The right answer to the wrong question
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Hi all just a couple of thoughts. First, many of the post made here do not include DDL, test data and expected results. With this information in most cases the excellent programmers who monitor this site can usually provide a quick answer. In many cases it takes them longer to type the answer than it does for them to solve the problem. (And a few of them must type at about 1000 words per min) Without this information the people you are asking for help are left swing in the breeze.
Second, the purpose of SQL is to transform data into information. If you ask the wrong question then having the right answer is worthless. One example that comes to mind was an individual wanted to know how to obtain an average temperature every 10 minuets. (to the individual who asked this question and to those who answered I offer many thanks as I learned a great deal). The answer to this was inspired and produces 1,430 rows of data (1,440 – the first 10 min). But all we accomplished in this exercise was to transform one set of data into another. This new set of data could be considered information, but it is only slightly more useful than the raw data. I would like to suggest that the information the user wanted was to determine if this average fell outside of some set of pre-determined set of values. For example if a building is to cold turn on the heat or turn on the air conditioner, if the building is to hot turn off the heat or turn on the air conditioner or call the fire department. The solution to this question may well require a different solution. For instance a trigger that will call a stored procedure when the current temperature exceeds set limits. This procedure could then compute an average over the next 10 minuets, or perhaps start to monitor the temperature at closer intervals and determine the rate of change, compute an average, and/or notify someone of the changes.
Spending a little time determining what information is actually wanted is well worth the effort. As all managers are overworked and underpaid they seldom have the time to determine what information they really need and how they are going to use the information once they receive it. It is the responsibility of lazy under worked and over paid programmers to ask a few questions before actually writing code. The days when a programmer lead could tell his team you guys start writing code while I go see what they want are gone forever. Given the high IQ’s of many managers it is very possible that these questions may have to be re-stated in several different ways to arrive at the correct question. At the very least this strategy will allow you to cover your butt at its best it will allow you to provide the information the company needs when it needs it.
Sorry about the rant but I have just spent two days trying to convince some managers they were asking the wrong questions.
They had excellent information but since they had asked the wrong questions the information was worthless. It took forever to get them to ask the right questions. Now they are in the process of going back to the IT people and having them produce the correct information. A major waste of time for all involved.Mike
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Look on the bright side Michael - at least they're asking the right questions now!
The IT world is full of examples of deadweight legacy applications created when no one EVER asked the right questions and would go for a song in a white elephant sale except no one wants them....least of all the user group they were created for!!!
**ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI !!!** -
Thanks for the lift. There is always a bright side. In this case it is the red circle on my forhead from beating it aganist a brick wall for two days
As soon as it goes away things will be better.
Mike
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In addition, is there en etiquette post that can be put as sticky, or that we can use as a response for inadequately formed questions?
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I don't think it would help much with a sticky, but as a response for inadequately formed questions there are good links.
How to ask questions the smart way - A general How To for asking questions, not SQL Server or database specific
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