Voice of the DBA

Tag: work

  • Missing SQL Bits

    This week is SQL Bits week, which is taking place virtually over in the UK. Things are planned for UK time, and speakers are accommodating them. I had a webinar earlier in the with Grant at 930am my time, 1130 his.  This was after he’d completed a 7.5 hour precon for Bits. He’s quite dedicated to both the company and sharing with others.

    For a number of years, SQL Bits was the conference I looked forward to, planned on attending, and made sure to get submit early and promote my session. This is my favorite conference, and while I do enjoy going to most of them, I have always felt Bits, run by community members, was special, fun, and a highlight of my year.

    Once again, I’m missing the event, and especially missing the chance to see and chat with lots of friends. The last couple years Bits has been in the March/April time frame, conflicting with my coaching commitments in the US. This year I had hoped the move to September would allow me to go, but alas, the UK is still in a lockdown, and I can’t spend 14 days in quarantine.

    As I see the tweets and pictures from friends that are participating, I realize how much I miss the event and the interaction with others in the #sqlfamily. It’s sad to not have any events to go to, but I especially miss SQL Bits this year.

    I don’t know what the future will bring, and I hope that Bits will survive this difficult time. I also hope that they find a way to get back to a live event, whether in 2021 or 2022. I’m already mentally marking my calendar, and hoping I can find a way to go back.

    A few fun memories:

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  • The Habits of Better Teams

    As a developer, I’ve often worked with a team of others, where we discussed the software we were building, what architectures and patterns to adopt, etc. While we all learned to work together, there were plenty of times that it felt as if we were working separately on code, but arguing often about how to make a decision about a technical approach or a priority.

    As a DBA, I’ve often worked alone, though usually interfacing with different teams as needed. In these cases, I’ve often had to learn to make my own decisions and then justify those to others later. The few times I worked with a team of DBAs, it seemed as though this was still the model, independent work, though with everyone deferring to the senior DBA.

    Building a team takes work, and it can be difficult to do so without the support of management. I’m always amazed at how many managers undermine the building of a high performing team, often in contrast to their words or the company’s statements. Many don’t even realize how poorly they promote teamwork, or how they actively prevent it.

    Assuming you can get support, what do you want in your team? I saw a neat post on the habits of high performing teams. These are some of the things you want to install in all your members. I’ve rarely had high psychological safety, though I think we do now at Redgate. I especially like the idea of leveling experience points. I hadn’t thought about it in these terms, but that makes perfect sense to me.

    That last section, where we assume our peers are competent and intelligent resonates with me. I haven’t always done this in the past, but I have tried hard later in my career to listen more, and to assume others are working with the best information they have. Perhaps that’s different than my information, so I should try to have a discussion, not a lecture or a dismissal of their effort.

    That’s something I wish I would have learned a lot earlier in my career.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

  • The New Normal Annoyances

    Recently I re-ran an old editorial on annoyances. The world of work has changed for many of us. For the last few months, many of us have previously worked in offices have had to work at home. We often have partners, roommates, spouses, kids, pets, and more that distract us from the environment we’re used to being in while working on the data platform.

    I don’t know how the world of work will change, but I do know it will. As I write this, I’m not sure when I’ll actually be able to go back to an office to work. While I don’t go often, I am looking forward to spending a few days here and there with others when I’m able. What I’m not sure about is whether I’ll see lots of people or just a few. Will there be rotations of who’s in the office during the week? Will I, as an outsider, be able to meet with the large variety of developers I’m used to seeing, or am I an infection vector to be avoided?

    I suspect that world of remote work will grow for many data professionals. It’s been years since I needed to touch a physical server, and with the changes I’ve seen in many environments, it might not be quite as critical for many of us to show up and meet in a room every week. At the same time, I do think we’ve lost some of the ability to easily collaborate and coordinate our thoughts while we’re remote.

    Now that we’ve had a few months of a different way of working, I wonder if you have any new annoyances that bother you. For me, having more people at home has been a bit of a challenge as noise is a problem at times. It’s not bad, but it’s different than it was in 2019.

    I’ll also say that while meetings seem to be starting on time more often, I find we still have plenty of audio issues, and sometimes video issues. I also find that it’s hard to decide when to talk and when I want to avoid interrupting someone. It seems that we have different delays in hearing each other at times, so we end up with a bit of a talking collision. Overall, however, I’m impressed and surprised at just how smoothly things are going.

    I’m sure many of you are finding new challenges at home. Some from virtual school, perhaps some frustration still from your setup at home, or maybe there’s something else. A few of you might not like the remote meetings and still not be used to them. I think that no matter how you feel, many of us are still going to need to adjust the way we work and learn to cope with our new annoyances for awhile.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

  • Remote Work Benefits

    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.