays.
    • Letting my son and wife know it was good to spend some time with them in the evening.

    Often I find myself thanking others for things they would do, or are responsible for, regardless of what I do. I know I’ve worked in the service industry, and it is nice to have some recognize you, even when it’s your job.