Are the posted answers getting worse?

Question

Are the posted answers getting worse?

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 46 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 1

Jeff Moden (1/26/2009)
The backup to such a "break" for the quirky update method is that the ORDER BY method also works although it works at about half the speed. Still, that's a whole lot faster than a cursor.

Well, if the dev team do implement the full spec for the windowing functions and fix any speed problems, there won't be a need for the quirky update at all.

We can hope.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

GSquared SSC Guru Points: 260824 More actions · Answer 2

I think my best example of "whoops! How did I miss that!?!" was my two-part article on audit trails and logging, and I completely forgot to include anything about server traces.

That and my habit of not paying attention to wich forum I'm answering in and writing solutions that require CTEs or Row_Number or something, for questions posted about SQL 2000. (No, not the people who post the question in the wrong forum. Question in the right forum, just I slept through the part where I'm supposed to look.) I've done that at least a dozen times.

- 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

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004354 More actions · Answer 3

GilaMonster (1/26/2009)
Jeff Moden (1/26/2009)
The backup to such a "break" for the quirky update method is that the ORDER BY method also works although it works at about half the speed. Still, that's a whole lot faster than a cursor.
Well, if the dev team do implement the full spec for the windowing functions and fix any speed problems, there won't be a need for the quirky update at all.
We can hope.

Well, that would be true and I'm looking forward to it. 😛 Shoot... Oracle has had it for years... I was really disappointed when they came out with the "crippled" windowing functions in SQL Server. Doesn't look like they fixed then in 2k8 and I'd be real surprised (and happy) if they actually fixed them in 2011. Seems like they're spending much more time on GUI stuff instead of the "meat".

Until then, long live the "quirky update"!

--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)

Michael Valentine Jones SSC Guru Points: 64818 More actions · Answer 4

I think to qualify as a really bad answer; it has to meet the following requirements:

1. It has to be syntactically correct code that executes and apparently does the job.

2. It has to have one or more subtle logical bugs that will not be detected during most testing.

3. It has to look like such a good solution that everyone reading the post will adopt it and recommend it to others, leading to hard to debug and fix errors for many generations of DBAs.

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 5

Jeff Moden (1/26/2009)
Doesn't look like they fixed then in 2k8 and I'd be real surprised (and happy) if they actually fixed them in 2011. Seems like they're spending much more time on GUI stuff instead of the "meat".

Not fixed in 2k8. Windowing functions are the same as in 2k5. As for the 'next major version of SQL Server', I don't think there's anyone outside of the dev team that knows what's planned for that.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Alvin Ramard SSC-Forever Points: 41190 More actions · Answer 6

Michael Valentine Jones (1/26/2009)
I think to qualify as a really bad answer; it has to meet the following requirements:
1. It has to be syntactically correct code that executes and apparently does the job.
2. It has to have one or more subtle logical bugs that will not be detected during most testing.
3. It has to look like such a good solution that everyone reading the post will adopt it and recommend it to others, leading to hard to debug and fix errors for many generations of DBAs.

I'm not sure I agree with you Michael.

Based on your requirements, you would not label an answer as bad if the answer given is obviously wrong. I don't agree with that logic.

Alvin Ramard
Memphis PASS Chapter[/url]

All my SSC forum answers come with a money back guarantee. If you didn't like the answer then I'll gladly refund what you paid for it.

For best practices on asking questions, please read the following article: Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help[/url]

Michael Valentine Jones SSC Guru Points: 64818 More actions · Answer 7

Alvin Ramard (1/26/2009)
Michael Valentine Jones (1/26/2009)
I think to qualify as a really bad answer; it has to meet the following requirements:
1. It has to be syntactically correct code that executes and apparently does the job.
2. It has to have one or more subtle logical bugs that will not be detected during most testing.
3. It has to look like such a good solution that everyone reading the post will adopt it and recommend it to others, leading to hard to debug and fix errors for many generations of DBAs.
I'm not sure I agree with you Michael.
Based on your requirements, you would not label an answer as bad if the answer given is obviously wrong. I don't agree with that logic.

I did say that wouldn't be a bad answer, but it will probably be detected and not cause much problem, except in testing.

What I was describing was a REALLY BAD answer, one that is widely adopted by the readers of this forum so that it causes a lot of problems in the real world.

GSquared SSC Guru Points: 260824 More actions · Answer 8

I'm just not sure anything we've done here has had that kind of negative impact. I sure hope not.

- 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

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736212 More actions · Answer 9

I'd like to think we don't have too many answers like that here. I do see a few at times and try to chime in to disagree where possible.

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 10

If the OP's provide us with the information we request (how many times have we as a group pointed OP's to Jeff's article), we usually provide back tested solutions. That also cuts down on the "bad" answers.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004354 More actions · Answer 11

GilaMonster (1/26/2009)
Jeff Moden (1/26/2009)
The backup to such a "break" for the quirky update method is that the ORDER BY method also works although it works at about half the speed. Still, that's a whole lot faster than a cursor.
Well, if the dev team do implement the full spec for the windowing functions and fix any speed problems, there won't be a need for the quirky update at all.
We can hope.

Actually, there is... "sectioning" of data. It's like ranking but it's based purely on when a column has a change according to temporal order. It's that same question I posted on "Why would someone want to do this?"

--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)

Jo Pattyn SSC-Dedicated Points: 32347 More actions · Answer 12

Really stupid things in my junior dba-years:

Dropping the wrong table in a 40gb database. Sure I'm on the testserver.

Update without where clause (where's my history table)

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 13

This isn't an answer posted here, but I'll admit to a bone-headed error. How about uninstalling SQL Server from a production server while thinking I was on a test server that was going to be rebuilt. Luckily it wasn't a critical production server like Finance, HR, SIS (Student Information System).

Reinstalling SQL Server and restoring the latest system databases took about an hour. Haven't done THAT ONE again.

RBarryYoung SSC Guru Points: 143329 More actions · Answer 14

GSquared (1/26/2009)
I'm just not sure anything we've done here has had that kind of negative impact. I sure hope not.

You underestimate the power of the Dark Side!

[font="Times New Roman"]-- RBarryYoung[/font], [font="Times New Roman"] (302)375-0451[/font] blog: MovingSQL.com, Twitter: @RBarryYoung [font="Arial Black"]
Proactive Performance Solutions, Inc. [/font][font="Verdana"] "Performance is our middle name."[/font]

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 15

RBarryYoung (1/29/2009)
GSquared (1/26/2009)
I'm just not sure anything we've done here has had that kind of negative impact. I sure hope not.
You underestimate the power of the Dark Side!

There is another.