Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • Giving Back to Speakers

    It might be hard to think back to 2007, but at that time, there were only a few SQL Server events taking place in the world. SQL Bits held its inaugural event, and we had the annual PASS Summit, DevConnections, and Visual Studio Live conferences. Microsoft had a few large events, but outside of user groups, that was it.

    In 2007, Andy Warren and I were talking and planning for SQL Saturday #1. That year we thought there were plenty of speakers in that area, with a number of MVPs. However, after the event, as other events sprung up in 2008, we worried if we’d have enough speakers.

    He did, and we continue to find new speakers every year. I’ve seen some really good ones, and some that need help. GroupBy is trying to do something in this area. They only choose a few speakers, but they’ve started a mentorship program that is geared to helping new speakers grow.

    You can apply to help today, and I’d encourage you to do so. I did.

  • Communicate Through Commit

    Using Version Control is a skill, and it’s one that most technical professionals should learn. Even sysadmins and infrastructure people can benefit from version control, especially as people use infrastructure as code and GitOps with products like Terraform.

    Writing a commit message is a bit of an art, and it’s a good skill to have. I saw a post on how to write one, and I like the overall advice. Talk about why you’re making the change, not what you’re doing.

    The post has good practical advice about structuring a commit message, especially to ensure the messages are terse and easy to understand. Like much of coding, to do this well requires practice, and feedback. Ensuring your team agrees on how to do this and reviewing messages to help everyone improve will build a more cohesive team as well as reduce the amount of explicit communication you need to have.

    Our time is precious as developers, but our attention is even more precious. Every interruption from Slack, a text, or any synchronous communication could break our flow. Many of us complain about meetings taking time out of our day, but the small questions and queries from others, especially at random times, can be worse than meetings.

    Building standards, habits, and providing short documentation in common areas, like commit messages, can reduce the need for one developer to interrupt another. The more we work together as a team, by agreeing on and adopting standards, the better we work together as a team.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

  • Daily Coping 23 Jul 2020

    I’ve 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.

    Today’s tip is to let go of small stuff and focus on the things that matter.

    This week I was a bit frustrated with my break from work. In Colorado our Governor implemented a mandatory mask order at the end of last week. All indoor activities around people need masks. My gym complied, and I couldn’t workout without one, even with no one around. Yoga was with a mask, and that was less than fun. Coaching was masks covering everyone, including kids, who didn’t enjoy it.

    In fact, less kids decided to come, which is less fun for me, and less fun for them. In a time when so many are stuck without routines and interactions, sports were a good release. With most of us in a closed group, we were enjoying playing again, but that had to stop.

    However, that’s fine. What matters is we try and get this virus under control. Colorado was doing very well, and my area still is not bad, but with cases creeping up, this is a small thing to think about. It’s a small annoyance, and minor loss, and ultimately, that’s I should be focused on helping to keep public health at a more healthy level.

  • Tonight is the PASS Marathon on SQL Server Performance

    The event is tonight, and it’s my first time helping out as a moderator. I got a call for volunteers, and I added my name. The event starts at 1800GMT and runs for a few hours.

    You can register here.

    The schedule is up, and I’ll be moderating Vern Rabe’s session on Poorly Performing T-SQL Queries and How to Fix Them. I’ve known Vern for a few years and enjoy seeing him at SQL Saturday’s. This will be a good session, so tune in and ask some good questions.