One big question for software developers and IT departments in small companies is always “should I hire a DBA?” The fact that one is asking this question demonstrates that there are some symptoms that need a deeper diagnosis than you can handle. This may be a concern about backup procedures, database slowness for users, or errors … Read more
About ten years ago, my friends and family were abandoning their Myspace accounts and heading to Facebook. I fought it for a while but eventually assimilated and ended up with over 650 Facebook “friends” at last count. Even my mother embraced the platform, very happy that she could see frequently updated photos of her many … Read more
It was a rough winter for flying in and out of Heathrow as the UK experienced unusually cold and snowy weather. Unfortunately, one of my colleagues and I landed at Heathrow on 10 December during one of these storms. There was just a small amount of snow on the ground, but thousands of passengers were … Read more
A myriad of laws regulate data retention and generally compete with each other. William Brewer provides an introduction to the principles, but gives good advice -- leave the details to the specialists. … Read more
We make a special effort in March to acknowledge the accomplishments of women. Women have been making gains in many professions over the past several decades but are still underrepresented in technology. There are several hypotheses about why this is the case, but often women find they are not welcome in the “brogrammer” cultures of … Read more
Time management is simply the ability to plan how and where you spend your time throughout the work day. When you have a proper time management strategy in place, you will be more productive, enjoy your work more and have less stress. The process of implementing time management is really quite simple; it’s all about … Read more
News reports about data breaches are common occurrences. Even the companies that exist to keep our data safe are not immune. William Brewer answers the question about data breaches that you may be too shy to ask. … Read more
I’ve been fortunate enough to work from my home office for the past six years. My commute is about twelve steps, or, occasionally, a 45-minute drive to the nearest airport. It may not be for everyone, but I think that more employers should let their workers take advantage of an arrangement like this. Since I … Read more
Database administrators have enormous responsibility whether they manage one or hundreds of servers. Monica Rathbun tells us how she survived as the Lone DBA for 56 database servers for over a decade. While many DBAs work on teams instead of alone, she has great advice for all.… Read more
While software is among the most widely used products in human history, it also has one of the highest failure rates due to poor quality. In this article, Cynthia Dzikiti explains how quality should be part of all aspects of the software lifecycle. … Read more
Technology is constantly moving forward, but it is also helpful to understand how we arrived where we are today. Joe Celko reminisces about the history of database design and how it relates to the concept of ‘Degree of Duplication’ in this article.… Read more
There are many reasons why one would consider hiring a professional database administrator (DBA). You may be concerned about user experience issues such as errors or slowness, or possibly backend items like backups, security or stability. If your database is hosted on a SQL Server, eventually you will run into issues that you cannot solve … Read more
A company’s data is one of its most valuable and important resources. Managing and protecting that data are big responsibilities, and a data governance processes must be put into place to avoid misuse and to meet regulations. In this article, William Brewer answers questions you may have about data governance but were too shy to ask.… Read more
Time is a precious commodity, and so much of our time is dedicated to working. IT professionals often have jobs with good benefits, including generous paid time off. It’s very important to get away from work to relax and recharge, but, sometimes, it’s difficult to take those days that belong to us. Even when we … Read more
Artificial intelligence (AI) is touching many parts of our lives and careers. Rama Anem discusses the impact of AI on software testing and how testers’ skills must adapt.… Read more
There are many things that separate humans from other animals. One of those things is our interest in improving ourselves. Many of us are motivated, especially this time of year, to learn languages, better our health, develop leadership qualities, or increase wealth. There is an entire genre of literature dedicated to self-improvement, also known as … Read more
A proper database design is very important, and changes to fix problems after the fact are expensive. In this article, Joe Celko discusses three aspects of database design that are often overlooked: validation, verification, and modification.… Read more
If you are a fan of the many Star Trek television series and movies, you may have noticed how easily the characters communicate with other crew members and the ships’ computers. Their devices work flawlessly unless the current plot requires that they malfunction, are blocked, or are stolen. While the communication devices we use on … Read more
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be in effect in May of 2018. Data masking is one technique that can help your organization comply with this and other regulations. William Brewer answers those questions about data masking that you were too shy to ask.… Read more
Depending on what you read, you will find advice to ‘follow your passion’ and, alternatively, ‘don’t follow your passion’. The former assumes you will be able to turn an interest into a career if you just love it enough to do what it takes to make it happen. The latter recommends that you should find … Read more
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