Bad Practices/Worse Practices

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Bad Practices/Worse Practices

GSquared

SSC Guru

Points: 260824
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February 8, 2008 at 2:28 pm

#203170

I recently sarcastically wrote a proc:
create proc dbo.UniversalMagic
(@SQL_in varchar(max))
as
begin try
exec (@sql_in)
end try
begin catch
exec dbo.universalmagic @sql_in
end catch
This made me think a moment.
There are "bad practices" in SQL, like having twenty indexes on a five-column table in an OLTP database.
There are what could probably be called "worse practices", like having all access to a production database be through the sa login (with a decent password but every employee knows it), or cursors that call cursors iteratively.
There are even what might be called "worst practices", like having a critical production database on a 10-disk RAID 0 array and never running backups, or having the sa password be blank.
I think, however, that there should be a category for actively destructive code. Like the above proc, or like throwing everything into a single table defined with an ID and a varchar(max) column, or having sa with a blank password and having xp_cmdshell active. I'm nominating "appocalyptic practices". Any thoughts?
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon

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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004340 More actions · Answer 1

Heh... right there with ya, Gus... seems like the long way to spell "Death by SQL", though 😀

--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)

Vivien Xing SSChampion Points: 12297 More actions · Answer 2

Vivien Xing

SSChampion

Points: 12297

February 8, 2008 at 6:12 pm

#776666

Is a DBA there? If not, anyone is a "DBA" then.

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398882 More actions · Answer 3

I'd have to go all the way to "stupid practices." If I was feeling kind, I might call it "ignorant practices." If I wasn't feeling kind, it'd be "f'ing stupid practices."

But then, I make people angry, so my take might be off.

"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:
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Matt Miller (4) SSC Guru Points: 124210 More actions · Answer 4

I'm wondering if you could wrap that in a recursive CTE with OPTION (MAXRECURSION 0)? Hmm, and then just rename it CTEHardWareKiller and sit back an pick up the old fiddle while Rome burns....:)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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?

einman33 SSCrazy Points: 2813 More actions · Answer 5

einman33

SSCrazy

Points: 2813

February 11, 2008 at 11:45 am

#777023

This could also be called job security.