Voice of the DBA

Tag: career

  • Back to Basics

    This week I saw a post from Randolph West that covers binary and hexadecimal. It seemed basic and simple to me, but I’m old. I started learning about binary and hex in high school, where we used to tap our fingers to count in binary. Up was “0”, and down was “1”, and with one hand, you count to 31 (from zero). At the time, I thought it was important to know binary and hex to work with computers.

    These days, I’ve rarely had to deal with binary and hex. They aren’t useless in programming, but they are much less used in these days of GB of memory and large data structures. We don’t encode things as often as we used to. Usually now hex just means I’m dealing with varbinary and need to cast it (or render it in some other way).

    During the last few years, I’ve seen some efforts to get back to basics and publish more information that helps people get started or fill in gaps for areas that someone might have missed. Years ago Ed Leighton-Dick started the SQLNewBlogger challenge. I participated, and continue to write some basic posts every week or two. Grant had his database fundamentals series, and SQLServerCentral has published the Stairway Series for some time, giving people a way to get started in some new area of the data platform.

    I think it’s important that we continue to cover the basics in all aspects of the data platform, as well as other areas. The world of technology is so wide, and new people are always starting their journey in their industry. Even for those of us that have worked with SQL Server or some other area for a long time don’t know everything about the platform. We often have as need to learn more about some niche and need some basics to help us. I think Azure Data Factory as a perfect example of this. Many people who worked with SSIS for years might need a few primers on the differences with ADF to understand a slightly new paradigm. Much of cloud computing needs basics, and constant updates to those pieces.

    I know that the basics are always popular at SQL Saturdays and other conferences. The basics often get the most reads as articles, and I am hopeful that we will continue to see those with knowledge remembering that the basics are often the most important part of learning to build better software and systems for the future.

    Steve Jones

  • Should You Learn R or Python?

    I’ve been working on various skills over the last few years, trying to solve some simple problems in Python and PowerShell, in addition to T-SQL, to continue to improve my skills. It’s an interesting challenge at times, especially when I need to use new features or functions to which I haven’t had exposure in the past.

    I also work with R lightly, as I need to build some Questions of the Day for SQLServerCentral and I try to alternate Python and R questions every week. This has caused me to dig in and try to learn more about the language and how to manipulate data.

    Recently I was reading an essay from a consultant that works with clients using both R and Python. The piece talks about the differences and how these work to solve business problems. If you don’t want to read the entire thing, the comparison starts with the simple “you need both”, though there is more to the story.

    The most interesting part of this for me was that the author notes that while these are good languages in different ways for data analysis, they aren’t great for data preparation and SQL is still required. Either a database like SQL Server or a platform like Apache Spark. Part of the reason is that R and Python aren’t very efficient, and as we work with more data and larger workloads, efficiency matters.

    The other part of the piece I liked was the note that we need to collaborate and our work needs to be reproducible for others. I love having git for moving code around and keeping configuration files in a repository of some sort. It has certainly helped me take advantage of bits that others have written and easily reproduce their work on my system.

    While some of us work with just SQL, I expect that we will get involved with other parts of projects and may need to help troubleshoot or improve code. I find both of these languages interesting and a nice complement to each other. I’ve also learned there are places where I much prefer one over the other, especially with some of the Advent of Code problems. Some are simple in SQL, but others are much more suited to Python. I haven’t tried them in R, but I bet some of them would be well suited to that environment.

    If you have tried either, or have a preference, let us know. What are the advantages or disadvantages of each when you are working in a business?

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher, Spotify, or iTunes.

  • Career: Talk To References

    As we try to get through these strange times in the world, I am starting to see a bit more career movement in 2021 than I saw for much of 2020. Whether this is companies starting to hire more and get back to work or people getting tired of their routine and looking for new positions, I’m seeing more people changing jobs.

    Networking has been a great way for people to find good jobs, but you might not have someone that can help you for any particular job. Instead, you might lead an employer along by giving them references that you pick. While some employers might not ask for them or look at them, you can emphasize their importance and value in your career during any interviews, which might convince someone to call them.

    Preparation is Key

    In addition to you being ready for an interview, it is helpful to contact your references and help them get prepared.

    Give them a call, catch up on life, and be sure to remind them of things you did well or want them to emphasize in any call. Giving them a thing or two to think about puts those thoughts in their mind. When a potential employer calls a reference, they can be distracted or otherwise occupied. The things you’ve talked with them about will cue them to highlight what you want them to say.

    There is some good advice in this column, and it’s what I’d do if I needed a new job. It’s also similar to discussions I’ve had when someone has asked me to be their reference. We usually spend 5-10 minutes ensuring that we’re on the same page and I am ready to highlight what’s important to them.

    I don’t mis-represent people, but I do want to focus on the things that are helpful to advancing their career. It’s helpful for me to be prepared, as a colleague and friend.

    If I don’t feel someone is qualified, I’ll tell them and let them decide if they still want me to be a reference.

    Every bit of help you can get in a job search is good. There is a lot of competition out there, so keep working on your network and remember to use it when you are seeking new employment.

  • WIT Mental Health and Wellness Videos Posted

    I was honored to speak at the WIT Mental Health and Wellness day last week and found myself caught up in the other presentations the rest of the day.

    The playlist is available, and there were a few I missed that morning, so I have some other videos to watch when I take a break from work.

    I highly recommend you taking time to watch a few, especially The Power of Laughter and How I Deal with Depression.