Cursors

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Cursors

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john-132685 SSCertifiable Points: 6134 More actions · Answer 1

And this is the nature of the issue:

Put a "feature" which enables (theoretically) handling of sloppy code and the result WILL BE more--many, many times more-- sloppy code. Guaranteed by simple cause and effect.

It is in the nature of life to be as lazy as it can or is allowed to be.

Frank Kalis SSC Guru Points: 111183 More actions · Answer 2

While I tend to agree with you in general, I don't consider this a question of laziness, but rather knowledge and competence. Given the possibility to write code in T-SQL or some kind of VB or C#, I guess we agree what the majority will choose. For good or worse be that as it may be, it will come and we won't change it.

But improving a language with features of some other language(s) that turned out to be useful, doesn't sound that bad to me at all. It is still up to oneself how you use the tools you are given. And in our particular case with TRY CATCH, I'm not that pessimistic. After all, bad code (far too much!!!) is already written without this construct.

--
Frank Kalis
Microsoft SQL Server MVP
Webmaster: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs
My blog: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs/frankkalis/[/url]

msahoo Ten Centuries Points: 1086 More actions · Answer 3

I'll stay out of this one. Oh, what the heck...

The way to correct grammar is not to limit one's language. Rather, it's best done with education and experience.

By the way John, I can't wait to TRY and CATCH a CURSOR error!

john-132685 SSCertifiable Points: 6134 More actions · Answer 4

"After all, bad code (far too much!!!) is already written without this construct"

And now this "far too much" will increase exponentially with this and other language additions.

As far as knowledge and experience addressing the problems, have you seen a relative increase or decrease in application quality (industry wide, not your applications) over the past several years? (i.e. with more time there should be more knowledge/experience out there, yet in my consulting I only see more and worse bad code than ever before.)

And, if the root of the problem is lack of competence, how does the addition of this new programming deathtrap-- I mean "feature", mitigate that issue? It seems it can only add to the complexity of a once really, really simple language (that allowed one to do what was needed to be done); and this added complexity will have what effect on the average developer's knowledge/experience?

This site is a prime example in my original issue: use of cursors/non-set based procesing is more common than ever before, shouldn't there be more developers thinking relationaly over time?

ok somebody got me started again... gotta wind down... maybe my moniker should have been "Cassandra".

Frank Kalis SSC Guru Points: 111183 More actions · Answer 5

And now this "far too much" will increase exponentially with this and other language additions

Maybe, maybe not. Who knows in advance? I'm not the person to talk things bad, before I've actually made my own experience with them. I do have my own fears about it, but for now it's too early to foresee what will really happen then.

And, if the root of the problem is lack of competence, how does the addition of this new programming deathtrap-- I mean "feature", mitigate that issue?

You wouldn't start building a house at the roof, would you? No, in almost any case you start with a cellar or a solid basement. And then you work your way up to the roof. However, adapted to computing, this visual thingy makes it far too easy to start at the roof. From then it's only a matter of time when it will crash down. That's no question of if, but only when.

Sure, every new "feature" can and probably will be misused by an unskilled person. That's the way things are. However, new features in the hand of a skilled person should yield good results. Remember, in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

This site is a prime example in my original issue

No, I don't agree here.

When you follow the newsgroups (and I participate also frequently in the German one) or other sites, you'll find that there is not much difference in the question being asked.

And if you throw in the name Cassandra, let me throw in the combination of Microsoft and Pandora's box.

--
Frank Kalis
Microsoft SQL Server MVP
Webmaster: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs
My blog: http://www.insidesql.org/blogs/frankkalis/[/url]