Voice of the DBA

Category: Editorial

  • Security is Improving

    multiple locks
    Increasing security isn’t this easy in the digital world.

    I have written many times that we need to improve the security of our systems. We should be adhering to best practices, and limiting access where we can, and most of all, forcing all developers and DBAs to write better code that limits the security vulnerabilities, especially for SQL injection. Apparently we are getting better, according to a recent White Hat survey, which found a dramatic decline in the vulnerabilities that are on the sites they monitor. There are still issues, but fewer of them.

    I think that the increased press and attention given to attacks, as well as the focused efforts of hackers are forcing companies to pay more attention to security. I hope this translates into more testing, better training and more careful deployments rather than the haphazard, slap-dash approach that many companies have taken. It’s great that companies can change their look and feel, adding new features and flashy images, but they need to include secure coding efforts and careful review along with everything else.

    Personally, I’d like to believe that developers are getting better about coding in a secure manner, using the patterns and practices that will limit SQL injection or other vulnerabilities. They see the headlines and are spending time working on their coding skills, particularly in the security area. I hope that’s the case, and that we are maturing our industry into one that is making fewer and fewer mistakes as we build new applications.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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

  • Stack Ranking

    stack monster
    Would you want to work in a place that might rank you relatively, rather than absolutely?

    Vanity Fair ran a piece awhile back about Microsoft and their tenure under Steve Ballmer. It’s no secret that Microsoft lost some of their dominance over the last decade and their fiscal performance has been less than outstanding. While they have built some great products in that time (XBOX, SQL Server, Windows 7), they’ve faltered and stalled on others, and have made their share of mistakes. Today I think many people see Microsoft as an important part of the tech world, but not necessarily a company that dominates any part of their industry.

    One of the interesting things in the piece was a note that there is a stack ranking system of reviewing people. It’s a brutal system that pits people against each other, with the idea that there is a distribution of performance. Each group will have a high performer, and a low performer (or more than one) and a number of people in the middle. No matter what the actual circumstances, that’s how people are graded.

    When I worked at Peoplesoft as a manager, we had a similar system. We graded people from 1-5, 5 being the highest. We had to have proof someone was worth a 1 or a 5, but we also couldn’t rank everyone as a 2, 3, or 4. We had to distribute our people. After I ranked my group and turned it in, our director had a “budget” of people ranked as 4s, and we had to argue with other managers to see which of our 4s would be downgraded to a 3.

    I thought that was crazy. Some people thrive in that environment, but some don’t. Many people want to go to work and do work that would be rated a 3 or 4. Companies need those people because there’s always a percentage of work that suits people that do 4, 3, or even 2 level work. This Friday, ignoring the merits of such a system, I wanted to ask how you feel.

    Would you like to work in a company that uses a stack ranking system?

    I know I wouldn’t. I’m competitive, but that type of system just isn’t for me. I prefer to get along with and work with others, not compete with them on a daily basis.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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

  • Using Technology in New Ways

    heat map of made shot attempts
    Apparently Kevin Durant doesn’t make his shots from everywhere.

    There are some amazing things that we accomplish with technology. For example, there is a system that can track a missile, moving at incredible speeds, and report this information to other applications that could potentially be used to react in some way. That’s pretty amazing, and whether or not you agree with the purpose of the system, the technical achievement is pretty incredible.

    There are other people that can take that technology and apply it to a more benign use. SportVU has used missile tracking technology in sports to gather additional statistics on the various games and the players. They started using this with soccer, but have brought it to the US and the National Basketball Association, implementing the system in 10 arenas. The linked article looks at the way in which this technology can be applied to player performance, and uncovering patterns that might not be otherwise recognized.

    It’s incredible to see the the heat maps of attempts v makes for one of the most exciting young shooters in the NBA. Watching his Kevin Durant in some games, I was sure that he could make any shot from anywhere on the floor. The data proves me wrong. If I were a defender, I’d be looking to force Durant outside of a few areas near the three point line and let him take his shots from elsewhere. At least until the data showed he was getting better from other spots.

    So many of our decisions these days are based on hard data, but are we collecting the correct data? Could we find other data points that might uncover data within data? This article shows that there might be other technologies out there, even in completely unrelated fields, that might help us find new data points to capture, and new patterns that can help us make better decisions. If you are using any type of unusual technology in your business, let us know.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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

  • Geeky Books

    Goodreads
    Goodreads is a neat place to track your reading, and see what others think of books.

    I love to read. It’s one of my hobbies, and I usually go through 50-100 books a year, depending on the subject and the rest of my life. Usually I’m also keeping an eye on Paul Randal, who probably reads more pages than I do in a year, just less books. So far this year, I read 47 books through June 30, though 5 or 6 of those were re-reads from previous years. I have a page on GoodReads that notes a lot of what I read, but it’s not always completely up to date. I’m trying, but I read a lot.

    I recently saw a list of geeky books for the summer. It’s a mix of fiction and nonfiction, science and technology, but all geeky type stuff. As I look through the list of 23 books, I found:

    • Two I’ve read
    • Two on my list to read
    • Two I don’t want to read
    • Nine that I added to my ever growing list of books

    This year I’ll probably get to 100 books. With lots of travel planned, and lots of reading while I’m in the air, it shouldn’t be a problem. I highly encourage people to read, and constantly bug my kids to read more. It’s a good habit to get into, I think it improves your thinking and engagement with the world, it’s fun, and it’s a great habit to build. Both for your career and your life.

    If you’ve got your own geeky recommendations, let us know.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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