Voice of the DBA

Category: Editorial

  • Fear Fear

    Are you too fearful or just paranoid enough?
    Are you too fearful or just paranoid enough?

    I’m a conservative DBA. I get nervous when backups aren’t running, code isn’t in source control, and developers have access to production systems. I’ve had too many late night pages and weekend phone calls, not to mention many extra hours spent in the office from changes to systems that didn’t go well. That latter item leads me to limit the number of changes I make to systems whenever I can, including avoiding applying Cumulative Updates to SQL Server.

    When I read an editorial from Glenn Berry, I had to stop and think of whether or not I had a healthy respect for the problems that can occur from change, or if I was being overly conservative (or fearful). Glenn makes a good point that so many people do not upgrade or change their drivers, firmware, or other software. People don’t patch their SQL Servers, even with Service Packs. I’m sure some of that is fear, but some of it is neglect as well.

    For me the decision usually comes down to examining the reward/risk ratio, trying to understand if improvements are balanced by the risk of downtime. I do value stability above new features, mostly because if problems do occur, I will be the person fixing them. That doesn’t mean I avoid all changes. I think Service Packs need to be installed, though not necessarily the first month. I’ve also come to embrace some of the continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) ideas as ways to both reduce a software inventory as well as hold developers to a higher quality standard. However if you want to deploy (and perhaps patch) in a continuous deployment environment, then you should ensure that your CI process performs strong checks and make sure your developers are holding themselves to a high level of quality.

    We change the way we work, and the tools we use in technology often. Change is a concept we embrace, and we should since the ways in which our systems work are regularly changing. Bugs are patched, new techniques and tools are developed that should make us more efficient and productive. Those don’t always work, and we should be wary, but we should also not fear change. We should evaluate each new possibility with the attitude that our decision to move forward “depends.” It depends on the ease with which we can integrate something or apply a change, and the ease with which we can roll back our changes if they do not perform as expected. It also takes practice to ensure that all those things are easy.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.

  • The Joy of Technology

    Here's my Airplay receiver.
    Here’s my Airplay receiver.

    I ran across this piece on the joy of being a programmer, which resonated with me. I started at a programmer, at about the same age, 10 or so. I’m a little older than the author, but I’ve spent most of my life in the technology business, primarily working with SQL Server, but I’ve built software as well. I’m still building a little software, mostly for fun. I recently set up a Raspberry Pi to stream Airplay music from my idevices and created a ball shooting Lego Mindstorm robot. Granted the latter wasn’t much programming, but I’ve backed a Kickstarter project that will allow me to write some more complex code for the Legos with my kids and I’m looking forward to receiving the kit.

    Programming has been a fun hobby and career for me. Whether that’s been working in a front end language like C++ or VB, writing T-SQL that produces reports, or even scripting administrative tasks in VB Script or Powershell, it’s always a challenge. I find myself going through the same pattern of emotions over and over. Excitement as I start a project, confidence in an initial solution, frustration when things don’t work, and a smile after the burst of creativity that finds a solution. Granted, I may iterate through these emotions a few times, perhaps even spending more time struggling than solving, but it’s been an endeavor that I enjoy most of the time.

    Just like the author, I’ve had success in my career, and found technology to be a better job than many other jobs that people I’ve worked with have had. Looking at the accountants, the managers, the salespeople, and all the other workers in the various organizations I’ve been a part of, I think I’ve had one of the better jobs that exist in the world today. Physically easy work, mentally challenging, well paid, and with demand for workers. I hope you feel the same way about your technology career.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.

  • Relying on Algorithms

    Would you trust software to drive you around?
    Would you trust software to drive you around?

    We are increasingly living in a world that is affected by software (and the data it uses). I have to admit that I’m slightly worried about this as I look at the quality of software, the bugs, the lack of effective testing. It’s not that companies don’t perform a lot of testing; many do, but it seems that many developers, and even QA people, don’t really know how to effectively test. This is especially true of testing for abnormal or unexpected situations. It there’s one area of software development that seems woefully immature, it’s testing.

    However testing isn’t the only problem. We might not like the way that software is designed, and used, to alter our world. As we become more dependent on software to accomplish tasks for us, we will run into new situations that the software may not have been designed to handle. This opinion piece on the ways in which software might alter our lives is both fascinating and scary. How do we want software to behave in unfamiliar situations? It’s not an easy question to answer, and it’s certainly not a question with a simple answer in many scenarios.

    We learn to depend on systems when they work for us. Whether in business, government, or our personal lives, when a system works, we want to use it more. However that’s not always the best long term solution. Humans adapt, and software, especially the systems using a constant stream of historical data for decisions, has flaws. More than a few of you might have encountered this type of situation with Netflix or Amazon recommendations when you have kids sharing your account.

    In some sense I think that we not only need adaptive algorithms, that we can customize over time, but we also need to understand the data that flows through the algorithms. We need ways to remove some data from consideration by the software, when we find it is removing more value than it is adding.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.

  • The Bicentennial

    sqlsat200Tomorrow is SQL Saturday #200 in Philadelphia. I’m traveling today to the City of Brotherly Love for the event. My partner, Andy Warren, co-founder of SQLServerCentral and SQL Saturday, is also making his way there for the celebration. This is the bicentennial event, and even though it might not be the two hundredth event to actually occur, it represents an amazing success of the SQL Saturday franchise and I am thrilled to be a small part of these events that have helped train, teach, and network so many SQL Server professionals all around the world. We even had Bill Gates learn of the events at SQL Saturday #175 in Fargo just a month ago.

    When the first SQL Saturday took place in Orlando in 2007, Andy and I weren’t sure how it would survive or grow. We wondered if we’d ever see 50 total events, or even 12 occur in a single year. Five and a half years later, these events have exploded, with over 80 taking place in the last year. Under the stewardship of Karla Landrum, more SQL Server professionals are getting free training every year than they ever might have dreamed of.

    And they’re excited by the opportunities offered by these events.

    I’ve seen people drive from Jacksonville to Pensacola for an event. People come from Virginia to Ohio for a day. Plenty of other people adjust their travel plans to come a day early or stay a day late to attend a SQL Saturday. We’ve had attendees and speakers bring their spouses and children, and even sessions they could participate in. Hundreds of speakers have donated their time and money, traveled long distances to help others. We’ve had networking sessions, games, BBQs and water skiing scheduled at SQL Saturdays. Summer, fall, winter, and spring, in every month, in over 20 countries, the SQL Server community has come together to teach, learn, debate, practice, and take pride in the work we do.

    I’m proud of what we’ve done together and amazed at how often we have done it. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and all the events that will come in the future.

    Steve Jones

    PS – Putting together a SQL Saturday isn’t too hard. Some events are extremely well organized and funded, but really if you can find a venue that will allow you to use a few rooms, you’re set. Speakers will come, you can charge for lunch, and people will learn. That’s what it’s all about. Contact Karla Landrum if you want an event in your area.

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.