January 28, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I start my new job next week and the company is using SQL Server 2005. Since I have little experience in 2005 so I start reading books and articles in this website. Then for the last few days I started doing the question of the day. I only got about 50% right and most of the time I had to search the internet or the books for answers. I am so scared about my new job since I will be the DBA, developer, data architect... pretty much I have to do everything. Now I completely lose my confidence.
I thought I was pretty good at SQL Server, but with all the new changes in SQL Server 2005 and starting a new job and new role, I am totally lost!:crying:
Maybe working for Walmart is not so bad after all!!!!!!!:sick:
January 29, 2008 at 2:05 am
Hi Loner,
If you think about it, when you've been looking things up on the internet you've been learning more and more about SQL Server 2005; probably without realising. You should take each question you get wrong and research the hows and whys of that particular area. It's a great way of making your SS2005 studies modular and varied.
You'll also learn a hell of a lot more when you start your job and you'll probably even amaze yourself at how much and how quickly you pick it up. There's no equivalent to practical experience!!
Good luck with the new job.
January 29, 2008 at 8:00 am
The point of the question is to get you to think and maybe look at something new with SQL Server. If you knew all the answers, it wouldn't be fun.
I look for obscure things, little things, but I try to keep them related to something that could come up in your job. By going through them, as mentioned above, you're getting practice in case you have to handle it at work.
NO ONE knows everything about SQL Server 2005. It's just too big. Learn what you can, don't panic, and keep going. Think of it this way, all this learning will help you when something comes up. Even if you don't know about it, you'll know how to research it.
January 29, 2008 at 8:47 am
Are you kidding? I skip the ones that I know I don't know and I'm still only batting about 58%. Lighten up on yourself just a bit.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
January 29, 2008 at 8:56 am
I agree - there are lots of questions that are highly detailed in nature, that unless you happen to work with a LOT, you're going to have trouble remembering. It's very good in my mind, especially since it DOES tend to keep us humble....
Throwing little interesting tidbits your way, forcing some amount of research, seeing something odd/new that might end up being useful - all really good stuff...
And the point is - at your job, you're going to implement things you're familiar with, and if you're not 100% confident, you will be double-checking the answer before throwing something out there. No one said you'd need to implement EVERY feature included in SQL server: if you only use 25% of the features, but you can do everything you need to with that 25%, who cares? You got the job done.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
January 29, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I get probably 20 - 25% correct at max. But every time I get one wrong, I read the reasons I got it wrong and make a mental note not to forget that in the future.
Hey, it's one way to learn SQL Server. @=)
And sometimes I cheat by opening up BOL and trying to find the answer by digging through the articles before I actually answer the question. (Not that it usually helps). @=)
January 30, 2008 at 6:20 am
Consider this, most of the people at your new job probably know LESS than you do about SQL Server 2005. In my experience, the best way to learn about something is just getting down in the trenches and working with it. You can read entire volumes of information, but until you really have to solve a problem and go out and find an answer to it, how much of that knowledge to you retain?
Just go in with confidence and don't let anyone see you sweat. No one knows everything about everything, that is why there are references. There is no shame in not knowing an answer as long as you have the wherewithal to go out and FIND the answer.
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it!;)
January 30, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I'll echo a couple of the other responses here with a bit of a twist. Many years ago in boot camp for the U.S. Marines I was taught that the only acceptable answer to a question to which you don't know the answer is "I don't know but I will find it (or out)!"
Quite frankly there are just too many things to "know" about SQL Server, Windows, etc. for anyone to remember/know "everything" - there is no shame in telling someone that you'll have to get back to them after some research.
Joe
January 31, 2008 at 4:05 am
That's an old Customer Service / Retail adage too. You never tell your customer "I don't know" or risk losing their business. You always make an effort to discover the answer or find the customer someone who has the answer.
Apparently it's so rarely done in IT around my parts, though, that it really impresses the bosses when you "go that extra mile". You could earn mucho brownie points by using that response, Loner. As long as you follow up, of course.
January 31, 2008 at 9:51 am
If you've proven yourself on just about any db architecure you should be fine. IMHO, this job is the ability to find answers (on the internet and in books), and be able to apply them. No one that I know can put the whole of the technology into their brain and pull out at will. Always thought closed book tests were dumb when syntax was being tested. Not at all real life. I've never had one situation since school (long time ago) that forced me to memorize syntax...
BTW, 1.5 years ago I was in a similar situation - no SQL2005 (sybase and sql2000) with the prior couple years mostly beuracratic work. Then straight to data architect, one-man show for software development house. I wasn't real confident, but knew I had succeeded in the past and knew how to work hard. Confidence was shaky (also getting older) , but ignored those thoughts and did my best anyway.
I would suggest when you get there to find some "low hanging fruit". Some issues that they want solved, that you can fairly quickly resolve. Don't try to tackle everything at once. Don't automatically tackle the first thing they throw at you - if possible gather multiple issues and then determine which one(s) you can solve quickly. A problematic query or whatever. This will help help you gain some respect early on.
Don't lose hope, look at this as a challenge, work hard, and you might be suprised at what you can accomplish - ONE DAY AT A TIME!
kind of a you-rah note, but a few of my close friends did the same for me when my thinkin got a little stinkin
btw, I really like 2005 - much more than any other sybase or ms versions I've worked on.
jg
February 1, 2008 at 7:10 am
Loner,
I look forward to the Question of the Day. My Correct scores also come in around 25%. (Some weeks I get 4/5 correct, then hit a slump of several incorrect choices.) Depending on my mood I will either look up the topic in BOL, google, etc or I will do my best to rule out as many wrong choices as possible, and use my instincts, make a choice see if I get the Green or Red in my answer. When I get it wrong, I think "I will get you tomorrow QotD!"
As for the new job, it is good that you have "cold feet" going into the new environment. It shows that you care about your new position and are aware of your responsibilities. Keep in mind that your new employer *DID* choose you for the position.
Best of Luck!
"Key"
MCITP: DBA, MCSE, MCTS: SQL 2005, OCP
February 1, 2008 at 7:19 am
Don't let the question of the day get you down. Use it as a learning tool. Also, understand that many of the questions are designed to be tricks, some are just plain poorly worded, etc. It's not a test that actually has any sort of effect on your life, it's just a fun way to look at aspects of the technology that you may not be familiar with.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
February 1, 2008 at 1:50 pm
And sometimes I cheat by opening up BOL and trying to find the answer by digging through the articles before I actually answer the question. (Not that it usually helps). @=)
Cheat? That's the point! I agree, no one knows all the answers. But I can tell you that after doing this for about a year, that I find the answers I don't know faster now than I did a year ago.
If all you do is answer it based on what you already know then what are you really learning?
Loner,
I have been reading your posts for a while now, and have chosen to just bite my tongue most of the time.
So you're starting a new job. Good I guess, you never seem to be happy with your jobs, but you haven't even started this one and you are already depressed! That's just they way to make this situation different than before.
I have seen your answers to technical posts. YOU DO KNOW YOUR STUFF!!! Your issues have always been in how you deal with others. You don't want to be arrogant, but confidence is important. Remember that everone is wrong OFTEN, and when you are wrong, admit it and fix it.
Also try to be happy. No one likes to be around someone who is always down on themselves.
I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.
- Thomas Edison
February 1, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Bob
I am depressed about answering the question of the day not my new job. However I am little nervous about this new job because the company uses SQL Server 2005 and so far I only have experience in 2000. You may see my posts a lot when I start my job next week because I probably have lot of problems and questions about 2005.
February 1, 2008 at 2:27 pm
On 3/1/2007 I started the job I am in right now.
Before I started here the only SQL Server I had used was the express edition and I only knew that because I was taking a job that used SQL Server.
Before that I was Oracle from 7-10g. I did work with other DB's and I did use some Sybase which is pretty close, but no SQL Server.
Now 11 months later. I know a lot more than I did a year ago, but I haven't even looked at anything other than the Database Engine. No Analysis, Integration Services, etc. There is a lot there.... And unless you want to be certifiable 🙂 why beat your head against the wall until you actually know what they need.
I skim a lot of topics just to get a feel for what is possible, but I don't KNOW very much at all. I just get good at looking it up. I need those open book tests. 😉
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