Voice of the DBA

Category: Editorial

  • Change Approvals

    Part of a developer’s or DBA’s career is getting their work released to some system where others can use the system. Some of us may do this more than others, but we all usually have some role, whether in packaging changes up or actually pushing the button that runs a script or copies files to some live server. This can be an exciting and stressful time, depending on how you feel about the quality of the work.

    Releasing software often isn’t something done in a vacuum. Even in the highly agile, DevOps companies like Amazon and Facebook where developers release code many times a day, there is often some sort of approval process, whether implicit or explicit, before code goes out. Even if it’s just a peer that code reviews something, or a business person that examines a test version and pronounces it correct, another person often weighs in on our changes.

    That’s not always the case, as I know in emergencies, some of us make quick decisions and change or run code that only we have examined. I’d hope that’s the exception, rather than the rule, with most database changes.

    Today I’m curious. Who approves your database changes? Is there a formal process? An informal one? Does the person making the decision even understand the code or do they depend on you to have written and tested solid T-SQL?

    It’s been said that the person closest to the work is often the best person to judge if it should be released, but that’s only partially true. Deploying code is often disruptive. It introduces change, which customers may or may not like. There may be good reasons to release at discrete intervals, rather than whenever the developer things things are working. This may change with heavy use of feature flags or feature toggles, but in general, code releases are interruptions and we want to limit them.

    Unless something is broken, in which case, we often want the change as quick as it can be released. Does that mean we want a different change process? Let us know today.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 3.0MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Libsyn.

  • I Hate To Send This Email

    I use TrueDelta to report my car status every month. It’s a nice service, allowing car owners to see what experiences others have, and think about which models and years might be a good fit for me. I’ve tracked multiple cars with their service for the last 3-4 years, with reminders from them every quarter to update any repairs I’ve made.

    Recently I got an email from them with this opening: ” We hoped never to have to send this email. A few days ago we learned that TrueDelta has joined the increasingly long list of organizations whose server security has been breached by hackers.” The email went on to note that names and passwords to taken, and that everyone needed to perform a password reset. I applaud them for including “Security breached” in the subject as well as immediately changing everyone’s passwords so old ones wouldn’t work.

    I’ve been hacked at SQLServerCentral, though to our knowledge no data was stolen, merely vandalized. We haven’t ever been able to track suspected data breaches back to SSC, and I hope we never do, but I’m not naive to think that we never will. I hope we don’t, but hackers make determined efforts to gain access to data. At least we are aware of security measures, have a small staff with administrative access, and try to not allow any simple attack vectors.

    Not every company does a great job at securing their data, especially from phishing attacks. There’s a spectrum of how carefully data is protected by organizations, and as we’ve seen from haveibeenpwned.com and plenty of media reports, more and more companies lose data all the time. Some of those companies notify customers (some have to), and I would guess more than a few people have had to send out emails they never expected to send. More of us will dsend those emails in the future, and we should think about that today. Is there something we can do to avoid having to send those notifications?

    There probably isn’t something to ensure it never happens, but we can certainly work towards improving our security. As developers, we shouldn’t have short limits or character choices for passwords. If you wonder why, there’s a great answer at security.stackexchange. We shouldn’t be writing our own authentication schemes, but incorporating code that’s been written, vetted, and reviewed. And make sure we apply patches. Most of the security holes in software are known and patched, but without being deployed. Certainly if new patches become available, we should be able to incorporate them quickly. Above all, learn what SQL Injection is and don’t allow unvetted user input in queries, including those in hidden form fields.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 4.4MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Libsyn.

  • Launching Products

    Over the years I’ve seen a lot of products launched. I still remember the fanfare around Windows 95, and the efforts to make this an event of sorts, back when virtual events didn’t make sense. There have been a few Windows or SQL Server launches, some of which took place at large conferences, but quite a few were launched in different communities with small physical events. In Denver, there were a few times when Microsoft rented a hotel conference space and scheduled speakers, some from Microsoft, and some local. These would be all day events, showcasing new features, with customers talking about their experiences in previewing the product.

    Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft launched Visual Studio 2017, with some fanfare, and two days of virtual events. I watched one, and hope to find some time to watch a few of the second day’s events. While I don’t necessarily learn a lot, I go get a bit excited seeing new technology and how different people use it. It’s inspiring to see demos and solutions work well on stage. I think it’s a welcome respite from the drudgery of dealing with my own or other people’s code, and the various problems it presents, as well as the various bugs and limitations of the tools and IDEs I use. It seems there’s always some devil in the details that slows me down.

    However, for a short time, I get rejuvenated and excited by the new features. I want to dig in and experiment. It can be a struggle to find time, but watching someone demo a new way of working reminds me of the things I love about computers and technology. I think this is one of the reasons I love attending SQL Saturdays or other conferences and watching other presenters talk. I always see some new and interesting things that generate ideas and excitement. I’m really looking forward to SQL Bits in a few weeks (still time to register), and a few days of seeing what others have been accomplishing with SQL Server.

    I also have pride when I’m a part of the company launching a product. At Redgate, we’ve had a number of SQL in the City shows, which I’ve been honored to be a part of in many cities around the US and UK. Last year we tried a streamed version, which was yet another experience, but one I hope we repeat again. And, in fact, I get to be a part of another product launch next week. We’ve already release SQL Clone, but we have a live-streaming launch coming next week. I’ll be traveling over to Cambridge and getting ready for a few presentations that will hopefully inspire you to try the product. If nothing else, check out the stream and see if we show anything that sparks an idea in your mind.

    I know many of us work inside companies, and our product launches are small, to relatively few customers that are often our fellow employees. Some of you work with companies and the results of your work are visible to lots of others. No matter which environment you work in, I hope you feel the same pride and excitement I do when you release a new idea for your users to enjoy.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 4.8MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Libsyn.

  • We are All Data Companies

    I have seen more than a few people note that every company is a software company. Or that every company should be a software company because software is becoming so important. I’m not sure that’s true. My mechanic certainly uses software, and he competes well with other businesses by tracking my car, reminding me of issues, and keeping in contact through integration between his point of sale system and some sort of email management software. However, this is a small shop, probably less than 20 employees, and I’m not sure they’re ever going to be in the business of software. They are consumers, and they need support, but they aren’t in the software business. My wife’s company is similar. She needs a website, needs to schedule events and take payments, but she’s not going to develop software to help her. Nor am I going to write code, because that might be a never-ending job.

    It’s easy to get out of touch and think that many larger companies need to be software companies. That might be true for some businesses, especially when they need to manage some infrastructure, but for many smaller businesses, I’m not sure that’s the case. Software is critical to small medical practices and retail stores, and service people, but only as a tool. Not as something they’d want to maintain or even customize beyond a simple look and feel.

    Is that true for data? If many companies aren’t software companies, are they data companies? I think so. Data is important, and having some way to look at data and manage it becomes important for them to run their business well. My wife struggles with data, but realizes that managing her mailing list and tracking the contacts is valuable. It’s hard, and her bits are stored in disparate applications, but she recognize the value of data. The same for my mechanic. They’ve seen plenty of value in treating a string of disparate transactions from me across multiple cars as those from a single customer. They also have learned that finding software to understand me as a customer, as well as string together recommendations and past work on single vehicles allows them to provide better service.

    Many companies want to track us through email, phone, or some other identification data because they realize that many people have come to expect a business to know something about us. We might not like them sharing or selling that data, but we do want to them to provide a better experience for us. I’m still surprised when there’s good integration between disparate systems, or a customer service call allows the company to recognize something about me and provide more value. I believe my kids and future generations will expect this to always be the case, shunning companies those that don’t provide customization.

    I worry about data security, data privacy, data integrity, and more, but I do also think that as more companies realize that they are data companies, and data drives many of their interactions, they will see data as more valuable. What they do with that, I’m not sure, but I can only hope they start to treat our data as a valuable resource worth protecting.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 4.2MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Libsyn.