Myths

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Myths

Steve Jones - SSC Editor

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January 6, 2008 at 10:26 pm

#180234

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Myths

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Japie Botma SSCrazy Points: 2990 More actions · Answer 1

If there is one thing that makes my hair raise, it is the words "best practice". I have found people using those words to motivate a decision without using common sense. Read papers about best practices with an open mind and think about it. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it's not. It depends ....

5ilverFox
Consulting DBA / Developer
South Africa

Michael Earl-395764 SSC Guru Points: 53873 More actions · Answer 2

We outsource a lot of development to a consulting company. Over time, we have had to firm up a lot of "rules" because without them we get garbage. There is a process to allow for the rules to be broken, but there are rules.

For instance, there was no rule about using dynamic T-SQL in stored procedures. Then, we got a project back and found thousnads of lines of T-SQL - all in red - being concatenated together because someone thought it would solve a performance problem.

So, a new rule was born.

I don't like having to micro-manage or tell people how to do their job, but there are cases in which rules need to be set. Then, a procedure needs to be established for instances when the rules need to be bent or broken. As long as this has been done, I think rules are important.

I also think that the rule about coffee in the server room should be in effect only from 5 AM to 8 PM and can be suspended if you have been in the office for more than 20 hours.

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398690 More actions · Answer 3

The link to the ZiffDavis IT myths doesn't seem to be working.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 734449 More actions · Answer 4

Sorry 🙁

You can see them here: http://www.eweek.com/slideshow/0,1206,pg=0&s=26744&a=222190,00.asp

Scott Arendt SSCrazy Eights Points: 8218 More actions · Answer 5

I'm going to disagree with the last one. We went over a year without any IT at this location (guess who got to play IT). It was miserable.

dduensing SSC-Addicted Points: 442 More actions · Answer 6

"It Depends" is my most and least favorite answer. It closely follows the question about what "should" be done in a given situation. Every business has it's own culture, conventions, and expertise, so what the "rule" was at the last place is easilly complete against the "rules" at the new office. I'm a tremendous fan of explaining the "whys" across an organization, the "rules" can be understood, and if better options can be brought to light from your previous experience, so much the better! "We've always done it that way," "We just don't," "Someone else did it, and we're not sure what would break," "My last company didn't do it that way," are all "rules" I've had in environments. and enforcement was certainly "It Depends!"

Miles Neale SSChampion Points: 13147 More actions · Answer 7

Rules exist for reasons, and best practices are really the best at that time. However things change over the weeks and years and what was once best is no longer even good.

Some rules last others pass in time. Being good at the IT progression is being able to determine as things change how we need to change what we do.

Lastly the right way to do things is not always the way I see it, so I need to conform when I need to conform. And the only rule i have found that has lasted for the entire time I have worked IT is 'Don't argue when it does not matter.' It has always worked for me.

Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!

Malcolm Daughtree SSCrazy Points: 2382 More actions · Answer 8

Once seen on an AirForce Trade test.

Question. Consider the following Hydraulic circuit, for the given range of inputs calculate the resultant output.

Answer. Strawberry jam ! if thats what you put in...

"It all depends....."

CodeOn:P

Tony Mungor SSC Eights! Points: 850 More actions · Answer 9

For some reason Web and App developers with no DB experience seem to beleive a Myth about database systems being intelligent and no tuning is required. Where the hell did that come from?

🙂

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003863 More actions · Answer 10

Yeaup, we all need rules... but to keep from becoming a non-thinking "SQL Clone", ya gotta read about the "5 Monkeys Experiment"... you'll see what I mean... 😉

http://www.lanebaldwin.com/v03I8.htm

Dunno if there's any truth to the experiment, but it seems appropriate.

--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)

ChiragNS One Orange Chip Points: 26137 More actions · Answer 11

"It depends" - Most often used when we cant find a clear cut solution to an issue. Mostly its true though

"Keep Trying"

steve block SSCertifiable Points: 7698 More actions · Answer 12

I think this relates.

I heard a story about a mother that was teaching her daughter how to cook. When teaching her how to cook a roast, she told her to cut off both ends before roasting it. When the daughter asked her why, she said, "I don't know. That's how grandma always did it and I have always done it that way."

This got the mother curious so the next time she saw grandma she asked her why she always cut off both ends of the roast before cooking it. "Well, dear, I always used that old square roasting pan and the roast would not fit if I didn't cut off the ends."

There was a valid reason initially to cut off both ends, but when circumstances changed, the need ceased to exist.

Steve

Matt Miller (4) SSC Guru Points: 124210 More actions · Answer 13

Jeff Moden (1/7/2008)
Yeaup, we all need rules... but to keep from becoming a non-thinking "SQL Clone", ya gotta read about the "5 Monkeys Experiment"... you'll see what I mean... 😉
http://www.lanebaldwin.com/v03I8.htm
Dunno if there's any truth to the experiment, but it seems appropriate.

Careful Jeff - the "five monkeys" experiment itself is a bit of a myth, or urban legend. I have yet to see ANYONE produce actual evidence (primary reference to an actual scientific study doing this) that the experiment actually happened. I mean - it sounds reasonable, but I'm not sure that it's factual....

But still - it does illustrate very clearly why the RULES need to document the WHY as well as the WHAT and HOW. Just so that you can be aware of when the RULE needs to become deprecated (to borrow a term from our friend in Redmond).

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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?