"How do you feel about databases?"

My gut reaction was...am I supposed to love them like a brother or something? I think databases are useful tools, but how do I FEEL...

Currently I live about 45 miles from where I work, but our company partially subsidizes use of commuter buses (the big motorcoaches), so I go 1.5 miles to the bus...

If it were a perfect world, I'd store the data as UTC (as we say, GMT), with 24 hour times, and have a wicked good assembly for applications to translate...

Of course, a lack of equipment, etc. is important to be addressed, as it makes work easier to do and the company more efficient. And obviously, when times are...

Unfortunately for we IT professionals, end users think of a spreadsheet as a database, and Jan's posted definition supports this.

Even if we try to explain how an RDBMS...

90% of the documentation I write is for me, for that same reason, Steve.

It's become a habit now, and not only does it save my own butt, it...

I've found that more often than not at work, the problems are more about communication than they are about technology. Your example is but one demonstration of this.

EdVassie (8/14/2009)

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When Excel is used to prettify information held centrally, it is a very useful tool. When Excel is used to present information stored only within that spreadsheet, it...

My condolences. Excel can be a great tool for analysis, but not for storage.

I had the "it's not a database" discussion with my Mom, with unfortunate results.

Steve Jones - Editor (8/3/2009)

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Interesting you mention cooking. 37 signals talks about inspirations from chef's and recently Andy Warren started cooking a bit and said it gave him an interesting...

This whole idea of dead data, and the responsibility for it is one of the things that makes me cautious about "the cloud", and whether or not it is good...

As a developer, I've worked at different kinds of shops, and have heard different DBAs rant about different things.

Some things I do now because of these rants:

1. Ask...

peeves:

speakerphone (get a conference room if more than one of you are crowding around a phone in an open cube)

used to share a cube with a person who...

Instant Messenger and Google/Support forums have all made it easier to share information quickly. Caller ID makes it easier to avoid non-urgent calls, or to be prepared for the...

Thanks Mr. Young. Very nice and clear explanations.

Cheers,

Jennifer