December 30, 2016 at 12:13 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item What Will 2017 Bring?
December 30, 2016 at 7:47 am
I take exception to the statement "I suspect that far, far too many large organizations will continue to tolerate poorly written systems (from a security standpoint) and allow their developers to deploy code that doesn't remotely adhere to best coding practices", because in my experience, the cause lies more with unreasonable expectations by PMs than with the developers. Yes, it would be best if developers pushed back and refused to take shortcuts. How can we expect that when companies are outsourcing work and putting Americans out of work?
Leaders aren't focused on security because they know they won't be held responsible. As a great example, bankers stole personal information and used it to make millions, and nobody went to jail except in Iceland! Why would someone in the US or Europe be concerned about punishment - they know they can keep blaming their staff and get away with it.
Dave
December 30, 2016 at 8:12 am
I would wonder about a come back to earth for big data. After the election there should be a reality check that with big data comes big responsibility. Way to easy to filter the data at any point in the process to skew results. Any DBA any data analyst/BA/BI architect can control things presented to the consumer, hopefully this is not lost upon those in charge.
December 30, 2016 at 8:30 am
Leaders aren't focused on security because they know they won't be held responsible.
I agree with Dave's assessment, security may be on the "C" level to-do list but even minor problems keep it pushed way down on the stack, never to see daylight. I'm just completing my first year of retirement as Data Manager in a large, but not huge, Law Enforcement Agency. Security auditing was and probably still is a common occurrence for us, by State Agencies and the FBI but they are mainly focused on verifying employee background checks, strong password requirements, and physical access. Local government funding is always tight with training budgets one of the first things to be cut; our DBA's and developers self-train to keep themselves as current as possible with all the security problems that can inadvertently introduce or miss. Firewalls log constant probing but no breaches yet, only a matter of time? Probably...
Cal
December 30, 2016 at 10:57 am
The multi platform environment for SQL Server is exciting. If the drivers client side are designed correctly then the applications themselves should be agnostic to which platform (Linux or Windows) the database resides.
As to code quality we sort of solved that in one organization where I worked. The developers worked for the testers. This worked well for changes as well.
I'm not sure about the default recovery model becoming SIMPLE. Stuff getting full is better than losing the whole show (IMNOHO). If the client is not doing the periodic backups then likely they never did the first one.
ATBCharles Kincaid
December 30, 2016 at 11:23 am
Addressing the base issues, yes, Data Analysis and Data Science are important. They always have been and that's a part of the reason why supposed BI (which I consider to be an oxymoron for most companies) even exists.
But, even that's not the real base issue. The real base issue is that no matter how smart you are about BI/DA/DS, if you can't effectively and quickly query and organize data into useful information, then you fail. As you pointed out, anyone that thinks they have some sort of statistics skill is going to try to sell themselves as much (and, maybe even lie about because it is a high paying area) but not understand a bloody thing about how to store or retrieve the data without standing up a couple of dozen servers to handle all the poorly written inquires of equally poorly designed data stored in even more poorly designed data structures.
So, to finsh the statement from the article of...
Those that are able to do this effectively will ...
... also need to be database Ninjas that "get it". According to my count, the ones that don't "get it" far-far outnumber the ones that do and, yet, the BS they'll heap up in their resumes and on their interviews will probably get them a job even if they can't actually do the job because the interviewers also don't know.
It's the same reason why there's been so many security breaches on big companies. People either lie about their abilities or they just don't know what they don't know because they haven't actually studied the art they profess to know.
2017 isn't going to be much different in those areas except for the number of jobs and the order of magnitude of fakers and posers going after those jobs. While such drama is always fun to watch, it also scares the hell out of me because a lot of the idiots on both sides of all of that have my PII in clear text somewhere in their flippin' computers or transmitted on their unsecure lines of communication.
Personally, it's going to be a year of great fun. In 2016, we finally upgraded from original 2005 hardware and SQL Server 2005 to some awesome hardware complete with SSDs, etc, and 2012. As of this coming Sunday, that means that we're only 5 years behind instead of 11. Now that SP1 for 2016 has come out without taking people's servers down, we're going to upgrade to 2016 this year and that'll finally get us up to date.
The recent changes in what's available in the Standard Edition means that we'll be able to downgrade from the Enterprise Edition on many of our servers because, although we needed some of the features, we don't need the big hardware. Since our hardware is pretty much up to snuff now, it also means that the change to 2016 is going to be a whole lot easier than it was to get to 2012 because we'll be able to do upgrades instead of migrations. That means I'll also have more time to do some of the things I really need to get done like helping people fix a wealth of sins in some of the legacy code that we inherited 5 years ago without having to work an average of 60 hours per week.
Since I've also gone over 5 years with this company, it means I'm finally up to 3 weeks of vacation again. I might even be able to get some cool projects done around the house.
Yes, 2017 is looking like it could be a very good year. Interesting, entertaining, productive, and fun. 🙂
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
December 30, 2016 at 11:30 am
djackson 22568 (12/30/2016)
How can we expect that when companies are outsourcing work and putting Americans out of work?
+ 1 Billion.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
December 30, 2016 at 11:32 am
Charles Kincaid (12/30/2016)
The developers worked for the testers.
Ooooo... now there's an idea! Add DBAs and PMs into that, as well. Heh... especially if the testers also wrote their/our reviews. 😉
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
December 31, 2016 at 1:03 pm
Jeff Moden (12/30/2016)
Since I've also gone over 5 years with this company, it means I'm finally up to 3 weeks of vacation again. I might even be able to get some cool projects done around the house.
I'm guessing you're saying that 3 weeks is good. Ouch. I get (nearly) 6 weeks - sorry - and still don't get those projects done very much. Mind you our loft conversion this year is simply awesome.
Happy New Year all anyhow.
December 31, 2016 at 5:14 pm
I predict massive DDOS attacks through insecure IOT and recall notices on many of the gadgets we got for Christmas.
I also predict an increase in recruitment agencies describing their candidates as Data Scientist. A more accurate description would be Data Politician.
I predict increasing legal governance and enforcement surrounding data and devices that handle data.
I predict businesses struggling to go much beyond start up mode with open-source technology without it being just as expensive as proprietary software.
Data lakes will be tried and most will fail to get ROI.
Apache Spark will continue to win mindshare. It becomes possible to outsource your entire IT needs to AWS and Microsoft struggle to keep up.
Apple release the iPhone 8 and Apple fanboys reach a level of excitement that is nigh on impossible without illegal herbage and the use of a rampant rabbit.
Several major insurance companies prosecuted over illegal use of personal data.
Donald Trump thanks President Putin for supplying backup copies of Top Secret US government data lost due to catastrophic government data blunders.
Microsoft incorporate the Trinity graph storage and processing algorithms into SQL2018. Aspects of DocumentDB find their way into SQL Server.
Britain still no clearer on what BREXIT means and whether the EU cookie directive still applies.
More programming languages and frameworks created with names you wouldn't want to ask the C level managers to invest in. I'll never live down suggesting Tinkerpop!
December 31, 2016 at 5:15 pm
call.copse (12/31/2016)
Jeff Moden (12/30/2016)
Since I've also gone over 5 years with this company, it means I'm finally up to 3 weeks of vacation again. I might even be able to get some cool projects done around the house.I'm guessing you're saying that 3 weeks is good. Ouch. I get (nearly) 6 weeks - sorry - and still don't get those projects done very much. Mind you our loft conversion this year is simply awesome.
Happy New Year all anyhow.
I used to get 5 weeks when I worked for Raytheon. Gave that up for a "promotion" to "Director of MIS" for a different company back in '95. It took me nearly 10 years after that to get back "down" to where I like to be. Me against the computers, lot's of say-so for the company I work for, helping others understand, and no direct reports.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
December 31, 2016 at 7:40 pm
An interesting article, Steve. I seen a very high tolerance for poorly written software and not much willingness to improve the status quo. I don't believe I know all of the reasons, but believe much of it comes from not believing the cost of fixing systems is worth the price.
So many of the things you've written here I'd like to respond to, but believe it would be best to just think about them and keep the ideas to myself.
On a personal note I am very glad to see 2016 come to an end. This year has been tough. I've lost 4 good friends and a cousin pass away in 2016. I'm witnessing the aftermath of their passing to their surviving spouses. The loneliness by the survivors is palpable. Here in the US we've experienced the most acrimonious election season in living memory. At times both sides exhibited hatred towards the other. Sometimes I've felt that civility is on life support. I never thought I'd see it get as bad as I did this year. 2016 can't end fast enough for me. I'm not stupid; I know that there's no guarantee that 2017 will be any better. It may actually be worse. But at least at this point I'm hoping 2017 will be an improvement.
To everyone I wish you a happy new years. I hope that more of us experience a better 2017 than we did a 2016.
Rod
January 3, 2017 at 7:20 am
Yes, it would be best if developers pushed back and refused to take shortcuts.
Not likely for fear of losing your job to someone who will comply. Still got to feed your family.
January 3, 2017 at 7:49 am
I predict that at some point within the next few years we'll see electronic privacy laws similar to what they have in EU get implemented here in the US. It might only occur in the aftermath of a data breach specifically targeting the POTUS and Congress itself, but it's long overdue.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
January 4, 2017 at 6:24 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (12/30/2016)
...I suspect that far, far too many large organizations will continue to tolerate poorly written systems (from a security standpoint) and allow their developers to deploy code that doesn't remotely adhere to best coding practices. Perhaps one day...
From reality to fiction. I agree with your suspicion but doubt your hope. There have been a few brief moments in my career when quality of code and systems was deemed important but these just seem to drift away leaving a feeling of "job done" because the company has created a coding standards document. :ermm:
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
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