In my SQL Server CMDB webcast this week, I ran a poll: how many of the ~100 attendees had worked with PowerShell?
- No, but plan to – 40%
- No, and don’t plan to – 40%
- Yes, for 0-6 months – 10%
- Yes, for 6 months or more – 10%
I’m rounding those percentages. The short story was that 4 in 5 DBAs hadn’t used it yet. I’m in that group.
I would have loved to have done more polling on this – for example, I’d like to relate the numbers to the size of the shop. When I talk to DBAs, it seems like the ones in large shops with multiple DBAs are the ones who can really leverage PowerShell. They need to manage large numbers of servers quickly, and PowerShell rocks for that.
I love the idea of PowerShell. If it’d been out back in the DOS days when we were all scripting batch files just to get stuff to run, then I’d be Mr. PowerShell. Windows did need a solid scripting language to facilitate enterprise system administration.
Thing is, I’ve got a limited number of hours in the day that I can use to learn stuff. If I’ve got one week to learn something new, and my choices are, say, databases in the cloud or PowerShell, guess which one wins? The sexy one with huge ROI. If I learn cloud computing, I can start a new online business with nearly zero capital investment. If I learn PowerShell, I can…script server administration. <yawn>
That’s why you don’t see me building demos in PowerShell, and why next Thursday in the SSWUG V-Conference I’m talking about log shipping in the cloud. Log shipping to the cloud is something that works right now, and it’s a great way to dip your toes into some fun new technology. It’s like virtualization was a couple of years ago: cutting edge, hardly anybody was doing it, and even the people who were doing it were only using it as a disaster recovery (or dev/test) option for SQL Server. Fast forward to today, and it’s popping up all over the place, because the technology’s gotten better and we’ve gotten better at using it. Cloud computing is going to have that same initial resistance for a couple/few years, and then it’s going to be much more common.
I was going to end this point by saying, “But if you’re into PowerShell, there’s a presentation at the SSWUG V-Conference for that too,” but as it turns out, there’s not. Hmmm. Well, clouds it is!
Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.
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