DataGeek helps data model...

DataGeek faces a surprise today from his software engineer friends. This ever happen to you?






Software engineers and project managers are sometimes put under extreme pressure to get things done fast. Because of this, they sometimes have to ask their DBA to "review" table designs at the last minute. This issue here is that if the DBA finds something not-so-good, there is essentially no time left for the software folks to go back to the drawing board.

The reality is that this happens and has happened to me quite a few times in the last 15 years. Situations like this will never really stop happening unless processes are agreed upon by all parties, put into place, communicated and enforced.

I've worked with my senior managers at different shops through the years to try to implement processes to avoid situations like this. Sometimes these processes have worked and sometimes they didn't. I think I'd rather have processes and have them not work than have no rules. On second hand, maybe not?

Until next time...Rich

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Comments

I would say: in almost every project. People seem to have forgotten what the I in IT stands for. I've done a number of projects in which the database was "done" (on the side) by one of the programmers. When, after a few months of development, the system ground to a halt a "real" DBA (me) was called in to redesign the entire database and have the programmes do a lot of rebuilding. There's never time or resources to do it right, there's always time to do it again.
Murnane said…
Thanks for the comment Rik. It's an uncomfortable situation for everyone when this happens, but it really does put a DBA in a loose/loose situation. Hopefully shedding some light on the subject via humor helps us "all get along"...