Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • As time moves along, you would expect to see a change in the pattern / methodology that a person posts. If there is no change in pattern, then I would likely err on the side that the person is looking for a handout.

    Behaviors which are rewarded don't change. If anything they are reinforced. If someone asks for a handout, and gets one, then why shouldn't they ask for another? We've been through similar discussions before and the consensus always seems to be that each individual volunteer chooses whom they will help and to what extent.

    So if you find an OP offensive, or their question to be a "lazy" one, just ignore them. Or point them to a good starting place (whether BOL, article, or blog) and then ignore them. Someone else may come along and do their job for them, but that's their choice. Just don't blame an OP for repeating a pattern that is producing desired results.

    Finally: Do as I SAY!! Not as I DO!! 😛

    __________________________________________________

    Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain. -- Friedrich Schiller
    Stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down. -- Stephen Stills

  • Good point on the behavior pattern adjustment.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • And with some of the OP's, that is what I do. What usually happens, though, is just as you say; someone else comes along and just provides an answer, which defeats what we are trying to accomplish. What is worse, of course, is when that other person actually provides bad advice in response to the question. At that point someone needs to step in and provide a better answer or guidance.

  • Lynn Pettis (8/27/2009)


    ... is just as you say; someone else comes along and just provides an answer, which defeats what we are trying to accomplish.

    :ermm: must be why I am posting less :blush:

    Far away is close at hand in the images of elsewhere.
    Anon.

  • GilaMonster (8/27/2009)


    Lynn Pettis (8/27/2009)


    This time an OP took exception to Gail's answer.

    I wonder how long he's going to protest.

    A while longer, I hope.

    His request is actually a very interesting one - how to efficiently move a single table stored on a single file (an NDF) from one database to another. It is of course literally true that one cannot simply copy NDF files around in a detach-and-attach sort of way; however his requirement seems to be to archive the single table from one place to another. He could certainly do that with BCP or SSIS - but is there a better way?

    A little thought turns up a potentially better solution. An appropriately configured backup strategy will allow him to effectively 'move' the NDF using nothing but standard BACKUP, RESTORE, and ALTER DATABASE statements. Using this strategy, the NDF file can be removed from the original database and a pretty much exact copy 'attached' to the archive database. In that sense, it is possible to 'move' the NDF.

    This solution would give him a very flexible backup strategy (useful with a 3TB database) and allow almost-instant archiving. When he makes the move to 2K8, he would also be able to take advantage of backup compression (Enterprise or equivalents only) so making the process even faster, while using less intermediate storage, and without introducing a new external process. The general strategy is available in all editions of 2K5 and above.

    The technique may be new to some, so I intend to post a detailed demo script on his thread later tonight.

    Paul

  • As far as the current topic is concerned:

    The only thing I won't tolerate is gross rudeness. Anything else is fine. If someone wants to post 1,000 no-effort questions - that's all good. The chance that I will post is reduced, but that's about it.

    In many cases, I find that just thinking through what a potential answer might be leads me to refresh my memory about stuff, and occasionally causes me to learn something new.

    Everyone has the choice to respond or move on. The worst thing is to post something obvious and glib. That helps no-one, and I am trying not to do that these days.

    I must say I am tiring of the hand-wringing over why people don't just look in BOL. If it upsets you, move on, or take a holiday! We can't possibly know all the circumstances that led to someone posting - if we did we might be more tolerant on occasion.

    Paul

  • Is it just me or do the same people constantly ask the most basic questions almost on a daily basis, which they could answer themselves in minutes by either google or BOL. Maybe they get an ego kick from having "SQL Experts" answer their questions.

    I take my hat (if i had one) off to people who constantly answer their questions, knowing that they have already asked the same question in multiple topics.

    Been a long day today already, sleep is never far from my mind 😉

    oh btw i am not part of the hand-wringing brigade, I just dream of lineing them up against the wall and having a high powered hose available. 😛

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  • Silverfox (8/28/2009)


    I take my hat (if i had one) off to people who constantly answer their questions, knowing that they have already asked the same question in multiple topics.

    There's a reason I have a fairly long list of 'canned' replies available via a Firefox plugin.

    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
  • Care to share what that pluggin is?

    -Luke.

    To help us help you read this[/url]For better help with performance problems please read this[/url]

  • Anybody else get an email via SSC from pboyall969@xxxxxxxxxx requesting help to purge all the tables in a database?

  • Lynn Pettis (8/28/2009)


    Anybody else get an email via SSC from pboyall969@xxxxxxxxxx requesting help to purge all the tables in a database?

    Not yet. They must know who the nice people are.

    "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

  • Luke L (8/28/2009)


    Care to share what that pluggin is?

    I'm sure I've mentioned it before. http://clippings.mozdev.org/

    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
  • Lynn Pettis (8/28/2009)


    Anybody else get an email via SSC from pboyall969@xxxxxxxxxx requesting help to purge all the tables in a database?

    Not so far, no.

    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
  • GilaMonster (8/28/2009)


    Luke L (8/28/2009)


    Care to share what that pluggin is?

    I'm sure I've mentioned it before. http://clippings.mozdev.org/

    I'm sure you have as well, I just couldn't remember. Never had the time to try it before, do now though 😉

    Thanks,

    -Luke.

    To help us help you read this[/url]For better help with performance problems please read this[/url]

  • Just wanted to let you all know that we had our first Pass Chapter meeting yesterday Yea...!!!. It went fine...:-) We had more people than I expected. I thought maybe 10 people will show up for the first meeting but we had 18 people in the room.

    And the best part is we already have 3 volunteers to do presentation for the coming months... Yaaaahooo..:-D

    I was very nervous the past week. Now I am more relaxed. We got positive feedback from everyone who attended the meeting.

    -Roy

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