Views on Private Messaging

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Views on Private Messaging

t.brown 89142

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September 4, 2012 at 9:35 am

#74455

I've attempted to answer a newbie question recently and because some of their data is private, some of the thread happened in private messages - which may be confusing to anyone else following the thread.
Just wondered what any views, or consensus there is on private messaging
(And please No PMs on this subject)

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Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323504 More actions · Answer 1

t.brown 89142 (9/4/2012)
I've attempted to answer a newbie question recently and because some of their data is private, some of the thread happened in private messages - which may be confusing to anyone else following the thread.
Just wondered what any views, or consensus there is on private messaging
(And please No PMs on this subject)

I've not have anyone PM me sensitive data, but I do reply to them and tell them i will be posting in the original thread so others can benefit; I send them the answer as a PM, and also to the thread.

i guess if someone sent me a bunch of social security numbers or something sensitive, I'd tell them not to share sensiive data, and probably munge the data on their behalf when i posted it to the thread, since they didn't know better;

they'd learn from the post even better, i would reckon.

Lowell

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Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398679 More actions · Answer 2

Yeah, if the question is a follow-up to a discussion in the thread, I tell them to post it to the thread and I answer it there. I won't mess up the conversation. If it's truly sensitive data (not one I've run into) I'm not sure what I'd do. I'm a little uncomfortable with private communication because it far too easily turns into free support, which ain't happening.

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

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Dwain Camps SSC Guru Points: 86908 More actions · Answer 3

Grant Fritchey (9/14/2012)
Yeah, if the question is a follow-up to a discussion in the thread, I tell them to post it to the thread and I answer it there. I won't mess up the conversation. If it's truly sensitive data (not one I've run into) I'm not sure what I'd do. I'm a little uncomfortable with private communication because it far too easily turns into free support, which ain't happening.

I've had a couple of people PM me when I was the only one who responded to their question. I also redirect them back to the thread. No sensitive data involved though.

My mantra: No loops! No CURSORs! No RBAR! Hoo-uh![/I]
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My advice:
INDEXing a poor-performing query is like putting sugar on cat food. Yeah, it probably tastes better but are you sure you want to eat it?
The path of least resistance can be a slippery slope. Take care that fixing your fixes of fixes doesn't snowball and end up costing you more than fixing the root cause would have in the first place.

Need to UNPIVOT? Why not CROSS APPLY VALUES instead?[/url]
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Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 4

If people PM me questions or followups to questions my only answer is 'please post this in the forums'.

As for private data, they shouldn't be sharing it at all. You haven't signed an NDA with that company, so they have no way of knowing that you won't go and sell that info or post it elsewhere.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

t.brown 89142 SSCommitted Points: 1530 More actions · Answer 5

I couldn't glean any meaning out of the data at first - but now I realise it was stock price data! - probably way out of date now - But I've since deleted the PMs.

Cadavre SSC-Forever Points: 41690 More actions · Answer 6

I've had a backup of a DB linked to me in a PM once or twice.

Same as Gail, I'll generally just tell them that questions should be posted in the thread so that everyone can benefit and to maximize the number of people likely to answer the question. When I've been given sensitive data, I reply that they should obfuscate any data that is posted online.

Forever trying to learn
My blog - http://www.cadavre.co.uk/
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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003853 More actions · Answer 7

GilaMonster (10/1/2012)
If people PM me questions or followups to questions my only answer is 'please post this in the forums'.
As for private data, they shouldn't be sharing it at all. You haven't signed an NDA with that company, so they have no way of knowing that you won't go and sell that info or post it elsewhere.

+1000

--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.

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