Daily Coping 14 Sep 2020

Posted on September 14, 2020 by way0utwest

I 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 notice the things you do well today, however small.

I live on a horse ranch, and there is never a shortage of work. While I do enjoy the break from sitting at a computer, I’m glad I don’t do that type of work every day. It’s hard, and gets harder on my body every year.

There’s something strangely satisfying by accomplishing a physical task well. I take a lot of pride in being able to build software or deliver a presentation online, but it feels ephemeral.

Shoveling a stall clean, or some other mindless task brings me a good sense of accomplishment. Yesterday, this was fixing fence. We have vinyl wires for horse fence, and those will break at times. It’s not hard to fix them, but it does take some attention to get a new line spliced in and tight.

I planned on fixing a couple spots I’d noticed while feeding Saturday and ended up finding 3 more. I think I did a good job, since my wife noticed the fence was whole Winking smile

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Automation is a Key Skill for the Modern DBA

Posted on September 12, 2020 by way0utwest

This month we had T-SQL Tuesday #130, hosted by Elizabeth Noble. Elizabeth and I had some good talks about database development and DevOps last year, and I managed to convince her to host one of the blog parties. I had expected that people might focus on the software development side of automation, but many of the posts cover administrative topics.

The recap is coming next week, and I look forward to it, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. Good DBAs, as well as many sysadmins and Operations staff, have known that automation is important for years. It helps to ensure a smooth running environment and helps us cope with the volume of work that is thrust upon us.

There were a few interesting posts. Greg Dodd talks about the advantages for his employer when he automates things, which is important to think about. Spending time automating things can slow down the initial closing of tickets, but it pays dividends in the future. It’s an investment, which is something to think about when you try to reduce repetitive work. Especially if your boss is concerned about the time taken to solve some tickets.

One of the big advantages of DevOps, as well as general automation, is consistency. Taoib Ali explains how he enforces trace flags with automation, and Kevin Chant talks about SQL Server updates. Deepthi Goguri explains how to handle DBA work at scale. These are all situations where a little automation is not only useful, but perhaps essentially to reducing mistakes and human error.

As we move to a larger number of versions to support, a great variety of platforms, including the cloud, it’s critical that a DBA not be required to click around in SSMS or connect to lots of systems to manage them. Learning to automate can produce some great blog posts for your brand, give you interesting conversation ice breakers at events (or on social media), and generate some stories that will impress interviewers.

If you aren’t sure how to get started, consider reading Eitan’s Laws of Automation. It’s a look at what to automate, why, and a few ideas on implementing changes.

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Remote Work Benefits

Posted on September 11, 2020 by way0utwest

It seems as though many of us that have been remote working will continue to do so. I see some offices opening, but not many. I had one friend that had everyone go back to their office in Denver, but they tend to all close their office doors so they don’t have to wear masks and they do their meetings over Zoom. Seems crazy to go into the office for that.

The weight of this type of work continuing for the next six or more months has been a little tough for me at times. That sounds crazy, for someone that’s been a remote worker for over a decade, but I used to regularly go to offices, visit people, or even go work in Starbucks. Those types of things aren’t happening for me now. I am going to try and see if I can get a few more lunches with friends, especially when the weather changes a bit.

If we are going to continue to work from home, some things likely need to change for some of us. On a call recently a friend asked about my Secret Lab chair, since this individual had an old chair and knew their organization wasn’t bringing them back until sometime in Q1 2021 at the earliest. They needed to get better set up at home to work.

I saw an article that some companies are thinking about this new setup, how they might save money on office space and infrastructure, but also perhaps invest some of this in employees. There are companies that pay for phones, broadband, and some necessities, but some are thinking about doing more.

They may not only invest in computer equipment, but might do a stipend to allow employees to better set up their home office, which may just be their new office. Perhaps some allowance for furniture or other equipment. I know some are considering monthly allowances for the additional expenses employees have, such as more electricity for equipment or heating/cooling. I know Redgate has offered some of this to our staff.

Ultimately, we need to ensure we have an ergonomic, long term place to work, which is challenging for some. I continue to see people working from dining tables, sofas, and more, which are fine for some ad hoc typing, but not good for sustained periods of concentration. If your company isn’t planning on going back to an office, perhaps you want to ask about some benefits. At least a chair, as I think having a nice chair has made a big difference to my comfort across the last six months.

I do think it’s important to get a good ergonomic setup if you are going to be here for a long time. Especially if there are others in your house and you all need to be sure you can work effectively and concentrate on what your employer expects you to do.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

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Social: Privilege

Posted on September 11, 2020 by way0utwest

I ran across the Privilege challenge on Facebook. A friend posted it, and I took a minute to watch it. I ended up with 4/10 fingers still up. Not bad for a minority.

In case you think this is just some liberal thing, I actually found this reported on Fox News with a link to the video when I searched.

I recognize in many cases I don’t put myself in positions that would get me into trouble. I’m cautious and conservative by nature, and I don’t go out late, don’t make disturbances or trouble, and am very careful when traveling. I think about where I go and when.

Because I have to. Not because I want to, but because it potentially could get me into trouble.

Not likely to, but could. I do actively have this in mind.

I’ve slipped into the white American world for much of my life. My Mom is white, I’ve been economically successful, I tried to blend in, and I try to pass. As a result, I’ve been in conversations and situations where whites, law enforcement, those in power, etc. have denigrated or actively abused people of color or women.

I worked in a bar where the police were often used to harass, prevent entry to, or expel blacks. Why? Prejudice. I’m somewhat embarrassed I didn’t stand up for others. It felt bad, but I was looking out for myself. Police were happy to comply and complain about and support, the desire to discriminate.

I’ve been in discussions with management where they were against hiring minorities. Often when we get down to the last 2-3 candidates, I’ve heard discussions that we should pick the white man because he fits in better than the colored person or woman.

I’m privileged in many ways. I’m a man, I’m financially successful, and I act and speak in a way that fits in with what’s expected in the US. Maybe one other thing that stands out to me is my name. No prejudice often when someone gets a note from me or sees my name in print.

I’m also not so privileged in some ways. I am a person of color. I’ve been harassed by government officials. I’ve had people give me poor looks, step away, or refuse to touch me. I’ve had people drop change on a surface so as not to give it to me, when they didn’t do that to the person in front of me.

There could be other explanations for these situations, but collectively, they always serve to remind me that I’m different from many others.

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