SSC : What's your official title and responsibility at Microsoft?
Buck : I started one year ago as a Senior Content Developer, working in the User Education Team here in SQL Server. Recently I started as a Program Manager for several SQL Server Management Platform components such as Custom Reports, The connection methods and so on.
SSC : What part of SQL Server 2005 did you enjoy working on?
Buck : I enjoyed beefing up the security sections in our documentation and checklists, and I've really enjoyed working on the management side of things.
SSC : How long have you been working on SQL Server? (in and outside of MS)
Buck : Well, I've been working with databases since 1981, and with SQL Server in particular starting with 4.2.
SSC : How does the process of building Books Online work?
Buck : Wow - big question. I'll just copy the entry from one of my blogs here:
Most of us have stacks of books on our shelves about SQL Server. But you also have an amazing resource that you get for free with SQL Server, or even on the web: Books Online. Some of you might not know how SQL Server Books Online is put together and what goes into it, so I thought I’d explain what’s going on in that part of Microsoft. I'm only talking generally about Books Online here - there are dozens of other teams dedicated to producing and releasing all kinds of documentation and information here at Microsoft, including marketing, legal and many technical teams. Although I'll mention some of the core teams invloved in Books Online, there are many others that are involved in the process. And this kind of work goes on for the server and application teams as well as games and hardware that Microsoft produces. Keep in mind that this is information I've created from my vantage point, which certainly isn't all-inclusive!
Books Online (BOL) has over 58,000 pages of content. That’s a lot of reference, conceptual and example information. It uses two interfaces: one on the web (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms130214.aspx) and a local client, which is shared with Visual Studio. In fact, you can use this local help client inside Visual Studio or in SQL Server Management Studio, which I’ll blog about some other time. BOL is distributed in over 7 languages, is subject to legal and cultural restrictions, and is accessible to those with disabilities, including the blind. That means that every word has to be legally responsible, translatable and able to be read by a machine. That includes the graphics, which means that there is a lot of text behind a graphic that you never “see”. Even screenshots have to be legal, translatable and so on.
There are dozens of writers that work on Books Online, and they do it differently than the technical writing done in some shops. In other places I’ve worked, the product team develops a new piece of software and when that process is largely complete, the technical writer gathers as much information as possible and writes the documentation. They often use a tool that not only allows them to author, but they also create their distribution (whether on the web or in a help file) at the same time. If it’s a big shop they might also have an editor that reviews the content. The content is most often checked for accuracy by a senior developer.
Microsoft works this a little differently. Many of the technical writers here are database professionals before coming to work here, and some have authored a few commercial books on SQL Server. They not only have to know the technical side of the product, but also be able to write. In effect they have two careers.
The writers get involved when the development team gets new work to do.They sit with the team during design, testing and deployment. The writers author the content as the code is written, delivering their documentation at the same time as the product. This even happens during Community Technical Previews, which is why you’ll see the documentation grow and change with each CTP. They are quite vocal about what goes into the product, and have some really passionate discussions about how things are implemented. This means that when you provide feedback through Books Online, you actually have a path to the developers.
Not only do the writers write new material, but they also change current content. Books Online (the current version) is refreshed several times a year (you are downloading that, aren’t you? Books Online Updates), and each time you hit the “feedback” button on the web or in the local help client you open a bug against a writer. They follow these through, even if for whatever reason the topic can’t be changed.
Writers also author other material – READMEs, whitepapers, guides, error strings, the text in the Best Practices Analyzer and more. There’s a lot of info to circulate. But the writers don’t work alone. Each team of writers has at least one editor that checks everything that is written. Technical reviewers ensure that the examples work. A full team of people works on translation, and yet another team works on the distribution of the content to the web and the local client. Developers review and check the documentation on their code. Security experts comb through the material to ensure that it is as safe as possible. It’s a lot of work to produce a book that takes you from beginner to expert in a single help offering.
So are there mistakes? Of course there are. That’s why the feedback mechanism is there. Would we like to change things? You bet. And we will – but with an eye on producing the highest quality information in the industry. Sure, we’ve all been frustrated when we can’t find something or run into the odd example that doesn’t work the way we think it should. But working together, we can make it better.
SSC: How many writers are there working on documenting SQL Server?
Buck : Well, directly there are over 30 or so. Each Program Manager also writes whitepapers, several support folks (CSS) here at Microsoft also document and then there are the blogs like mine. So quite a few, actually.
SSC: Are writers divided up into teams like the developers, based on product knowledge? So is there a database engine team, a analysis services team, etc.
Buck : Yes, that's exactly right. We try to develop the documentation teams with a degree of expertise in the product.
SSC: How have the community links in Books Online been received? Are they used often?
Buck : They're only just now getting traction, because a lot of people didn't know they were there. There was an earlier effort on the developer side of the house, so a lot of those people are commenting. We're really hoping that people will find out about this great opportunity and make the site grow.
SSC : The new feedback link in SQL Server 2005 Books Online is great. How does that information make it back to the team and what do they do with it?
Buck : Each and every comment you make creates a bug that someone will see. If you rate the topic without any comments, the bug is closed. If you make a comment, the writer assigned to the topic will evaluate if any changes need to be made, and in which versions. If you have a question, they will try to answer it, although it isn't really a support mechanism.
SSC : Give us a little background on yourself, how did you get into computers?
Buck : Just like everyone else - Star Trek! Seriously, I really enjoyed SciFi as a kid, and got into electronics early. I then joined the US Air Force, and it just took off from there. I've done a little bit of every job in tech, from mainframe tech to manager, to programming and DBA work.
SSC : Did you see yourself as a programmer/developer/computer guy when you were growing up?
Buck : I always saw myself in some sort of scientific vocation, and I loved technology, so I guess so.
SSC : What's your educational background?
Buck : We moved a lot when I was a kid so I've been to lots of schools, and lots of different kind of schools. When I joined the military I finished some college, and when I got out I continued my education. I have a Business Degree with a minor in Computer Science.
SSC : How do you like living in Redmond?
Buck : I actually live about 30 miles away, since housing prices are so expensive here compared to Florida where I came from. The commute is brutal, but I take the bus and work on the laptop on the way in. It is beautiful here though, and my family and I get out every weekend hiking and mountain climbing.
SSC : Who's the most fun to work with at Microsoft?
Buck : My boss, Dan Jones. He's a really driven guy, but very happy and friendly.
SSC : We've all heard stories of some characters at Microsoft. Any interesting ones that stunned you or surprised you when you first went to work in Redmond?
Buck : Well, I've lived all over the world, so not much surprises me anymore. But there was one guy I thought was homeless walking around campus. I recently found out he's some genius that works in research. Let's just say that even for Seattle he was "dressed down".
SSC : What's your current favorite tech gadget?
Buck : I don't go anywhere (well, maybe in the shower) without my PDA phone. It's a convergence device, and I listen to e-books, read, play chess, and every once in a while I actually make a call on it. And I'm never far from one of my laptops.
SSC: What type of PDA phone do you have?
Buck : I'm using the Verizon XV6700. I live on this thing.
SSC : What does Buck like to do when he's not working on SQL Server?
Buck : Being with my wife and daughter. We have so much fun together.
SSC: Where's a good place to hike or an easy mountain climb near Seattle?
Buck : You can't throw a rock without hitting some amazing vista to climb, hike, swim or bike. We go out hiking just about every weekend for over a year and we haven't even travelled farther than a few hours from home. I live in between three mountains and we could spend a year just on those.
SSC: What's a recent book you've read or listened to on the phone that you liked?
Buck : I've been re-reading Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming" series again. Tough going, but awesome.
SSC: Will we see you at any events in the next year?
Buck: I'm speaking and doing several demo's at PASS this year, and I think I've got some other things coming up as well around here. I've spoken at the Northwest Pacific SQL Server User Group and the Pacific Developers Group as well.
