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Writing
90 posts, Page 9 of 9
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n.hadley
n.hadley
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 2:33 AM
Forum Newbie
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 2:39 AM
Points: 1,
Visits: 7
This is a great question. I like to write, but the older I get the more I doubt the value of any information or opinion I have, let alone my ability to communicate it effectively.
Given the amount of bad information and general emotive comments on the internet, which I believe is devaluing it as a resource, I think we should all think about when it is appropriate to write.
Post #1428457
David McKinney
David McKinney
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 7:29 AM
Mr or Mrs. 500
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 7:52 AM
Points: 582,
Visits: 1,603
What I've learned is that you don't have to be
the
authority on a subject to write about it. Sure, you should check the veracity of what you've written, and should read other stuff that's been written on the subject to ensure you haven't missed something obvious, but most of the time the subject matter isn't actually 'new'.
For me, an article is like teaching something on paper rather than orally.
Think of the best teacher you ever had. He / She still had to follow a syllabus; what sets apart an exceptional teacher is their capacity to present the material in such away that it interests you, and that you can understand.
Don't let your peceived lack of knowledge on a subject get in the way. Do the research, and share your findings. It can be an extremely rewarding experience.
David McKinney.
Post #1428576
PhilM99
PhilM99
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 8:18 AM
SSC Veteran
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: 2 days ago @ 7:35 PM
Points: 273,
Visits: 227
I'm a developer and an 'Accidental DBA'. These forums have saved my a%$ more times than I can count. I am always struck by the accuracy and helpfulness seen here. So I don't write because it's forever, and it's embarassing to have your inexperienced posts stuck up there forever. The competition from some of the main contributors is awesome, I mean they're not really competing, but the bar is set really high. And being a one-man-shop, I just really want to know how to make it work, with some degree of efficiency.
Like Backup. I just want my databases to be reasonably well protected. But there are so many options one can barely read the documentation. I'm like many others, when I Google for something and see one of the links is MSDN documentation, I shy away from it, knowing it will present EVERYTHING about the subject, leaving me nowhere except to muddle through it all.
Some of my experiences are hilarious, I wish I would keep notes. One time I was Googling for a solution to a db problem and hit an entry that sounded exactly like the problem I was having. The more I read, the more it sounded the same. And there it was, I had posted almost the exact same thing three years earlier, totally forgetting.
So why don't I write: My experiences constantly teach me: YOU KNOW NOTHING!
Post #1428600
Lynn Pettis
Lynn Pettis
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 9:28 AM
SSC-Insane
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 9:24 AM
Points: 21,631,
Visits: 27,488
PhilM99 (3/8/2013)
I'm a developer and an 'Accidental DBA'. These forums have saved my a%$ more times than I can count. I am always struck by the accuracy and helpfulness seen here. So I don't write because it's forever, and it's embarassing to have your inexperienced posts stuck up there forever. The competition from some of the main contributors is awesome, I mean they're not really competing, but the bar is set really high. And being a one-man-shop, I just really want to know how to make it work, with some degree of efficiency.
Like Backup. I just want my databases to be reasonably well protected. But there are so many options one can barely read the documentation. I'm like many others, when I Google for something and see one of the links is MSDN documentation, I shy away from it, knowing it will present EVERYTHING about the subject, leaving me nowhere except to muddle through it all.
Some of my experiences are hilarious, I wish I would keep notes. One time I was Googling for a solution to a db problem and hit an entry that sounded exactly like the problem I was having. The more I read, the more it sounded the same. And there it was, I had posted almost the exact same thing three years earlier, totally forgetting.
So why don't I write: My experiences constantly teach me: YOU KNOW NOTHING!
The more I know, the more I know nothing. More specifically, there are three levels of knowledge: Things you know, things you know you don't know, and things you don't know that you don't know. The more I learn about SQL Server for instance, I increase that which is in the first bucket. The problem is I keep putting more in the second bucket. I have no idea how much is still in the third.
Writing helps you move things from the third buck to the second and the second to the first.
Lynn Pettis
For better assistance in answering your questions, click here
For tips to get better help with Performance Problems, click here
For Running Totals and its variations, click here
or
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For more about Tally Tables, click here
For more about Cross Tabs and Pivots, click here
and
here
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SQL Musings from the Desert
Fountain Valley SQL
(My Mirror Blog)
Post #1428645
Grant Fritchey
Grant Fritchey
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 9:32 AM
SSChampion
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 3:41 AM
Points: 13,383,
Visits: 25,189
PhilM99 (3/8/2013)
So why don't I write: My experiences constantly teach me: YOU KNOW NOTHING!
I agree. Constantly learning. I write anyway because someone has to do it. And yeah, the old stuff is embarrassing, but what can you do? I'm constantly reminded of how little I know.
----------------------------------------------------
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood..." Theodore Roosevelt
The Scary DBA
Author of:
SQL Server 2012 Query Performance Tuning
SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled
and
SQL Server Execution Plans
Product Evangelist for
Red Gate Software
Post #1428651
David McKinney
David McKinney
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 9:45 AM
Mr or Mrs. 500
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 7:52 AM
Points: 582,
Visits: 1,603
The more I know, the more I know nothing. More specifically, there are three levels of knowledge: Things you know, things you know you don't know, and things you don't know that you don't know. The more I learn about SQL Server for instance, I increase that which is in the first bucket. The problem is I keep putting more in the second bucket. I have no idea how much is still in the third.
Writing helps you move things from the third buck to the second and the second to the first.
...so were just mucking about with buckets, eh? Depressing, no?
Reminded me of a joke about the difference between a goldfish and a mountain goat. One mucks about in fountains...
Post #1428660
sing4you
sing4you
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 9:49 AM
SSC-Addicted
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 7:58 AM
Points: 447,
Visits: 1,695
Oh dear, this reminds me of the lawyer and the angry hen. One clucks defiance....
Post #1428664
Miles Neale
Miles Neale
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 10:06 AM
SSCommitted
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, May 20, 2013 9:51 AM
Points: 1,891,
Visits: 936
I have no clue why I do not write, except I write code, strategy, and business documentation all day every day. And yes I contribute here, and love this group. I would love to write fiction and have started two books which I dabble with every now and again. I have been asked directly to write three books, two technical and one a history text, and have done none of them. And there is a small group of people encouraging me to write even now. Maybe I should listen, or could be it is good I have not. Time will tell.
M.
Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!
Post #1428678
robr-793239
robr-793239
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 11:42 AM
Grasshopper
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, May 06, 2013 2:56 PM
Points: 20,
Visits: 77
I suppose that the simple response would be to say that it is an issue of time. Like other commentors, I have more customers/projects beating at the doors of my self discipline than I have the will to focus on. A deeper more realistic answer, though, is that while I "write" dozens of things in my head from day to day, few ever make it to document form because I question everything so much. I've started an 'article' for SSC a number of times because I'm pleased with a particular solution I came up with. I also remember the rush of having an article published by Pinnacle in Smart Access many years ago.
I don't get far these days, however, because from what I've read from others, I tend to be unconventional in my approaches. Instead of accepting that something shouldn't be done, I do it to find out the consequences and evaluate from there. A couple of times I've posted questions on the SSC forums seeking thoughtful input and while most responses have been in like kind, I've have received responses that expressed that I was incompetent and I should just get a real professional. Well, I've taught classes on and worked with SQL Server since v.6.5 and if that doesn't somehow warrant professional status I'm not sure what would. I know what I know and I want to know even more, but I've never been the rock in the storm type who just takes on whatever people have to say. I like to teach the teachable and learn from the creative.
So more discipline, a thicker skin, and I suppose a better commitment to my community would be the factors that would push me beyond my reticence. In the mean time, hope survives because I actually stopped long enough to respond to this question.
Post #1428717
Jeff Moden
Jeff Moden
Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 8:13 PM
SSC-Dedicated
Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 4:51 PM
Points: 32,923,
Visits: 26,811
Accidental post deleted.
--Jeff Moden
"
RBAR
is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for "
R
ow-
B
y-
A
gonizing-
R
ow".
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
Stop thinking about what you want to do to a row... think, instead, of what you want to do to a column."
For better, quicker answers on T-SQL questions, click on the following...
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/
For better answers on performance questions, click on the following...
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/SQLServerCentral/66909/
Post #1428834
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