Yesterday I presented the problem of a database that has ever evolving data requirements. There are two approaches to handling this kind of problem. The first approach, which is what I implemented, is to use the database the way it was designed. If you have new data, it is saved in its own tables, using database normalization, just as you […]

Recently I was involved in a project for a system that has ever expanding requirements. That’s really cool. It shows you that the product you created has proven so useful to its users that they want to extend it further to handle other aspects of their business. In this project there are a few features that are similar but different. […]

Today I’m referring back to an old technique that still has some value when it comes to optimizing queries. If you are consistent in the order you join tables, and in the order of columns you use for filtering tables, you can sometimes gain a more optimal performance on your queries. Why would this be important? Most of your SQL […]

You have worked hard to protect your SQL Server and the databases it hosts. You have built barriers against SQL Injection, and limited the capabilities for database clients to the limited set of permissions required for the work they are responsible to accomplish. Isn’t that enough? For some companies that may be adequate coverage. Remember, however, that it is estimated […]

What sets SQL apart from every other programming language available today? In one word: Portability? The SQL language has been ported to pretty much all of the modern operating systems and environments. Even NoSQL engines that do not support SQL natively are being extended to support SQL. So, at the end of the day, if you want to develop a […]

What is a Unit Of Work? If you’re new to working with any sort of data storage, this is a very important question. The answer to this question is essential to your success when persisting data to any kind of storage. Some storage engines make it easier than others. So, let’s start out with an understanding of what a Unit […]

Even when you are using cloud resources with a high degree of redundancy, and the cloud systems are performing correctly, you can still run into outages. That’s because you are running software hosted by cloud systems. Of course, your risk depends on what kind of cloud service you are using. In this case I am talking about platform as a […]

A well written book can provide the resourceful reader with a lot more than how to write software. This is something rarely done in any other teaching medium, and in my experience compliments all other instruction quite nicely. A technical book generally starts with a high level summary, and works down into details gradually. It will have an introduction, providing […]

I really appreciated a recent comment from an editorial on new technology with a candid reply, “I am not sure where to start”. This is so true for many of us. I think it is even more true for those of us who used to program in tools that evolved quite slowly. You could spend a great amount of time […]

Make it work like the old system. I have worked on three large projects where this was the stated requirements for a system. Each time I wanted more specific requirements. Each time I relented. Each time there was a huge price to pay as a result. The biggest reason a company will want to use this methodology is because they […]