Are the posted questions getting worse?

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Are the posted questions getting worse?

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Eirikur Eiriksson SSC Guru Points: 182948 More actions · Answer 1

WayneS wrote:

frederico_fonseca wrote:
I have to say that if we did mix the good things of all of them we would have an really really outstanding product.
So... what are you waiting for?

IBM attempted to do that when acquiring Informix, but ended in a bit of a muddy puddle 😉

😎

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004635 More actions · Answer 2

Eirikur Eiriksson wrote:

WayneS wrote:
frederico_fonseca wrote:
I have to say that if we did mix the good things of all of them we would have an really really outstanding product.
So... what are you waiting for?
IBM attempted to do that when acquiring Informix, but ended in a bit of a muddy puddle 😉 😎

Heh... I keep thinking similar thoughts when it comes to the likes of ChatGPT. I also keep thinking of the proverb that "In the land of the blind, the one eyed man (even with bad vision) is king".

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
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.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 738556 More actions · Answer 3

I've been having debates with various tech people about ChatGPT. In many cases, it's not worse than the average (or below avg) dev. Not sure what to think of that.

I think it can save time searching and help you as a tool, but you need domain knowledge to know when the advice or results aren't appropriate or a good solution. I want to experiment a bit more with it, because it can be a good tool. What I'd love is if it were a tool that learned more how to help me rather than a general tool that helps everyone because the way I might solve problems for RG can be different than what IBM might do.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004635 More actions · Answer 4

Steve Jones - SSC Editor wrote:

I've been having debates with various tech people about ChatGPT. In many cases, it's not worse than the average (or below avg) dev. Not sure what to think of that.

That's a bit like asking which would you rather get hit in the head with? A rock or a brick that's been made to look like a rock? 😀

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
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.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Steve Collins SSCrazy Points: 2227 More actions · Answer 5

Here in New Jersey USA it's too nice of a day to sit behind a screen! Spring fever in full effect here 🙂 After my 2 o'clock meeting... adios

Aus dem Paradies, das Cantor uns geschaffen, soll uns niemand vertreiben können

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004635 More actions · Answer 6

Steve Collins wrote:

Here in New Jersey USA it's too nice of a day to sit behind a screen! Spring fever in full effect here 🙂 After my 2 o'clock meeting... adios

Heh... a little "Veni, Vidi, ... ah, screw it" is good for the soul. 😀

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
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.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Dennis Jensen SSChasing Mays Points: 606 More actions · Answer 7

Personally I just enoy playing or plarking either is fine by me and there is nothing more fun to play with than code that is solving a problem.

At first I did not know what ChatGPT was then I looked into. I concur its a tool at best bascially just another IDE and I do not use those either. Personally I find those tools to be lacking, and often wrong. I have asked younger coders why they used a piece of code and they said I don't know it was what the IDE suggested. Sadly what it suggested was bad code. But was worse the programmer to it to be gospel and to me this is the worst thing that comes about from these kinds of tools. Lazy minded programmers or lemmings that do not understand their own code. Now do not get me wrong, there were plenty of lazy minded coders before IDEs/AIs but now they are getting more prolific. I mean its like wearing a knee brace when you do not need to, if you wear it long enough you will actually cripple your knee and thereafter actually need to wear it. This is also true for IDEs/AIs, you use them when you do not need to then you end up crippling your ability to think about what you are coding. And we all know - A mind is a terrible thing to waste. I advise most of my students to learn to create quality code without an IDE/AI before every using one and then you won't need it nor be crippled by it. I also STRONGLY suggest that they understand the code they are working, always ask why. I cannot tell you how many bugs I have found in code because everyone assumed that a module or function worked just fine while I did not. I wanted to know what that code was doing and why before I would accept it as being solid quality code. Further if you are using something in your code because someone else did but you do not know why you are using it beyond that, then you cannot actually know what to expect your code to do and this brings into play secret gotchas because yeah that bit of code is good until you combine it with this other bit of code then it is not good code anymore.

Personally what I think would be extremely helpful for the industry would be a tool that examines your code and robustly debugs it for you, going into detail of why it considers it a bug or weak code. This way it can help teach how to write better code, thus actually improving one's ability to think. Now I know there are some tools that sort-of do this but nothing that in my opinion does justice to it. This is mainly because their are so many different parameters involved that no one has been able to solidify a complete solution. Now once they master this tool, then those IDEs/AIs will actually be a lot more useful as at least they are a lot less likely to suggest bad code and of course I am sure the ultimate solution is extremely high quality code that can replicate itself for every scenario that is presented to it and the computers then take over the world.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004635 More actions · Answer 8

I love the knee-brace analogy.

I don't like the idea of an automatic code debugger. It would be misused in the same fashion. A lot of people are just too lazy or ignorant (ok... I really mean stupid and self-centered 😀 ) to do any learning on their own. It's amazing that we're in an industry were the employee insists that it's only on the company's dime'n'time that they'll take the time to learn.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
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.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Dennis Jensen SSChasing Mays Points: 606 More actions · Answer 9

Yeah -- the old adage I share with folks in any industry is -- if you are not constantly learning then you are stuck in a rut and the only difference between a rut and a grave are their dimensions as they both contain dead minds.

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

Jeff Moden wrote:

I love the knee-brace analogy.
I don't like the idea of an automatic code debugger. It would be misused in the same fashion. A lot of people are just too lazy or ignorant (ok... I really mean stupid and self-centered 😀 ) to do any learning on their own. It's amazing that we're in an industry were the employee insists that it's only on the company's dime'n'time that they'll take the time to learn.

Many years ago I actually believed that the company should pay for training to advance my career. Then I was given some advice by a salesperson at the company I was working at and he said that if I was working 40 hours a week I should put in 4 to 8 hours a week outside of work learning new things. At the time I really couldn't afford to do that, this was before the internet exploded and YouTube.

Just a few years later I was able to buy a decent computer for home and I started spending time outside of work learning. What a game changer for me. And then in 2005 when I became active in sqlservercentral.com, my learning exploded even more due the heavy hitters on the forums at the time, most notably one Jeff Moden.

Then the unthinkable happened, not exactly sure when, but I started helping people on sqlservercentral.com and I hit the explosive surge in learning. Want to learn something new, teach it.

Even today I keep trying to make time to learn new things. Sometimes I make the time, other times life gets in the way. But yes, we are ultimately responsible for our own growth. If you show your work that you are willing to put your own time and energy into learning, they may find the money and time to help you out as well.

This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by Lynn Pettis.
This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by Lynn Pettis.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004635 More actions · Answer 11

I'm humbled, Lynn. Thank you for the honorable mention. Coming from someone like you and with your knowledge, that's quite the compliment.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
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.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 738556 More actions · Answer 12

Had a request for a large schema from a developer. Wondering if anyone has a large (number of objects) schema that they can send to me for private use. This won't be used publicly, more of a research project for someone that is trying to trace through FKs, or find them.

If you don't have many FKs declared that would be great. If you have some small data that you can include that isn't PII, even better. PM or email (sjones@ this domain).

below86 SSChampion Points: 11579 More actions · Answer 13

Jeff Moden wrote:

I love the knee-brace analogy.
I don't like the idea of an automatic code debugger. It would be misused in the same fashion. A lot of people are just too lazy or ignorant (ok... I really mean stupid and self-centered 😀 ) to do any learning on their own. It's amazing that we're in an industry were the employee insists that it's only on the company's dime'n'time that they'll take the time to learn.

Oops... I fall into that category. But then again I'm one that if I'm not using what I learn I tend to loose a lot of what I learned. It's happened even on the companies dime. A few years ago, at the start of 2020, the company had us learn a tool that was to help do some balancing between sources. I haven't used it, so I don't think I would know to do even in a simple project.

-------------------------------------------------------------
we travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us
Don't fear failure, fear regret.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004635 More actions · Answer 14

@Below86 ,

Looking at what you said, I can really sympathize. To be sure, my comments were based on people that were actually hired to work with T-SQL day in and day out. They shouldn't need a debugger.

For "casual" users, I'd like to ask the company why they have casual users writing SQL. But, then I came down with a serious case of "get real" and I can see where such casual users would benefit from the debugger.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
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.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004635 More actions · Answer 15

Shifting gears a bit...

I ran across an article that had the following statement in it...

"Learning SQL helps us to communicate with databases, but when it comes to cleaning, manipulating, analyzing, and visualizing data, you’ve got to know a bit of Python or R."

I asked the author why they thought SQL couldn't be used to do any of those things. The author said the statement isn't saying that and didn't understand how I came to such a conclusion.

So, I have to ask you good folks two questions, please...

As someone that uses SQL, what was your FIRST impression when you read that statement?
Putting yourself in the place of someone mostly brand new to the world of data analysis with less than, say 20 hours of training in each of SQL, Python, and R, what would your FIRST impression likely be?

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
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.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)