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  3. Assumtion is the mother of all fuckups

Assumtion is the mother of all fuckups

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  • J Jorgen Andersson

    Mostly. The biggest problem is that he didn't have the domain knowledge to use the correct keys. Then again, he's been using a surrogate key (identity) for a year table. Yes, it has two columns (YearID, Year) :sigh: .

    Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

    Sander RosselS Offline
    Sander RosselS Offline
    Sander Rossel
    wrote on last edited by
    #10

    SELECT
    FORMAT(y.Year, '0000') + '-' + FORMAT(m.Month, '00') + '-' + FORMAT(d.Day, '00') AS OrderDate
    FROM SalesOrder o
    JOIN Year y ON y.Id = o.YearId
    JOIN Month m ON m.Id = o.MonthId
    JOIN Day d ON m.Id = o.DayId

    You mean there's another way to store dates? :D

    Best, Sander sanderrossel.com Continuous Integration, Delivery, and Deployment arrgh.js - Bringing LINQ to JavaScript Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly

    J 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • Sander RosselS Sander Rossel

      SELECT
      FORMAT(y.Year, '0000') + '-' + FORMAT(m.Month, '00') + '-' + FORMAT(d.Day, '00') AS OrderDate
      FROM SalesOrder o
      JOIN Year y ON y.Id = o.YearId
      JOIN Month m ON m.Id = o.MonthId
      JOIN Day d ON m.Id = o.DayId

      You mean there's another way to store dates? :D

      Best, Sander sanderrossel.com Continuous Integration, Delivery, and Deployment arrgh.js - Bringing LINQ to JavaScript Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly

      J Offline
      J Offline
      Jorgen Andersson
      wrote on last edited by
      #11

      Apparently there are a few. Sometimes more than one in the same db.

      Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

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      • J Jorgen Andersson

        Also known as the story of the natural key that wasn't.

        Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

        K Offline
        K Offline
        kmoorevs
        wrote on last edited by
        #12

        Hmmm, never had that problem using identities. :laugh:

        "Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse

        J 1 Reply Last reply
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        • J Jorgen Andersson

          Also known as the story of the natural key that wasn't.

          Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

          D Offline
          D Offline
          Dr Walt Fair PE
          wrote on last edited by
          #13

          Yes, I'va made a nice living cleaning up engineering evaluatuiions that other companies started and couldn't finish. In every case hundreds, when I finally got to the root of the problem, it was always the one thinbg that everyone assumed without checking. Every time! Now, whenever I start looking at a project, the first thing I do, is start asking fir proof that ALL of the assumptions are warranted. Usually, once we get to the critical one, the project manager sighs and says well now we can fix it ourselves. That's fine by me, I already charged my time and I can work on something really challenging!

          CQ de W5ALT

          Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software

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          • R Rick York

            I had a customer say to me once, "I won't know what I want until I see it." Yes, that is a direct quote. He was definitely the worst customer I have ever had but there are some serious contenders. The top two are both quite large companies and I do everything I possibly can to avoid buying their products.

            M Offline
            M Offline
            Mycroft Holmes
            wrote on last edited by
            #14

            We have this as SOP, users come to us with an idea, partial spec is proposed and accepted, prototype developed and then the real requirements begin to emerge. Been doing it that way for 30+ years, I have never worked from a complete spec in my entire career.

            Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP

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            • R Rick York

              I had a customer say to me once, "I won't know what I want until I see it." Yes, that is a direct quote. He was definitely the worst customer I have ever had but there are some serious contenders. The top two are both quite large companies and I do everything I possibly can to avoid buying their products.

              L Offline
              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #15

              Rick York wrote:

              had a customer say to me once, "I won't know what I want until I see it."

              Handled properly these are way better than clients that give you a whole mess of specs... specs: often in a small co: written by a boss who doesn't really know what the underlings need nor appreciate how it's done now and even less how it could be done better. often in a large co: written by a bunch of idio "consultants" who get led around by a boss and never really ask the users as all they do is listen to the boss who . For mine, the less specs the better, talk to the users, don't ask them "what they do," but rather "what do they need to get done and what's the best way to get it done (with respect to, if any SOP)" End result is a combination of application and business improvement, the staff will be happy, the boss will be happier as he gets happy staff and improved productivity. Put simply: Show me someone that asks for specs and I'll show you a junior programmer.

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              • R Rick York

                I had a customer say to me once, "I won't know what I want until I see it." Yes, that is a direct quote. He was definitely the worst customer I have ever had but there are some serious contenders. The top two are both quite large companies and I do everything I possibly can to avoid buying their products.

                R Offline
                R Offline
                RickZeeland
                wrote on last edited by
                #16

                The problem with those large companies is that nobody takes responsibility and just points to someone else exclaiming "He's the responsible guy !", in Dutch we name this sort of thing "Zwarte Pieten" :-\

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                • J Jorgen Andersson

                  Also known as the story of the natural key that wasn't.

                  Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                  Z Offline
                  Z Offline
                  ZerqTheMad
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #17

                  assume makes a ass out u and me

                  1 Reply Last reply
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                  • J Jorgen Andersson

                    raddevus wrote:

                    I'm assuming you are talking about poorly gathered requirements.

                    Yes, but not just. I've inherited a database and has been given the task of making it work according to new intentions. And while it's actually quite fun most of the time, I would at other times find it even funnier to meet the original designer and teach him the virtues of normalization using a bundle of nettles.

                    Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                    K Offline
                    K Offline
                    KBZX5000
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #18

                    Ha! I'm in the same boat. I need to scrap an "obsolete" database-listener service. And they also want to retain all the functionality, like performing manual edits in the database should still trigger various workloads. *sigh*

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                    • J Jorgen Andersson

                      Mostly. The biggest problem is that he didn't have the domain knowledge to use the correct keys. Then again, he's been using a surrogate key (identity) for a year table. Yes, it has two columns (YearID, Year) :sigh: .

                      Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                      N Offline
                      N Offline
                      Nathan Minier
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #19

                      Jörgen Andersson wrote:

                      Yes, it has two columns (YearID, Year)

                      That'd be hysterical if it wasn't so tragic.

                      "Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • J Jorgen Andersson

                        Also known as the story of the natural key that wasn't.

                        Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                        L Offline
                        L Offline
                        Lost User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #20

                        More to the point, why do we insist on using f*** to represent what we all know it actually means? Same as c***; 99% of English speaking readers, I’d wager, know exactly what word this represents. What’s wrong with using cock up if we want to supposedly sanitise the written word? Asking for a friend! 😂

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                        • J Jorgen Andersson

                          raddevus wrote:

                          I'm assuming you are talking about poorly gathered requirements.

                          Yes, but not just. I've inherited a database and has been given the task of making it work according to new intentions. And while it's actually quite fun most of the time, I would at other times find it even funnier to meet the original designer and teach him the virtues of normalization using a bundle of nettles.

                          Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                          G Offline
                          G Offline
                          Gary Wheeler
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #21

                          Jörgen Andersson wrote:

                          teach him the virtues of normalization using a bundle of nettles

                          That's so environmentally unfriendly of you. A few strokes, the nettles wear out, and you have to harvest more. I prefer a bundle of rusted barbed-wire scraps. They last forever, and the extra weight adds emphasis to the stroke.

                          Software Zen: delete this;

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                          • L Lost User

                            More to the point, why do we insist on using f*** to represent what we all know it actually means? Same as c***; 99% of English speaking readers, I’d wager, know exactly what word this represents. What’s wrong with using cock up if we want to supposedly sanitise the written word? Asking for a friend! 😂

                            L Offline
                            L Offline
                            Lost User
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #22

                            Damn! Even the shortened version of a male hen is obscured. I’m living in a world of censorship

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                            0
                            • L Lost User

                              Damn! Even the shortened version of a male hen is obscured. I’m living in a world of censorship

                              J Offline
                              J Offline
                              Jorgen Andersson
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #23

                              How about the long version, cockerel?

                              Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

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                              • J Jorgen Andersson

                                How about the long version, cockerel?

                                Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                                L Offline
                                L Offline
                                Lost User
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #24

                                Sounds much better; the mother of all cockerel ups! 😂

                                1 Reply Last reply
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                                • L Lost User

                                  More to the point, why do we insist on using f*** to represent what we all know it actually means? Same as c***; 99% of English speaking readers, I’d wager, know exactly what word this represents. What’s wrong with using cock up if we want to supposedly sanitise the written word? Asking for a friend! 😂

                                  J Offline
                                  J Offline
                                  Jorgen Andersson
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #25

                                  To answer your question, it's all about keeping the site white-listed in various filters employed by companies.

                                  Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • R Rick York

                                    I had a customer say to me once, "I won't know what I want until I see it." Yes, that is a direct quote. He was definitely the worst customer I have ever had but there are some serious contenders. The top two are both quite large companies and I do everything I possibly can to avoid buying their products.

                                    J Offline
                                    J Offline
                                    Jim_Snyder
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #26

                                    ...working with one of them right now...

                                    R 1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • J Jim_Snyder

                                      ...working with one of them right now...

                                      R Offline
                                      R Offline
                                      Rick York
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #27

                                      You have my condolences.

                                      J 1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • R Rick York

                                        You have my condolences.

                                        J Offline
                                        J Offline
                                        Jim_Snyder
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #28

                                        Thank you!

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • K kmoorevs

                                          Hmmm, never had that problem using identities. :laugh:

                                          "Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse

                                          J Offline
                                          J Offline
                                          Jorgen Andersson
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #29

                                          But did you ever use an identity for a year table?

                                          Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                                          K 1 Reply Last reply
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