Are the posted questions getting worse?

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Are the posted questions getting worse?

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Luis Cazares SSC Guru Points: 183698 More actions · Answer 1

Sean Lange - Thursday, March 16, 2017 8:05 AM
It seems that today the comments left by Luis and myself have been removed. I suspect that means the "blogger" is still active and has access since the comments were removed. I tried to add a new one today but they also seem to have removed the captcha so you can't complete it to post new comments. I suspect that whole blog will be disappearing in the somewhat near future.

I'm still able to see the 3 comments on the post.

Luis C.
General Disclaimer:
Are you seriously taking the advice and code from someone from the internet without testing it? Do you at least understand it? Or can it easily kill your server?

How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help: Option 1 / Option 2

TomThomson SSC Guru Points: 104773 More actions · Answer 2

GilaMonster - Thursday, March 16, 2017 5:22 AM
Brandie Tarvin - Thursday, March 16, 2017 5:16 AM
Sigh. So my morning starts off with a Dev asking me to move code that includes some interesting data type definitions... FLOAT (without scale and precision)
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think I've ever used FLOAT with its precision (it doesn't have a scale). I just let it be the default (which is FLOAT(53))
The varchar lengths look odd.

I've sometimes written FLOAT(24) instead of REAL (after all, REAL isn't standard, thanks to the stupidity of the Mr Celko and his colleagues on the innumerate and ignorant committees that standardised SQL). But not often.
And the VARCHAR length with leading 0 do look odd.

Tom

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 3

jasona.work - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:26 AM
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:14 AM
OMG, why does this date not sort to the top of my sub-query when the date is excluded based on the where clause? How do I get it to sort to the top?
ARG!!!
Hey, while you're in a good mood, I need a query that can sort this table I have based on 8 different fields and it also needs to convert the text representation of some fields to the appropriate numeric values? And I can't provide any sample data because this is my homework.
And while you're at it, I'm, ah, going to need you to come in Saturday too, mmm'kay?
That would be, um, great...
Yeah.

Sure, you want that yesterday? 😛 😀 :w00t: :Whistling:

jasona.work SSC Guru Points: 50082 More actions · Answer 4

Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:44 AM
jasona.work - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:26 AM
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:14 AM
OMG, why does this date not sort to the top of my sub-query when the date is excluded based on the where clause? How do I get it to sort to the top?
ARG!!!
Hey, while you're in a good mood, I need a query that can sort this table I have based on 8 different fields and it also needs to convert the text representation of some fields to the appropriate numeric values? And I can't provide any sample data because this is my homework.
And while you're at it, I'm, ah, going to need you to come in Saturday too, mmm'kay?
That would be, um, great...
Yeah.
Sure, you want that yesterday? 😛 😀 :w00t: :Whistling:

Nah, 2:00pm today would be good.
(As Lynn looks me up in the GAL and proceeds to spam me from a throw-away GMail account)

Gazareth One Orange Chip Points: 27737 More actions · Answer 5

jasona.work - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:55 AM
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:44 AM
jasona.work - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:26 AM
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:14 AM
OMG, why does this date not sort to the top of my sub-query when the date is excluded based on the where clause? How do I get it to sort to the top?
ARG!!!
Hey, while you're in a good mood, I need a query that can sort this table I have based on 8 different fields and it also needs to convert the text representation of some fields to the appropriate numeric values? And I can't provide any sample data because this is my homework.
And while you're at it, I'm, ah, going to need you to come in Saturday too, mmm'kay?
That would be, um, great...
Yeah.
Sure, you want that yesterday? 😛 😀 :w00t: :Whistling:
Nah, 2:00pm today would be good.
(As Lynn looks me up in the GAL and proceeds to spam me from a throw-away GMail account)

When you're done with that, I could do with some help on a script that I'm working on, it adds ; to the start of all my T-SQL statements.
:w00t:

TomThomson SSC Guru Points: 104773 More actions · Answer 6

Sean Lange - Thursday, March 16, 2017 10:11 AM
Wow this is pretty sad. https://medium.com/@AlmostWhiteHat/samsung-leaking-customer-information-9b7e2dcb006d#.bant4c3oq

If they are doing this in the EU, someone whould make a formal complaint to the data protection authority for their country - and that will result in a rather massive penalty for Samsung. THis sort of thing is tgotally unacceptable, and on this side of the pond it's also totally illegal.

Tom

Hugo Kornelis SSC Guru Points: 64780 More actions · Answer 7

Gazareth - Thursday, March 16, 2017 10:56 AM
Steve Jones - SSC Editor - Thursday, March 16, 2017 10:17 AM
Sean Lange - Thursday, March 16, 2017 10:11 AM
Wow this is pretty sad. https://medium.com/@AlmostWhiteHat/samsung-leaking-customer-information-9b7e2dcb006d#.bant4c3oq
That is bad.
In my experience, it's a pretty wide-spread problem with shipping companies/order tracking.
Often (including in this case) you can also easily view any order you like just by changing the # in the URL (and as we all know, that way SQL Injection lies...).
Wonder where the legal liability falls here? It's the shipping company that's exposing the data, but Samsung should have at least a moral obligation to ensure partner companies sufficiently protect their customers' data.

A company I worked for in the past used track and trace links based on the order number (a sequential number) in plain text. I offered to help them change this to a long hash code derived from the order number, cusstomer number, and a random salt stored in our customer table. They thought it was too expensive and instead simply added the customer number to the link. Although a random change now no longer automatically exposes protected info, it is still incredibly easy to brute-force a leak.
(I am not naming the company because I don't know if this issue is fixed by now. I hope it is, and I think it is, but I am not sure)

Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server/Data Platform MVP (2006-2016)
Visit my SQL Server blog: https://sqlserverfast.com/blog/
SQL Server Execution Plan Reference: https://sqlserverfast.com/epr/

JustMarie SSCertifiable Points: 7771 More actions · Answer 8

jasona.work - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:26 AM
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:14 AM
OMG, why does this date not sort to the top of my sub-query when the date is excluded based on the where clause? How do I get it to sort to the top?
ARG!!!
Hey, while you're in a good mood, I need a query that can sort this table I have based on 8 different fields and it also needs to convert the text representation of some fields to the appropriate numeric values? And I can't provide any sample data because this is my homework.
And while you're at it, I'm, ah, going to need you to come in Saturday too, mmm'kay?
That would be, um, great...
Yeah.

Before you answer Jason I need your help in defining the kinds of these 'JOIN' things and I need it quick because it's for an interview and I'm stalling until I can find an answer. I really want this senior database developer job!

jasona.work SSC Guru Points: 50082 More actions · Answer 9

JustMarie - Thursday, March 16, 2017 1:53 PM
jasona.work - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:26 AM
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:14 AM
OMG, why does this date not sort to the top of my sub-query when the date is excluded based on the where clause? How do I get it to sort to the top?
ARG!!!
Hey, while you're in a good mood, I need a query that can sort this table I have based on 8 different fields and it also needs to convert the text representation of some fields to the appropriate numeric values? And I can't provide any sample data because this is my homework.
And while you're at it, I'm, ah, going to need you to come in Saturday too, mmm'kay?
That would be, um, great...
Yeah.
Before you answer Jason I need your help in defining the kinds of these 'JOIN' things and I need it quick because it's for an interview and I'm stalling until I can find an answer. I really want this senior database developer job!

You see, when two tables love each other very much, they JOIN together to make lots of little records that are made up of parts of each of the tables.

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 10

JustMarie - Thursday, March 16, 2017 1:53 PM
jasona.work - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:26 AM
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 11:14 AM
OMG, why does this date not sort to the top of my sub-query when the date is excluded based on the where clause? How do I get it to sort to the top?
ARG!!!
Hey, while you're in a good mood, I need a query that can sort this table I have based on 8 different fields and it also needs to convert the text representation of some fields to the appropriate numeric values? And I can't provide any sample data because this is my homework.
And while you're at it, I'm, ah, going to need you to come in Saturday too, mmm'kay?
That would be, um, great...
Yeah.
Before you answer Jason I need your help in defining the kinds of these 'JOIN' things and I need it quick because it's for an interview and I'm stalling until I can find an answer. I really want this senior database developer job!

I will get right on that...
Now where is my Crown Royal, oh yea, at home. Hey it is 5 o'clock somewhere!

Chris Harshman SSC-Forever Points: 42192 More actions · Answer 11

JustMarie - Thursday, March 16, 2017 1:53 PM
Before you answer Jason I need your help in defining the kinds of these 'JOIN' things and I need it quick because it's for an interview and I'm stalling until I can find an answer. I really want this senior database developer job!

there was a database joke I read somewhere...
a query walks into a bar, goes up to two tables and says "mind if I join you?"

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 12

Chris Harshman - Thursday, March 16, 2017 2:36 PM
JustMarie - Thursday, March 16, 2017 1:53 PM
Before you answer Jason I need your help in defining the kinds of these 'JOIN' things and I need it quick because it's for an interview and I'm stalling until I can find an answer. I really want this senior database developer job!
there was a database joke I read somewhere...
a query walks into a bar, goes up to two tables and says "mind if I join you?"

You know, they say three is a crowd.

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 13

I know what I write isn't always grammatically correct here in the forums, but in more formal settings, like blog posts, articles, reports, etc. I find even simple grammatical errors an issue. Does anyone else ever feel this way when reading these types of written communication?

Sean Lange SSC Guru Points: 286573 More actions · Answer 14

Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 2:59 PM
I know what I write isn't always grammatically correct here in the forums, but in more formal settings, like blog posts, articles, reports, etc. I find even simple grammatical errors an issue. Does anyone else ever feel this way when reading these types of written communication?

Yes. It drives me nuts when I read stuff in more formal settings that are poorly written.

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Phil Parkin SSC Guru Points: 246686 More actions · Answer 15

Lynn Pettis - Thursday, March 16, 2017 2:59 PM
I know what I write isn't always grammatically correct here in the forums, but in more formal settings, like blog posts, articles, reports, etc. I find even simple grammatical errors an issue. Does anyone else ever feel this way when reading these types of written communication?

I'm right there with you. Given that we have so much choice about how we choose to spend our time, I use whatever filters I can to narrow down what I read and watch.
No matter how good the subject matter, I find poor grammar and spelling very distracting.

If you haven't even tried to resolve your issue, please don't expect the hard-working volunteers here to waste their time providing links to answers which you could easily have found yourself.