Challenging Yourself

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Challenging Yourself

Steve Jones - SSC Editor

SSC Guru

Points: 736212
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November 18, 2022 at 12:00 am

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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004339 More actions · Answer 1

I have to disagree a bit with the opening quote in the article. My "wins" are learning episodes and so I'm always winning, not because I'm undershooting my potential, but because I'm always learning and increasing my potential. I never fail because my failures are a learning experience,which help with my learning and that increases my potential and that always makes it a "win".

Here's an example that I created in code this very night... I created a Clustered Index with more than 99% fragmentation and the intentional scan of that index was almost twice as fast as two other indexes that contain exactly the same data with the same number of rows, both of which had only 0.36% logical fragmentation and close to 100% page density. I scienced out the exact reason why that should be and then proved it with code.

Then I proved the unthinkable... I made the 99% fragmented index twice as slow by [insert drum roll here] defragmenting it! That was a fortuitous accident that I can't explain.... yet. It's not "cold fusion" either. I've repeated the experiment in several different manners with the same results.

Why am I doing this crazy stuff?

Someday I'll tell that story but it all boils down to one thing that I learned on Monday, the 18th of January, 2016, and it's especially true in the world of computers...

The burden of proof is on the beholder.

--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)

call.copse SSCoach Points: 18050 More actions · Answer 2

Jeff Moden wrote:

...
Then I proved the unthinkable... I made the 99% fragmented index twice as slow by [insert drum roll here] defragmenting it! That was a fortuitous accident that I can't explain.... yet. It's not "cold fusion" either. I've repeated the experiment in several different manners with the same results.
....

I look forward to Microsoft's new 'Frag' function 😉

Doctor Who 2 SSCrazy Eights Points: 8194 More actions · Answer 3

Ooh, kind of a stinging rebuke for me today, Steve. I think I've played it safe more often than challenged myself. Ouch.

Rod

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004339 More actions · Answer 4

call.copse wrote:

Jeff Moden wrote:
...
Then I proved the unthinkable... I made the 99% fragmented index twice as slow by [insert drum roll here] defragmenting it! That was a fortuitous accident that I can't explain.... yet. It's not "cold fusion" either. I've repeated the experiment in several different manners with the same results.
....
I look forward to Microsoft's new 'Frag' function 😉

They've certainly forgotten who "Peter Norton" is and how his methods could be applied. 😀 I'd love to see them do it the "right way" but I'll probably be dead long before they even start on it.

--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)

IowaDave SSCommitted Points: 1734 More actions · Answer 5

I agree with Rod - great challenge Steve, thank you!