Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • ChrisM@Work - Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:08 AM

    Ed Wagner - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:59 AM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:02 AM

    Grant Fritchey - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:40 AM

    Thom A - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:07 AM

    GilaMonster - Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:55 AM

    DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:13 PM

    @Grant Fritchey

    I believe that congratulations are in order, sir.

    Or condolences, whiskey and a shoulder to cry on. 🙂

    How about a monkey Shoulder?

    Now we're talking!

    Should go nice with Ed's pig shoulder
    😎
    (from the smoker :D)

    It turned out great.  The shoulders had one of the best crusts I've ever developed, pulled easily and had great flavor.  The pork loin had a nice, deep smoke ring and, because I smoked it to temperature, didn't dry out at all.  My grand experiment was smoked macaroni and cheese and it got rave reviews.  All in all, the many-hour vigil was well worth it.

    A few weeks ago now I picked up the same smoker Neil Burton was raving about and since then I've had the chance to fire it up three or four times. Each time has been quite a learning experience, especially maintaining a low, steady temperature. Some of the results have been spectacular, but only the chicken so far. Whole legs soaked overnight in spices and maple syrup were particularly good smoked with oak logs, as was a large corn-fed chicken, spatchcocked.
    I'd love to know how you do a whole pork shoulder, it sounds just awesome - but if the small-ish joint I tried is anything to go by, you can say goodbye to crispy crackling, which is highly prized over here.

    I'm more than happy to share my recipe.  I have to get offline to go do some work on my house, but I'll get back online tonight.

  • ChrisM@Work - Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:08 AM

    Ed Wagner - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:59 AM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:02 AM

    Grant Fritchey - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:40 AM

    Thom A - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:07 AM

    GilaMonster - Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:55 AM

    DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:13 PM

    @Grant Fritchey

    I believe that congratulations are in order, sir.

    Or condolences, whiskey and a shoulder to cry on. 🙂

    How about a monkey Shoulder?

    Now we're talking!

    Should go nice with Ed's pig shoulder
    😎
    (from the smoker :D)

    It turned out great.  The shoulders had one of the best crusts I've ever developed, pulled easily and had great flavor.  The pork loin had a nice, deep smoke ring and, because I smoked it to temperature, didn't dry out at all.  My grand experiment was smoked macaroni and cheese and it got rave reviews.  All in all, the many-hour vigil was well worth it.

    A few weeks ago now I picked up the same smoker Neil Burton was raving about and since then I've had the chance to fire it up three or four times. Each time has been quite a learning experience, especially maintaining a low, steady temperature. Some of the results have been spectacular, but only the chicken so far. Whole legs soaked overnight in spices and maple syrup were particularly good smoked with oak logs, as was a large corn-fed chicken, spatchcocked.
    I'd love to know how you do a whole pork shoulder, it sounds just awesome - but if the small-ish joint I tried is anything to go by, you can say goodbye to crispy crackling, which is highly prized over here.

    Guys, this sounds delicious, now where could I fit a smoker....?
    😎
    Chris, now you just have to get a square cordieride pizza stone and I'll show you how to make real pizzas.

  • Ed Wagner - Thursday, July 6, 2017 9:23 AM

    ChrisM@Work - Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:08 AM

    Ed Wagner - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:59 AM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:02 AM

    Grant Fritchey - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:40 AM

    Thom A - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:07 AM

    GilaMonster - Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:55 AM

    DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:13 PM

    @Grant Fritchey

    I believe that congratulations are in order, sir.

    Or condolences, whiskey and a shoulder to cry on. 🙂

    How about a monkey Shoulder?

    Now we're talking!

    Should go nice with Ed's pig shoulder
    😎
    (from the smoker :D)

    It turned out great.  The shoulders had one of the best crusts I've ever developed, pulled easily and had great flavor.  The pork loin had a nice, deep smoke ring and, because I smoked it to temperature, didn't dry out at all.  My grand experiment was smoked macaroni and cheese and it got rave reviews.  All in all, the many-hour vigil was well worth it.

    A few weeks ago now I picked up the same smoker Neil Burton was raving about and since then I've had the chance to fire it up three or four times. Each time has been quite a learning experience, especially maintaining a low, steady temperature. Some of the results have been spectacular, but only the chicken so far. Whole legs soaked overnight in spices and maple syrup were particularly good smoked with oak logs, as was a large corn-fed chicken, spatchcocked.
    I'd love to know how you do a whole pork shoulder, it sounds just awesome - but if the small-ish joint I tried is anything to go by, you can say goodbye to crispy crackling, which is highly prized over here.

    I'm more than happy to share my recipe.  I have to get offline to go do some work on my house, but I'll get back online tonight.

    Wonderful, thanks much Ed. No rush though, I won't get near it for at least a week.

    “Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail Shaw

    For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
    Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
    Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden

  • Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 9:31 AM

    ChrisM@Work - Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:08 AM

    Ed Wagner - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:59 AM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:02 AM

    Grant Fritchey - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:40 AM

    Thom A - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:07 AM

    GilaMonster - Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:55 AM

    DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:13 PM

    @Grant Fritchey

    I believe that congratulations are in order, sir.

    Or condolences, whiskey and a shoulder to cry on. 🙂

    How about a monkey Shoulder?

    Now we're talking!

    Should go nice with Ed's pig shoulder
    😎
    (from the smoker :D)

    It turned out great.  The shoulders had one of the best crusts I've ever developed, pulled easily and had great flavor.  The pork loin had a nice, deep smoke ring and, because I smoked it to temperature, didn't dry out at all.  My grand experiment was smoked macaroni and cheese and it got rave reviews.  All in all, the many-hour vigil was well worth it.

    A few weeks ago now I picked up the same smoker Neil Burton was raving about and since then I've had the chance to fire it up three or four times. Each time has been quite a learning experience, especially maintaining a low, steady temperature. Some of the results have been spectacular, but only the chicken so far. Whole legs soaked overnight in spices and maple syrup were particularly good smoked with oak logs, as was a large corn-fed chicken, spatchcocked.
    I'd love to know how you do a whole pork shoulder, it sounds just awesome - but if the small-ish joint I tried is anything to go by, you can say goodbye to crispy crackling, which is highly prized over here.

    Guys, this sounds delicious, now where could I fit a smoker....?
    😎
    Chris, now you just have to get a square cordieride pizza stone and I'll show you how to make real pizzas.

    Would be practical I wonder to combine the two - smoke up some meats, take 'em out to rest for an hour, stoke up the furnace with oak logs and smoke up some handmade pizzas to whet the appetite?
    It has to be tried, don't you think? 🙂

    “Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail Shaw

    For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
    Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
    Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden

  • ChrisM@Work - Thursday, July 6, 2017 9:40 AM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 9:31 AM

    ChrisM@Work - Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:08 AM

    Ed Wagner - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:59 AM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:02 AM

    Grant Fritchey - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:40 AM

    Thom A - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:07 AM

    GilaMonster - Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:55 AM

    DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:13 PM

    @Grant Fritchey

    I believe that congratulations are in order, sir.

    Or condolences, whiskey and a shoulder to cry on. 🙂

    How about a monkey Shoulder?

    Now we're talking!

    Should go nice with Ed's pig shoulder
    😎
    (from the smoker :D)

    It turned out great.  The shoulders had one of the best crusts I've ever developed, pulled easily and had great flavor.  The pork loin had a nice, deep smoke ring and, because I smoked it to temperature, didn't dry out at all.  My grand experiment was smoked macaroni and cheese and it got rave reviews.  All in all, the many-hour vigil was well worth it.

    A few weeks ago now I picked up the same smoker Neil Burton was raving about and since then I've had the chance to fire it up three or four times. Each time has been quite a learning experience, especially maintaining a low, steady temperature. Some of the results have been spectacular, but only the chicken so far. Whole legs soaked overnight in spices and maple syrup were particularly good smoked with oak logs, as was a large corn-fed chicken, spatchcocked.
    I'd love to know how you do a whole pork shoulder, it sounds just awesome - but if the small-ish joint I tried is anything to go by, you can say goodbye to crispy crackling, which is highly prized over here.

    Guys, this sounds delicious, now where could I fit a smoker....?
    😎
    Chris, now you just have to get a square cordieride pizza stone and I'll show you how to make real pizzas.

    Would be practical I wonder to combine the two - smoke up some meats, take 'em out to rest for an hour, stoke up the furnace with oak logs and smoke up some handmade pizzas to whet the appetite?
    It has to be tried, don't you think? 🙂

    You can do both the pizza appetisers and the chocolate pizzas as desert, most kids will kill for the latter. Sounds like a good plan!
    😎

  • Lynn Pettis - Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:48 AM

    DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 10:08 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:48 AM

    Speaking of excellence... If someone puts "expert at ..." on their resume, how large a grain of salt do you take it with? Is it an automatic turnoff or a warning flag?

    Or do you accept it at face value until interview time?

    I sat in on an interview of candidate for a Dev position that was an "expert" at SQL.  She was very proud of the fact that she had worked with every version since SQL6.5.

    I gave her a piece of paper, that had a single question.

    DECLARE @Num INT;
    Please write a SQL statement that will evaluate @Num, and return one of the following results
    If @Num is divisible by 3, return "Fizz"
    If @Num is divisible by 5, return "Buzz"
    If @Num is divisible by 15, return "FizzBuzz"

    She stared at the paper for about 5 mins, then burst into tears.  The request was way beyond her ability

    Well, I have worked with SQL Server since SQL 6.5, and I am glad for it (wouldn't necessarily say very proud) as it started me on the path I followed the past 20+ years.  I did learn as each new version came out that it was getting harder to be an expert on the entire product suite.  As for the FizzBuzz, not posting it but I did just write one in less than 5 minutes that did it for values of n from 1 to 10,000.  Of course I have also seen this numerous times over the years.

    My question, did you care how it was written or for how many values it was to run?  I'm just curious.  More than 12 years ago I would have used a cursor as I didn't know about Tally or Number tables.  Today I would use a dynamic Tally table.

    I ask it to see how the candidate reacts.
    Do they give a one-off answer for a single variable?
    Do they offer (even verbally) the potential of modifying it to fit into a larger SELECT?
    Do they write it as a set of IF ELSE statements, or a CASE?
    All things that point towards the candidates coding style and whether they only consider the immediate issue at hand, or go a little further.

  • DesNorton - Thursday, July 6, 2017 1:21 PM

    I ask it to see how the candidate reacts.
    Do they give a one-off answer for a single variable?
    Do they offer (even verbally) the potential of modifying it to fit into a larger SELECT?
    Do they write it as a set of IF ELSE statements, or a CASE?
    All things that point towards the candidates coding style and whether they only consider the immediate issue at hand, or go a little further.

    My immediate question would be: "What do you mean by 'Return'? SELECT, PRINT, RETURN or something else?"
    Question 2: "How can a scalar variable be evaluated? Surely it either has a value, or not"
    At this point, I'd expect to hear a sigh from the interviewer as they begin to formulate their 'nice meeting you' speech.

    The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
    - Martin Rees
    The absence of consumable DDL, sample data and desired results is, however, evidence of the absence of my response
    - Phil Parkin

  • DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 10:08 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:48 AM

    Speaking of excellence... If someone puts "expert at ..." on their resume, how large a grain of salt do you take it with? Is it an automatic turnoff or a warning flag?

    Or do you accept it at face value until interview time?

    I sat in on an interview of candidate for a Dev position that was an "expert" at SQL.  She was very proud of the fact that she had worked with every version since SQL6.5.

    I gave her a piece of paper, that had a single question.

    DECLARE @Num INT;
    Please write a SQL statement that will evaluate @Num, and return one of the following results
    If @Num is divisible by 3, return "Fizz"
    If @Num is divisible by 5, return "Buzz"
    If @Num is divisible by 15, return "FizzBuzz"

    She stared at the paper for about 5 mins, then burst into tears.  The request was way beyond her ability

    Had it been me who was asked that question, you would have received a lecture on not starting to write code untile the requirements were clear; so why should I waste my time on an incompletely specified requirement - tell me what you want the statement to return if @Num is divisible by neither 3 nor 5.
    If you resolved that without making a fool of yourself, I would then have pointed out that the appropriate statement is one that relies on @Num being NULL, since your problem declares it and then wants it evaluated despite no value having been assigned. So depending on what you wanted returned when testing for neither divsibility by 5 nor divisibility by 3 would return true the answer would be either "select <whatever tyou said you wanted returned for the non-divisible case>" or, if you said you wanted nothing returned, "select null where 1 = 0" (which returns nothing, for some reasonable interpretation of "returns nothing").
    That would demonstrate that I can think for myself and can see the flaws in incomplete specification and ask for clarification.
    Perhaps the interviewee you mentioned burst into tears because she realised that she didn't want to work in a shop where the guy interviewing recruits was that sloppy about specifications, so she'd been wasting her time coming to be interviewed because she didn't want to work with a bunch of incompetents.  Probably not, but maybe you should be a bit more careful of the impression you give.

    Tom

  • Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:56 AM

    We can always make this a little more interesting
    😎
    DECLARE @Num INT =15;

    SELECT
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 3),1) + 1181317754),N'')
     +
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 5),1) + 1114995322),N'');

    ...and now the interviewer is crying😛

    Actually I'm not convinced that's a good answer; it depends on the unwarranted assumption that in the case where the is divisible neither by 3 nor by 5 the desired return is a zero-length string.

    Tom

  • TomThomson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:43 PM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:56 AM

    We can always make this a little more interesting
    😎
    DECLARE @Num INT =15;

    SELECT
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 3),1) + 1181317754),N'')
     +
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 5),1) + 1114995322),N'');

    ...and now the interviewer is crying😛

    Actually I'm not convinced that's a good answer; it depends on the unwarranted assumption that in the case where the is divisible neither by 3 nor by 5 the desired return is a zero-length string.

    Okay, this is what I wrote after reading about the FizzBuzz question:

    WITH eTally AS (
    SELECT
      n = ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY (SELECT NULL))
    FROM
      (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt1(n)
      CROSS APPLY (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt2(n)
      CROSS APPLY (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt3(n)
      CROSS APPLY (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt4(n)
    )
    SELECT
      ISNULL(NULLIF(CASE WHEN n % 3 = 0 THEN 'Fizz' ELSE '' END + CASE WHEN n % 5 = 0 THEN 'Buzz' ELSE '' END,''),n)
    FROM
      [eTally];

  • Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:56 AM

    We can always make this a little more interesting
    😎
    DECLARE @Num INT =15;
    ....

    Fail.
    Next, please.

    _____________
    Code for TallyGenerator

  • Lynn Pettis - Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:03 PM

    TomThomson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:43 PM

    Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:56 AM

    We can always make this a little more interesting
    😎
    DECLARE @Num INT =15;

    SELECT
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 3),1) + 1181317754),N'')
     +
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 5),1) + 1114995322),N'');

    ...and now the interviewer is crying😛

    Actually I'm not convinced that's a good answer; it depends on the unwarranted assumption that in the case where the is divisible neither by 3 nor by 5 the desired return is a zero-length string.

    Okay, this is what I wrote after reading about the FizzBuzz question:

    WITH eTally AS (
    SELECT
      n = ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY (SELECT NULL))
    FROM
      (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt1(n)
      CROSS APPLY (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt2(n)
      CROSS APPLY (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt3(n)
      CROSS APPLY (VALUES (1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1),(1))dt4(n)
    )
    SELECT
      ISNULL(NULLIF(CASE WHEN n % 3 = 0 THEN 'Fizz' ELSE '' END + CASE WHEN n % 5 = 0 THEN 'Buzz' ELSE '' END,''),n)
    FROM
      [eTally];

    This one would be a red flag for me.
    The question clearly mentions evaluating a single variable. Proactively suggesting that the actual prpoblem might be set-based and might require a set-based solution is okay, but just assuming it is and presenting a solution for a potentially non-existing problem is a bridge too far.

    You have your requirements, you are allowed to question them but only the user (or, in this case, the interviewer) can change them.


    Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server/Data Platform MVP (2006-2016)
    Visit my SQL Server blog: https://sqlserverfast.com/blog/
    SQL Server Execution Plan Reference: https://sqlserverfast.com/epr/

  • Eirikur Eiriksson - Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:56 AM

    We can always make this a little more interesting
    😎
    DECLARE @Num INT =15;

    SELECT
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 3),1) + 1181317754),N'')
     +
      ISNULL(UNCOMPRESS(NULLIF(SIGN(@Num % 5),1) + 1114995322),N'');

    ...and now the interviewer is crying😛

    Indeed.  You have introduced me to a new SQL function, yet I cannot find any documentation on it.
    Could you please point me in the direction of some documentation on the UNCOMPRESS function.
    I am only able to find info on COMPRESS and DECOMPRESS which are SQL 2016 functions.  However, the UNCOMPRESS seems to work on my SQL 2014 instance.

  • jonathan.crawford - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:09 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 4:43 AM

    The SO got me an early bday present. Two wireless vertical mice (because one of my cats chewed the cord on my corded vertical mouse).

    Now I have these weird "last page" and "next page" buttons I have no idea what to do with. But a nice new button to adjust DPI came with them too, and they even have a slot on the bottom of the mouse where I can store the USB connector. So, kinda cool... The only question is, what do I do with two of them?

    Is it possible to be a two-fisted mouser? @=)

    I have an Evoluent, and it makes all the difference. Are the buttons configurable? I can change the function on mine based on what application I'm using, so I do things like Reply and Send for Outlook, F5 or (Ctrl+K+Ctrl+C) for SSMS, etc. Comes in handy, as long as I remember what I set them to. I also set one to double-click, so I can save on clicks too.

    Hrmmm.... I do not know. I'll have to check. The instructions included with the mice were somewhat user-friendly and not at all detailed.

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

  • DesNorton - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 10:08 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:48 AM

    Speaking of excellence... If someone puts "expert at ..." on their resume, how large a grain of salt do you take it with? Is it an automatic turnoff or a warning flag?

    Or do you accept it at face value until interview time?

    I sat in on an interview of candidate for a Dev position that was an "expert" at SQL.  She was very proud of the fact that she had worked with every version since SQL6.5.

    I gave her a piece of paper, that had a single question.

    DECLARE @Num INT;
    Please write a SQL statement that will evaluate @Num, and return one of the following results
    If @Num is divisible by 3, return "Fizz"
    If @Num is divisible by 5, return "Buzz"
    If @Num is divisible by 15, return "FizzBuzz"

    She stared at the paper for about 5 mins, then burst into tears.  The request was way beyond her ability

    SELECT 'Fizz'
    SELECT 'Buzz'
    SELECT 'FizzBuzz'

    Right? @=)

    EDIT: Of course, I'd have to convert @Num to a Text or NVARBINARY data type first. because that's the only way to truly understand divisibility and use the Tally table to dissect my string... (hee)

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

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