T-SQL question

[Spacecadet]

Way back in the olden days, programmers designed queries, not DBAs.

some of us are dedicated database developers, having said that, after a certain point knowledge of how to be a DBA is important as you need to know what is happening under the hood to really get the most out of a database.

It is a different skill to designing code.

Indeed, writing good SQL requires being able to think in terms of interacting sets of data rather than repeatable actions.
Many a time I've rewritten other peoples code to remove cursor loops which although functionally correct are very inefficient and go against the whole ethos of SQL query writing. Typically a stored procedure which uses a cursor and takes 10 minutes to run can be rewritten as a single query which will run in a fraction of a second.

Do they still teach students stuff like 3NF at college?

I should hope so!

It really is worth learning the basics of how indexes work and how to read a query execution plan - it will make a huge difference to how your queries run.

[Zippy]

In the old SSADM days you had the luxury of designing up front. SSADM - I think I read about that in an old computer studies history e-book. :-P

Most of my work involves changing requirements in an agile environment with dynamic requirements. Its not always ideal but thats the world we young 'uns who have just come out of college operate. The way the data is consumed and populated can change from iteration to iteration.

Joking aside, the assumptions you make about my age are WILDLY inaccurate. If I wasn't such a cool and hip oldie, I would have probably found your comments mildly offensive, at least briefly, and then, I would have dismissed them as a product of senile dementia.

The success of projects run using agile methodologies is predicated on having a team of highly skilled individuals who can not only gather requirements and design applications, but who will re-write code where they find it to be deficient. Dynamic requirements are no excuse young man.

[lightng]

The success of projects run using agile methodologies is predicated on having a team of highly skilled individuals who can not only gather requirements and design applications, but who will re-write code where they find it to be deficient. Dynamic requirements are no excuse young man.

Duly noted. Jeez I can't wait till I'm 23, so you lot will stop bullying me

[Zippy]

Duly noted. Jeez I can't wait till I'm 23, so you lot will stop bullying me

Oh stop blubbing lightng minor!

[mudskipper]

Joking aside, the assumptions you make about my age are WILDLY inaccurate. If I wasn't such a cool and hip oldie, I would have probably found your comments mildly offensive, at least briefly, and then, I would have dismissed them as a product of senile dementia.

Sorry grandad (or grandma - no gender assumptions!) No offence meant. I wasn't making assumptions about your age, merely lamenting my own!

[Weltchy]

I find execution plans can be a bit hit and miss unless your really careful/clever with how you structure your SQL Statements.

[lightng]

Sorry grandad (or grandma - no gender assumptions!) No offence meant. I wasn't making assumptions about your age, merely lamenting my own!

Eh up! By calling me a grandad or grandma, you are also making sexual orientation assumptions.

[vetran]

No great sql genius but using views is BAAD.

Works fine then the owner of the view asks for the view to be changed to restrict xyz data then your beautiful sql is broken and you have no idea how to fix it. You wrote it two years ago.

Indexing is your friend 10 times speed improvements very normal.

Take as little data as you need then work with it, the first cut is the deepest.

[Ardesco]

Eh up! By calling me a grandad or grandma, you are also making sexual orientation assumptions.

You can be gay and still a grandparent (a few years marriage as a when you were young that resulted in children before you realised that men/women were not for you, or the same again for your partner)

HTH

[lightng]

You can be gay and still a grandparent (a few years marriage as a when you were young that resulted in children before you realised that men/women were not for you, or the same again for your partner)

OK, so there was a tiny hole in my statement. I just hope nobody brings up the turkey baster flaw too.