SQL Experts and MVPs
SQL Experts and MVPs
Your responses to the question "Are there any SQL Server Experts?" have provided a lot of food for thought. In fact, the biggest question that has come from the whole conversation is, "What is SQL Server?"
I mentioned the breadth of the product in my original post. Others have also commented about how much is now included in an SQL Server license. Still, simply because a person is not an expert in all things that SQL Server can do, does that mean they do not have expertise?
Others have commented on the value add of an Expert. Simply because our MVP community generally does not charge for their assistance, like myself, they do not go into a great deal of depth. Unlike most things, when you use MVPs, you get a LOT more than you pay for; however there is a limit to how much they can assist. You have to dig in yourself. Or, hire an expert or two.
Want to get into the conversation? Send your comments to me at btaylor@sswug.org. Here are some more comments from our readers...
Cheers,
Ben
1. have no life
2. have a desire to continue having no life
I've been using / supporting / knowing MS SQL Server since version 6.5 & I'm nowhere near an expert. It's become such a wide subject area (especially if you include the SSxS products & differences between versions & other products like Oracle, and its usage in C# and vb.Net, and as a basis for other popular MS products like SCOM, and clusters, and up to the minute knowledge of all the bugs & which versions they effect & any known workarounds ... alll of which I would expect an expert to know) that I believe that the level of dedication that would be required to become an expert... and a social life... just cannot exist together concurrently in the same person.
In fact, I'm not entirely certain that it is possible, even without a social life... but I think perhaps the lack of a social life is a prerequisite to even try!
For me, I know enough not to break anything, do some maintenance, keep a cluster ticking over... and the basics to intermediate level of most of the subjects I mentioned... and then I also know what I don't know and how to find out more. That seems like a reasonable compromise to me (and, as an added bonus, I still have enough time left to have friends too!!)
;-)
Best Regards,
Robert
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A SQL Server expert is someone who has a good background and experience in the inner workings of SQL Server. But also can quickly solve problems when they arise. A SQL Server expert may not know everything about SQL Server such as SSIS, SSRS and SSAS. Due to there solid background and experience, they can pick up on it very quickly.
Andre
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In today’s world of ever expanding technologies, features and specialties, I agree that it’s hard to be an expert in any general area, i.e., Programming, Databases, Hardware. When I began my career in the 1980’s, those were attainable areas of expertise. Now days, you can be certified as an expert in one of many specific specialties of a category. I hear you voicing a similar approach to mine, I try to know what’s out there so if I need to know it for a project then I’ll dig deeper, until then, it’s too lofty a goal to deep-dive into everything in I.T. That’s where team-building of different, sometimes, overlapping skills is so important for a well-equipped project team.
John
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I saw Brian Moran’s article on Shortage of SQL Server experts.
I agree that the SQL Server community needs more MVPs. SQL Server encompasses many areas (SSRS, SSAS, SSIS) – too many to be an “expert” in all of the areas with SQL Server’s technology changing every few years. But it is possible to be proficient in all of the SQL Server areas. And that is where the MVP comes in....
Wayne
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9/7/2010
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SQL Experts Are Here
SQL Experts Are Here
My in-box is full with responses to my little rant about the SQL MVP, and are there really any SQL Experts. Many people have responded with similar feelings. There were a couple replies that don't necessarily agree. Here's some food for thought.
Ben,
You pose an interesting question. I would say that there IS a shortage. I would also say that with all the RIF'ing that there is a shortage of experts in general.
I work with a company that has provided software to major retailers for many, many years. We've seen IT departments go from knowing little to being experts to being decimated to the point of just 'duct-taping' systems to keep things running. These people know their stuff, but are spread so thin that it's all they can do to get through the day much less improve things.
What has happened in the last few years is stunning. As companies have outsourced their IT departments, there is little we can do. Penny wise, pound foolish. Daily I witness companies band-aiding their systems just to keep things going. The companies that are now handling IT duties at companies that have outsourced are barely competent(to be kind) compared to their predecessors.
So, short answer, YES! There is a definite shortage of SQL Server experts.
Hope this didn't come off as a rant...not my intention.
SR
Hi there,
I work at a (at least in Sweden) rare company constallation of only SQL Server "experts" in a consultancy firm that concentrates on bringing solutions to customers with SQL Server problems. One of our guys are that kind of a MVP person that burns like a candle in the dark to spread knowledge and help people get better, faster and more reliable SQL Server data to the right peeps. Håkan Winther, as his name is, strive to be out there on the forums answering questions, when me and others of my kind thinks "that would be nice to know, but to be able to answer, I must first refresh my knowledge a bit" and waits for his answer to come. :)
It is kind of hard these days to follow the diverse product categories within SQL Server; CLR, Filestream, AS, RS, SSIS, azure etc. I'm sticking to T-SQL atm and even there I find new findings if not weekly, then at least monthly.
There are a lot of us out there that has been around since early SQL Server versions, but a few that keep surfing that bleeding edge of newly released or "next version" beta versions deepest secrets. But there has to be more than those that are considered experts. I guess that when you "breathe" SQL Server all your working time, and still manage to spread the word, solving problems and helping folks, then you can consider yourself an expert.
Jonas
Ben
There is no shortage of SQL Experts. There is a a shortage of SQL Experts that will work for substandard wages and conditions and produce the results that clients are expecting. The expectations have gotten out of hand. Too often companies have a check list and want to get "experts" at journeyman rates for piecemeal commitments. When an expert confronts them with the real cost for the results they are seeking the expert is dismissed. As 30 year veteran of the industry with deep and broad experience going back to Sybase roots of SQL Server working with all of the associated technologies I know. Too often clients are sold a bill of goods from vendors that what they would like to accomplish is cheap and easy (this is rarely the case). Too often the problems they want to address have nothing to do with SQL Server but that is where the problems become apparent. There is rarely a silver bullet.
We have picked most of the low hanging fruit and the problems are generally more complex and do not have a simple technology cure. The days of having a SQL wizard wave a few lines of SQL script to solve a problem are over. Solutions take far longer and reach deeper into the organization so that "experts" are generally the bearers of bad news and dismissed.
We as "experts" also bear significant blame. We try to please clients/employers too often and don't take a big picture view. We in the industry must manage expectations better and make sure that we look at the total solution. Too often we give the client/employer what they ask for and not what they need.
Regards,
Dan
If you want to get into the conversation, send your comments to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben
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9/6/2010
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Can Your Database Handle the Stress?
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The SSWUG.ORG Virtual Conference - all 74+ sessions of it! - rates will be going up in the next day or two. We're holding them off just a bit for last minute registrations at the current rates. Make sure you register today - and here's a VIP link that you can use to save additional money off the early bird rate:
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Can Your Database Handle the Stress?
Stress testing is one of the last things we tend to implement when developing a database. There are lots of reasons I can think of without really trying:
- It's hard to stress test when you don't have a lot of data already in the database.
- It's difficult to predict what kinds of loads will really occur.
- It's difficult and/or expensive to build a hardware and software environment providing expected results from your production systems.
- It takes time/resources/$ to develop stress tests.
- It's just not fun and feels like the time isn't worth the risk.
The cost of not stress testing came home to me recently when a client added the proverbial straw, breaking the camel's back. They were using a view that was on the cusp of not working. It had many tables, a few scalar functions, and a lot (I mean a LOT) of case statements with multiple branches. The view was already on our radar to be re-factored.
Before we could get to it, another requirement came that was implemented with one additional case statement. We made the change and unit tested with great success. So, the change was pushed into production, where things quickly choked and died.
Query performance times went from sub second to a minute or more; just adding that one last case statement.
Many of us have experienced this kind of scenario. So, I'm looking for experiences and solutions from you. Vendors that have tools to help with this kind of problem are invited to reply as well. All comers are welcome. Send your responses to btaylor@sswug.org and I'll be glad to post them in future newsletters. Feel free to send input for other reasons you have not been able to implement stress testing as well.
Cheers,
Ben
SSWUG.org Free Expo Event Friday, September 24, 2010 9:00 a.m. PT
This free expo will focus on SQL Server Performance Monitoring, Tuning & Troubleshooting. Working with SQL Server to provide for excellent performance means understanding your options. This expo will focus on items you’ll want to know for monitoring your SQL Servers, then what you can do with that information to have systems that work well.
Register here.
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9/3/2010
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How to Grow a DBA
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How To Grow a DBA
Thank you for the large response to my editorial on How To Grow a DBA on 8/24. In it I shared then the story of a Business Analyst who wanted to become a DBA and was looking for insight how to make the transition.
My in box filled rapidly with responses, so don't be hurt if your's isn't presented here.
One of the ways many of our readers were able to make the switch was by becoming deeply interested in projects requiring their current skills allowing them to work closely with the technical implementation.
Adam writes:
I was an MIS Analyst (build/run reports) with ... and we needed a data mart. The report data was stored in Access, but that was falling apart so my manager decided to use SQL Server 2000. I had to figure out how to use SQL Server through trial and error (lots of errors). The company then built a large data warehouse and I was very involved with that. It started me down the road of being a DBD/DBA – mostly in SQL Server, but I’ve dabbled in MySQL, DB2, and Oracle. Today, 10 years later, I do DBD and DBA work for a large non-profit. I never meant to do this type of work, but I’m happy to be an accidental DBA.
Steve started by taking the point for implementing a new technology:
I became a DBA when my employer decided to use DB2 on MVS. This would have been in '86 or '87; DB2 version 1.2. I was asked if I wanted to work on the first application that would use DB2 or if I would be interested in administering DB2. That was an easy decision; I wanted to know it intimately rather than just use it.
You mention becoming an intern or a DBA assistant. No, since I was the ONLY one I had to learn on my own. Well, I did take a few classes. And the user groups were a big help when I could get to them. They were 100 miles South or 200 hundred miles North.
Since then I've worked with lots of RDBMSes on several different platforms, but my favorite is still Big DB2.
A DBA has to know so much - software install, tuning at the system level and the appl level, data design, application design, the utilities and knowing when they are needed, recovery, help EVERYBODY with EVERYTHING including JCL and COBOL and Assembler (because the program accesses DB2), DBA needs to know communications between boxes and OSes, gotta have a good logical programmer mind, the progamming staff will expect the DBA to know the programmer's application better than the programmer does, and on and on and on. Did I even mention SQL? a DBA needs to know how to code SQL and do it well.
It can be rewarding, but it is a challenge. Someone should only pursue being a DBA if they love the challenge and are willing to WORK and not just "Google it."
I'll share some more insights next week. In the mean time, if you have a topic you'd like to see addressed feel free to drop a note or comment to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben
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9/2/2010
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Bit Mapping Rewind
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So I've been playing with Bit Maps and had a few things to share as a follow up of the editorial of 8/20/2010.
Like most ideas, they aren't new. Just new application of things we did years ago.
Ed writes:
Just a small cavil - In the last paragraph of the article "And a Little Bit More" of the 8/20/10 SSWUG newsletter, you said "...my intention is to wet your appetite...". I'm sure you hope to whet (sharpen it or give it an edge) our appetite rather than pour cold water over us.
But thanks for the article. Using the bit mask is an old IMS trick to save space but still be searchable back when IMS didn't do bits. Good idea and very well written.
Well, Ed, I appreciate the editing. Grammar has always been my weakest skill (besides surfing).
So, while playing with the idea I had a customer with a table containing 200+ bit columns that were truly unique. The table only had 140k rows. No matter what I did it ended up performing a table scan because of all the comparisons being performed. I was able to reduce the 200+ columns into four BIGINT columns.
Since the optimizer was performing a table scan I created a clustered index on the few non BIT columns, for which user parameters were supplied, reducing the number of comparisons marginally. Then I converted each of the BIT input Parameters into 4 BIT MAP BIGINT Variables. Short story, my query time dropped from 2+ seconds to 156 ms. Even though it had to perform a bitwise AND on every row that was scanned, and convert the input parameters into 4 comparison variables..
I guess thats enough on bits. I just wanted to whet your appetite :-) and encourage you to try them when you have a problem that really needs them. The save space, and can increase query performance when BIT columns are needed.
Keep your comments and critiques coming to btaylor@sswug.org. We're always open to things you'd like us to cover as well.
Cheers,
Ben
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9/1/2010
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