Voice of the DBA

Category: Editorial

  • The Year in Review – 2011

    Big Data and The Cloud were a large part of 2011

    It’s the end of the year, and I’m taking a look back at 2011 from the data perspective. As we close out the year, it’s apparent that “big data” has been catching on with many companies. It seems that every week we have some headline that talks about “big data” in some way. Even Microsoft has joined in with  their work with Hadoop and SQL Server.

    The other big push in 2011 seems to have been “the cloud”. It’s everywhere, from consumer Windows 7 commercials to the updates to the SQL Server tools to support the SQL Azure platform. I haven’t found many people that are excited about moving their databases to the cloud, but more and more people are testing the platform, and I suspect we’ll start to see some apps that don’t require high security or extremely high performance appearing in the cloud in 2012. I have embraced the cloud in many ways over the last couple years (Evernote, Dropbox, Live Mesh) and I find it to be an advantage in managing a busy life.

    We had our share of high profile data breaches as well, with some very high profile ones, including RSA, the security vendor. We could add in the Carrier IQ fiasco, which showed a little abuse of consumer trust with the debugging code they developed.

    A few other notable items in the data world for me. The first was the death of Steve Jobs. While most of us working with SQL Server don’t use Apple products, the changes that Steve Jobs brought to the world, most recently the iPhone and iPad, have altered the way we consume data in many facets of our lives. The second item, was the split of Netflix into two businesses, and the failed idea that splitting our online and physical DVD data into separate sites wouldn’t be an issue. The reversal of that decision showed me just how valuable centralization is for many consumers.

    There were many stories that touched data in our lives in 2011, and it seemed to be a busier year than ever before for me. However one large milestone for me was the 100th SQL Saturday event in Brazil. It’s hard to believe there have been 100 events, with 45 events in 2011. Seeing the SQL Server community come together to embrace, help, and inspire each other, both online and off, has been amazing. If you haven’t tried to interact with others through LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus, or some other social media, I urge you to try in 2012.

    I hope that you have had a great 2011, and I look forward to an even better 2012.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

  • Data and Privacy

    Privacy issues definitely apply for logging and debugging code.

    Recently there’s been quite an outcry over Carrier IQ’s software, which is on many smartphones and allows keystroke logging and capture of almost anything you do on your phone and transmit. Google’s Eric Schmidt condemned the use of the software, and there are numerous lawsuits being filed.

    Whether you think this software is legitimate or Carrier IQ and the carriers had the right to deploy it, you should be aware that from a public perspective this is a failure of software. It seems as though a back door of sorts, a spy program has been developed and approved by companies that sell cellular phone services, and it is a poor reflection of their business.

    I see legitimate uses for this software. It could be incredibly useful in debugging software and finding issues. If it’s enabled and captured by the end user. Having the vendor capable of accessing this information, however, is a very bad decision. It’s the equivalent of Microsoft being able to turn on trace or extended events on your instance and have all that data sent back to them in near real time.

    Many of us develop software, and we need to implement logging, and diagnostic functions that enable us to track down issues. However we ought to respect the privacy and potential perception of our customers and limit the ways in which we implement these features. We should design the functions to allow for a reasonable expectation of privacy when appropriate, and we should fully disclose how and when we are collecting data in the application.

    The other great lesson to take from this is the way we handle potential issues if they arise. Carrier IQ could have done a much better job of working with those that had concerns if they had respected and discussed the concerns, rather than dismissing the issues and attacking the people that raised them. That’s a communication lesson we all could remember in any conflict at work.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

  • Merry Christmas 2011

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    Enjoy the blooper reel

  • All I want for Christmas

    It’s the Christmas holiday, and many of you might be already out celebrating and away from work this week. Today is usually a day off for many companies, with last minute preparations for the celebrations this weekend.

    Those of us working in IT are very lucky for the most part. We have good jobs, jobs that don’t require heavy physical exertions, we work in offices not in inclement weather, and we are paid well relative to many other professions.

    I’m not Santa Claus, but I’ll offer up a virtual knee for this holiday poll:

    What would you like to get for Christmas?

    I’m looking for anything technology related, for work, for fun, or for the family. It doesn’t even have to require electricity, but what fun gift would you like to get this year? Have some fun and dream a little, but not too much. Someone close to you might read your answer and actually pick out the gift for you if it’s affordable and reasonable.

    For me, there’s not much I want or need in the technology space, and I’m actually trying to reduce the amount of technology stuff I have and work “lighter” with less stuff. However the one thing that I don’t need, but I’d like, is an Airport Extreme router that I can mount in the kitchen, add a set of speakers, and plug in my iPhone for music while I cook.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts