Professional Development

104

Let’s run an anonymous database-industry-wide salary survey that you could actually use when talking to managers. Here’s the questions I’ve thought of so far – not unlimited, but just trying to strike a balance between questions that would actually give you some value, versus not so many questions that people won’t bother filling it out:…

Screenshot Interview Question: “What would you do if you saw this?”

July 4, 2016

Interviewing

In this week’s episode of our screenshot interview series, you’re applying for a database professional position who will be on call. You’re not necessarily the DBA, but you’re a member of the team on rotation. While you’re on call, you get an email from the help desk asking if there’s a problem on the production data…

What’s the Greatest Compliment You Ever Received?

June 23, 2016

Doug Lane

It takes as little as one word. One word from a co-worker, blog commenter, or Stack Overflow user can make you feel like a champ. (Or a chump, depending on the word.) (Let’s focus on feeling like a champ.) What’s the greatest compliment you ever received about your professional work? Did someone compliment your tenacity, your calm under…

30,000 Comments

June 21, 2016

Blogging, SQL Server

It feels kinda arbitrary, but it’s a champagne moment: Thanks to everybody who’s ever stopped by, left a comment, and taken part in the discussions. (An extra-special thanks to folks who even addressed us by the right names, and didn’t call everybody else here Brent, hahaha.) I started this thing over a decade ago, but you,…

First Day Deal Breakers

May 31, 2016

Erik Darling

Starting a new job can be scary If you’re not already established in your field, don’t know the company all that well, or taking on a role with a higher level of responsibility, it’s totally okay if you start drinking in the parking lot. Just kidding! Start drinking at home, that gives you more time…

Preparation, Is It In You?

May 30, 2016

Richie Rump

Writing and Presenting

Backups aren’t just for databases. Are you ready for the BitLocker of Doom? Back in 2012, I started on a journey of sharing my technical knowledge by giving technical presentations. Now this might scare the living jeepers out of most people, but I found it exciting and fulfilling. Since then, I try to speak at…

SQL Interview Question: “Tell me what you see in this screenshot.”

May 23, 2016

You’re a data professional working with (or at least applying to work with) a company using the StackOverflow database (I’m using the March 2016 version today). Your users are complaining that this stored procedure is slow: usp_GetPostsByOwnerUserId They didn’t give you parameter 26837 – I’m just giving you that so you can see an execution plan.…

SQL Interview Question: “Talk me through this screenshot.”

May 16, 2016

After writing about “For Technical Interviews, Don’t Ask Questions, Show Screenshots”, lots of folks asked what kinds of screenshots I’d show. Here’s this week’s example. I show each screenshot on a projector (or shared desktop) to the candidate and say: What’s this screen from? What does the screen mean? If it was a server you inherited from…

What I Look For When I’m Hiring Database Professionals

May 12, 2016

Matan, Guy, and I recording the podcast On today’s episode of the SQL Server Radio podcast, I talk with Guy Glantser and Matan Yungman about what we look for when we’re hiring. In the broadest sense, don’t think junior or senior: I’m hiring someone for what they already know, or I’m hiring someone for their…

SQL Interview Question: “Talk me through this query.”

May 2, 2016

Last month’s post “For Technical Interviews, Don’t Ask Questions, Show Screenshots” was a surprise hit, and lots of folks asked for more details about the types of screenshots I’d show. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share a few more. Normally I’d show this query as a screenshot, but for easier copy/pasting into comments, I’m…

For Technical Interviews, Don’t Ask Questions. Show Screenshots.

April 6, 2016

interviewing

When you’re hiring a DBA, sysadmin, or developer, you’re not paying them to answer Trivial Pursuit questions all day long. You’re hiring them to look at a screen, connect a few dots, and interpret what’s happening. So for a position, I build a PowerPoint deck with a bunch of screenshots from the actual environment they’ll be…

How to Get Your Very First Full Time DBA Job

January 19, 2016

#SQLPass, SQL Server, Writing and Presenting

It’s about time. Step 1: get a job as a developer or a sysadmin. Step 2: stand near the database. Step 3: wait. Almost every DBA I know got their start this way. Sooner or later, something went wrong with the database, and management grabbed the nearest person and yelled, “You! You look smart and…

We Are Ready For Risk-Taking Presenters

December 16, 2015

Doug Lane

June 2, 2011. I woke up around 5:00 AM, got dressed, left my cruise ship cabin and went downstairs to find a place to write about the dream I’d just had: A database murdered. Suspects isolated together on a ship. Technical sleuthing. I knew immediately this was a presentation I needed to give. It would be a…

What Gear Do I Need to Make Technical Videos?

November 24, 2015

Doug Lane

Home Office, Writing and Presenting

Today, I’m going to answer the #1 question I get when it comes to making technical videos: “What gear do I need to make my own videos?” I’ve put together three lists based on different levels of experience and production quality. These lists cover gear only, not essentials of producing a high-quality video, so keep…

I’m on the Away From the Keyboard Podcast

October 6, 2015

Blogging, SQL Server

Away From the Keyboard Podcast Cecil Phillip (@cecilphillip) and Richie Rump (@jorriss) interviewed me for their podcast, Away From the Keyboard. In the half-hour discussion, we talked about: Why I’m a huge believer in giving away stuff for free How I got started with Topspeed Clarion, then moved to SQL Server When I started blogging,…

Consulting Lines: “Let’s put that in the parking lot.”

September 14, 2015

Consulting, Consulting Lines

consulting

There’s a fine art to running a productive meeting, keeping the discussion focused and scoping things tight to meet your scheduled finish time. Today’s consulting lines post is about keeping people happy while still finishing meetings on time. Let’s join a troubleshooting session where I’ve been brought in to help a client whose AlwaysOn Availability Groups are failing…

Consulting Lines: “Keep going. What else?”

August 31, 2015

Consulting, Consulting Lines

Some of my consulting lines are all about context. Let’s just jump right into a project kickoff meeting with an architect and a few developers: The Conversation Me: “So, what pains is this SQL Server having?” Phil I. Buster: “When I first started out here, we had SQL Server 2005. The app only had a…

How Do You Manage DBAs? Part 2: Training Budgets

August 19, 2015

In part 1 of this series, I explained how to measure your DBAs. Today, let’s talk about how to make those measurements better. Your DBA wants to get better at what they do, but … they don’t know exactly what it is they do, or how to get the business to pay for it. Here’s how.…

Consulting Lines: “I have a hard stop at…”

August 17, 2015