Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • Brandie, not sure what you're referring to exactly, but nothing I've seen on the Thread would make me decide to not hire someone. Make them question my sense of humor, perhaps. πŸ˜‰

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    "stewsterl 80804 (10/16/2009)I guess when you stop and try to understand the solution provided you not only learn, but save yourself some headaches when you need to make any slight changes."

  • Brandie Tarvin (1/5/2012)


    Assuming you didn't know any of the participants in this conversation or understand the purpose of The Thread, how many of you would view comments posted by other Threadzians as a reason to NOT hire us? And if that's the case, what particular subject or phrasing would make you think of us as potential "bad employees"?

    I'd be highly unlikely to discriminate against someone because of a strongly voiced opinion on a subject depending on how they voiced their opinion, their reaction to dissenting opinions, and how they maintained a relationship with those who hold a dissenting opinion. We've had a few discussions on the thread where we've had different views, but all the regulars, have typically been professional and, to my knowledge, relationships have not suffered due to the disagreement.

    We've done a pretty good job avoiding most controversial topics, like religion and politics, but when we have ventured into those areas we've managed to agree to disagree and maintain friendships.

    Open bigotry and vulgarity directed toward someone would make me recommend against hiring someone.

    In addition to what Gail has stated I would also be looking for someone who I think I could get along with and work with. They do need to fit into the team in addition to being technically proficient.

  • jcrawf02 (1/5/2012)


    Brandie, not sure what you're referring to exactly, but nothing I've seen on the Thread would make me decide to not hire someone. Make them question my sense of humor, perhaps. πŸ˜‰

    I agree, I think most venting that goes on in this thread is pretty recognizable as venting and not as badmouthing a company.

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    When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
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    What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
    You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams

  • Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    jcrawf02 (1/5/2012)


    Brandie, not sure what you're referring to exactly, but nothing I've seen on the Thread would make me decide to not hire someone. Make them question my sense of humor, perhaps. πŸ˜‰

    I agree, I think most venting that goes on in this thread is pretty recognizable as venting and not as badmouthing a company.

    +1

    I think the snarkiness or short tempers on regular threads are more likely to make me question someone than anything in this thread.

  • Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Just had a conversation with a colleague. He was going to name a column "flag" and I suggested he name it the more descriptive "active". He asked if he should name it "ActiveFlag" and I said no, because there's no need to state in the name what kind of data it contains. We wouldn't name the store name field "StoreNameVarchar". Then I realized we do name a field "StoreNumber", granted it isn't "StoreNumberSmallInt", but it did get me thinking about how arbitrary those lines can be.

    Fun to find incidents that make you rethink the basics.

    I definitely wouldn't name a column "flag" unless it was storing the image of a country's flag or something like that. For flag-type values I like to name them is_active or is_whatever. Just a preference, but to me the "is" signifies that it is a flag and not something else. And, yes I like underscores instead of mixed or camel case. Don't shoot me.

    Why do I like underscores instead of mixed or camel-case? Glad I asked πŸ˜€ . Because all lower-case with underscores is not affected by the case sensitivity of your collation, while the other 2 are. Have had a discussion with Aaron Bertrand about case-sensitivity recently.

  • Jack Corbett (1/5/2012)


    Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Just had a conversation with a colleague. He was going to name a column "flag" and I suggested he name it the more descriptive "active". He asked if he should name it "ActiveFlag" and I said no, because there's no need to state in the name what kind of data it contains. We wouldn't name the store name field "StoreNameVarchar". Then I realized we do name a field "StoreNumber", granted it isn't "StoreNumberSmallInt", but it did get me thinking about how arbitrary those lines can be.

    Fun to find incidents that make you rethink the basics.

    I definitely wouldn't name a column "flag" unless it was storing the image of a country's flag or something like that. For flag-type values I like to name them is_active or is_whatever. Just a preference, but to me the "is" signifies that it is a flag and not something else. And, yes I like underscores instead of mixed or camel case. Don't shoot me.

    Why do I like underscores instead of mixed or camel-case? Glad I asked πŸ˜€ . Because all lower-case with underscores is not affected by the case sensitivity of your collation, while the other 2 are. Have had a discussion with Aaron Bertrand about case-sensitivity recently.

    We have both underscores and camel-case here. The result of no standards and differing preferences. I don't mind either way and don't think it is a big deal. I dislike the Oracle ALL_CAPS_NAMING and try to change that where I can.

    I figure the bit type should tell me it is a flag. : -) (don't shoot me πŸ™‚ )

    --------------------------------------
    When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
    --------------------------------------
    It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
    What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
    You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams

  • One of the things we almost have to discuss is issues and problems. The trick is who are you throwing under the bus when you discuss it.

    If for example I stroll in and start venting about Coca-Cola having too much damned sugar for the database to handle, and they're going to crash and burn because I'm looking at how the databases are self-destructing, this would be a problem. It's both insider information being distributed in a bad way without attempting to allow the company to correct it and I'm throwing my employer under the bus.

    If I start up a discussion on the soda industry and discuss the problems I'm having keeping sugar in the database and how it's restricting my ability to work and I'm trying to find solutions, I'm good to go.

    If I start complaining that either of those are making me crazy because I can't get their advertising jingles out of my head they have no right to give a flip. πŸ˜€

    Am I being vague? Yes. I've worked in a few healthcare insurers and all I have is insider perspective from their side, and I'm STILL NDA'd. All I can say is my personal healthcare insurance is only there in case of a bus wreck with me involved and unconscious. Anything else I have had nothing but frustration as the user of insurance products.


    - Craig Farrell

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  • Speaking of venting vaguely, don't you just love when there's a third party tool (maybe even made by another group in your company) with a database you can't modify and they have tables with fields like

    UserData1 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData2 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData3 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData4 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData5 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData6 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData7 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData8 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData9 varchar(1000) NULL

    UserData10 varchar(1000) NULL

    I suppose that's better than varchar(max)...

    --------------------------------------
    When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
    --------------------------------------
    It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
    What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
    You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams

  • GilaMonster (1/5/2012)


    Ninja's_RGR'us (1/5/2012)


    GilaMonster (1/5/2012)


    Ninja's_RGR'us (1/5/2012)


    It's almost like they want to punish you for daring asking for money and making sure you NEVER ever want to go through that process ever gain.

    At least they didn't try telling you it was all your fault that you lost stuff, like my ex-insurers did after the second break-in.

    How the hell can it be your fault?

    You live somewhere and people come in to take your stuff. It's not like you live in a golden palace with a break in board in flashing lights!

    The police report stated that the intruders gained access through a window (which they did). Insurance claimed that access gained through a window means that I was negligent in securing the property (all insurance policies here require that accessible windows are barred)

    The relented when I pointed out to them that the term 'accessible' is defined in the policy to mean ground floor or on a passageway and the window that the intruders gained entry through is a 2nd floor window (2nd floor in UK terms, Americans would call it the 3rd floor). I challenged them to find the clause in the policy that required me to bar a window that is a 10 metre above the ground, a sheer drop to the car park. They couldn't

    So another +1 on read the not so fine prints! πŸ™‚

  • Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Just had a conversation with a colleague. He was going to name a column "flag" and I suggested he name it the more descriptive "active".

    But why shouldn't a column be called "flag"? Especially when its type is varbinary(6000) and each value is a thmbnail picture of a flag?

    Tom

  • Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Jack Corbett (1/5/2012)


    Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Just had a conversation with a colleague. He was going to name a column "flag" and I suggested he name it the more descriptive "active". He asked if he should name it "ActiveFlag" and I said no, because there's no need to state in the name what kind of data it contains. We wouldn't name the store name field "StoreNameVarchar". Then I realized we do name a field "StoreNumber", granted it isn't "StoreNumberSmallInt", but it did get me thinking about how arbitrary those lines can be.

    Fun to find incidents that make you rethink the basics.

    I definitely wouldn't name a column "flag" unless it was storing the image of a country's flag or something like that. For flag-type values I like to name them is_active or is_whatever. Just a preference, but to me the "is" signifies that it is a flag and not something else. And, yes I like underscores instead of mixed or camel case. Don't shoot me.

    Why do I like underscores instead of mixed or camel-case? Glad I asked πŸ˜€ . Because all lower-case with underscores is not affected by the case sensitivity of your collation, while the other 2 are. Have had a discussion with Aaron Bertrand about case-sensitivity recently.

    We have both underscores and camel-case here. The result of no standards and differing preferences. I don't mind either way and don't think it is a big deal. I dislike the Oracle ALL_CAPS_NAMING and try to change that where I can.

    I figure the bit type should tell me it is a flag. : -) (don't shoot me πŸ™‚ )

    I hate the lazy all-caps accounting method of naming objects too! I really don't need a database yelling at me like that πŸ˜‰

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
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  • Thanks again everyone for their congratulations!

    Need an answer? No, you need a question
    My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
    MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP

  • SQLRNNR (1/5/2012)


    Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Jack Corbett (1/5/2012)


    Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Just had a conversation with a colleague. He was going to name a column "flag" and I suggested he name it the more descriptive "active". He asked if he should name it "ActiveFlag" and I said no, because there's no need to state in the name what kind of data it contains. We wouldn't name the store name field "StoreNameVarchar". Then I realized we do name a field "StoreNumber", granted it isn't "StoreNumberSmallInt", but it did get me thinking about how arbitrary those lines can be.

    Fun to find incidents that make you rethink the basics.

    I definitely wouldn't name a column "flag" unless it was storing the image of a country's flag or something like that. For flag-type values I like to name them is_active or is_whatever. Just a preference, but to me the "is" signifies that it is a flag and not something else. And, yes I like underscores instead of mixed or camel case. Don't shoot me.

    Why do I like underscores instead of mixed or camel-case? Glad I asked πŸ˜€ . Because all lower-case with underscores is not affected by the case sensitivity of your collation, while the other 2 are. Have had a discussion with Aaron Bertrand about case-sensitivity recently.

    We have both underscores and camel-case here. The result of no standards and differing preferences. I don't mind either way and don't think it is a big deal. I dislike the Oracle ALL_CAPS_NAMING and try to change that where I can.

    I figure the bit type should tell me it is a flag. : -) (don't shoot me πŸ™‚ )

    I hate the lazy all-caps accounting method of naming objects too! I really don't need a database yelling at me like that πŸ˜‰

    Better database than the admin πŸ˜‰

  • Revenant (1/5/2012)


    SQLRNNR (1/5/2012)


    Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Jack Corbett (1/5/2012)


    Stefan Krzywicki (1/5/2012)


    Just had a conversation with a colleague. He was going to name a column "flag" and I suggested he name it the more descriptive "active". He asked if he should name it "ActiveFlag" and I said no, because there's no need to state in the name what kind of data it contains. We wouldn't name the store name field "StoreNameVarchar". Then I realized we do name a field "StoreNumber", granted it isn't "StoreNumberSmallInt", but it did get me thinking about how arbitrary those lines can be.

    Fun to find incidents that make you rethink the basics.

    I definitely wouldn't name a column "flag" unless it was storing the image of a country's flag or something like that. For flag-type values I like to name them is_active or is_whatever. Just a preference, but to me the "is" signifies that it is a flag and not something else. And, yes I like underscores instead of mixed or camel case. Don't shoot me.

    Why do I like underscores instead of mixed or camel-case? Glad I asked πŸ˜€ . Because all lower-case with underscores is not affected by the case sensitivity of your collation, while the other 2 are. Have had a discussion with Aaron Bertrand about case-sensitivity recently.

    We have both underscores and camel-case here. The result of no standards and differing preferences. I don't mind either way and don't think it is a big deal. I dislike the Oracle ALL_CAPS_NAMING and try to change that where I can.

    I figure the bit type should tell me it is a flag. : -) (don't shoot me πŸ™‚ )

    I hate the lazy all-caps accounting method of naming objects too! I really don't need a database yelling at me like that πŸ˜‰

    Better database than the admin πŸ˜‰

    Nah - because it doesn't look as schizo yelling at the admin when compared to yelling at the screen:-D

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • Jack Corbett (1/5/2012)


    Have had a discussion with Aaron Bertrand about case-sensitivity recently.

    You knows he's super-anti-underscores?

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