A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post titled Whose job is it anyway? It's an interesting debate and something I've been hearing more and more – that SQL Server is a "set it and forget it" technology – a black box where you just don't need to know how it works to do well with it. In fact, I've even had a few folks comment that they think it would be better to "roll their own" database rather than have to learn how to work in a "general purpose" database. And, while there are certainly lots of different angle to this debate – one fact remains… if you don't know anything about the database on which you're developing (whether it's SQL Server, mySQL, Oracle, whatever), I *PROMISE* you won't have a truly scalable, optimal solution. Why do you think there are so many knobs? It's because there are so many different ways to work with data. There is more than one way to query, more than one way to design. This is also why every answer to a "how should I do this" question starts with "It depends". And, while that seems like a scary response it's actually a good one. It means that you have lots of options – options that can offer many different pros/cons. And, as a result of knowing these pros/cons, you can make better decisions – decisions that will ultimately determine how well you can scale.
So….. while I don't think this debate will EVER be finished (as to WHOSE job it is to know these things), I do think a lot of folks are seeing the effects of not knowing more about their store (and, again, this is NOT limited to SQL Server in any way, shape or form).
At a minimum, hear the discussion on RunAsRadio with Richard, Greg and I and let us know what you think!
Kim Tripp on the Roles of Developers and DBAs with the Database!
Cheers,
kt
3 thoughts on “RunAsRadio Interview about Developers and DBAs – whose job is it?”
Great interview! Now over to DotNetRocks to give the dev side of it?
It was awesome. I have this little digital shrine with all of Pwop’s (Kim OR Paul)* episodes.
I have a history of scattered DBdev- and DBA-ing and I’m trying to propel it by gunning for SQL 2008 certs and just for the hell of it, I’m trying to beat the MSpress training kit and any of that Testking stuff. I believe I have a 48 days left.
*= yes, that’s an OR, not a XOR