JobStats

A quick shout out for a revamped favourite site of mine – JobStats. JobStats has been tracking the IT job market for over 10 years now and plotting in on an exciting graph. Sadly the site was moribund since early 2003. The graph still automatically plotted itself though so it was always worth a check.

Good to see then that someone has updated the site and made it a bit flashier. The exciting graph is still there and there are more locations, a personalisation bit and predictably more adverts – Oh well. So if you’re like me and have a morbid fascination with the IT job market I recommend that you check it out.

Rapid Development

Of all Steve McConnell’s books, Code Complete gets the attention. People quote it, name websites after it, publish photographs of themselves kissing it and generally froth and foam about it. And quite right too because it’s great. However for my money his book Rapid Development is even better.

Although called Rapid Development, its name is something of a misnomer. It’s not about rapid development techniques per say, rather it’s about excellent project management techniques that as a side effect will enable your project to proceed as quickly as possible. To me it feel’s like its project managers written for developers.

If you don’t want to read it cover to cover (what’s wrong with you – read it all) then software estimation, the sections on motivation and team structure and classic mistakes are worth reading as standalone chapters. I love the estimation tables provided to measure your own schedules against. It’s illuminating to measure your own projects against them. So next time an impossible deadline looms, you’ll have the facts to back you up. Marvellous.

70-431 Hints and Tips

I passed 70-431 (TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Implementation and Maintenance) a while ago and it’s shamefully taken months to get round to blogging the tips. As ever, the general tips are read a book, do some sample exams, fill the gaps from MSDN, do the exam and good luck. More specific tips are

The Book
As I’ve said before the Microsoft Press books are of an extremely variable quality. In this case the book is pretty good and covers the right stuff. You’ll still need to plug the gaps from MSDN.

The Simulation
This is the big tip. Unlike every other MS exam I’ve done this one has a simulation of some typical database tasks at the end. The simulation mocks up the Database Management console and asks you to click around to complete the different tasks. Make sure you can do the simple stuff such as

1. Perform a full backup.
2. Perform a differential backup.
3. Perform a transaction log backup
4. Restore a database
5. Create a login and user for a database
6. Access and run a profile

This list isn’t exhaustive but is the type of things that could be on the sim.

The Links
Below are the links that I used to supplement the Microsoft books. Some of these are pretty dry reading and again this isn’t exhaustive.

Installing and Configuring SQL Server 2005
Returning the login name associated with a security identification number (SID)
Ownership Chains

Maintaining Databases
Backup T-SQL
DBCC CHECKDB
Creating full DB backup
RESTORE T-SQL
Dedicated Administrator Connection

Creating and Implementing Database Objects
Creating Certificates
Rollup T-SQL
Xml Indexes
Auto Mode for Xml Queries
User Defined Types T-SQL
Indexed Views

Monitoring and Troubleshooting SQL Server Performance
Sp_addmessage

Supporting Data Consumers
SQL Server Browser Service
Server Broker Contract
Service Broker Endpoints
Service Broker Endpoints with Kerebos
Endpoint authentication

And of course best of luck if you’re taking the exam.

Facts and Fallacies of Software Development

It’s been said by people a lot cleverer that me (DeMarco and Lister 1999 – Peopleware) that most developers don’t read books. So with a typical level of humdrum insight I’ve worked out that if I read a few programming books a year then it will lift me a bit above the norm – keep a positive career calculus.

Facts and Fallacies of Software Development by Robert Glass is the latest book to have taken up residence on my bedside table. It’s a collection of little known “facts” with a smaller number of falsehoods about software engineering – unsurprisingly. How though can there be a “fact” in a profession that seems to owe more to superstition and religion than it does to science and engineering. The conceit it that the facts are items of research and less often the authors personal experience. So at it heart it is a book popularising academic research in a series of short (1 -5 page) articles.

So does it work? I have enormous sympathy with the project of academic popularisation and God knows – computer science needs it more than most. It’s very engaging, very readable and gives food for thought. For me though the nature of the book makes it a bit disjointed. I appreciate IT books are novels – but that said I do like them when they have more of a beginning, middle and an end. That said – for dipping into its perfect. So buy it when you’ve a long journey – sitting on a train, sipping an overpriced coffee and reading this book – that’s the way to travel.

And my favourite fact – well it’s “[Software] Maintenance is not a problem it’s a solution”. When you’ve completed your project and your client comes back with 4 pages of desired enhancements it isn’t because your product is rubbish – it’s because your client has total engaged with it and can now see the potential. And if they pay for it – then everyone’s a winner.

70-551 Hints and Tips

I recently did battle with the source of all evil in the world or to give it it’s official title Microsoft exam 70-551 - MCAD Skills to MCPD Web Developer by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework. A snappy title for an exam that really does bite. Lucky recipients of the qualification will receive the hand of a fair maiden and sparklely new MS certification MCPD Web Developer. Since I’m a sucker for any new certification I embarked on this foolhardy quest.

The beast to slay is characterised by the following

1. Composed of three lesser beasts
   Exam 70–528 : TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Web-Based Client Development
   Exam 70–536 : TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Application Development Foundation
   Exam 70-547 : PRO: Designing and Developing Web Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework
2. It’s three hours long. Normal MS exams are about 90 mins typically but can be done a lot faster
3. You need to pass all the components and your score is the lowest of the three components.
4. If you fail on component then you fail them all. So do brilliantly on two and fail one by a mark then tough – no exam for you. Try again next time.

General beast slaying tips

1. The exam does absolutely stick to the syllabus. So print of the entire 70-551 syllabus and go through the component ones – 70-528, 70-536 and 70-547 deleting any content that isn’t on 70-551. You’ll end up with about 50% of 70-536, 75% 70-536 and 95% of 70-547.
2. There isn’t any specific books for 70-551 so you’ll have to go to books for the individual exams. At the time I did this there were only the Microsoft press books which event if I’m charitable are generally of variable quality. Still better than nothing. The amended syllabuses from above will prevent you going over unnecessary content.
3. After you’ve read the books – do transcenders or equivalent. You will probably fail them at this point.
4. From the transcenders it should be obvious where you’re weak. Get to MSDN and plug those gaps
5. Take the exam and good luck

70-536
The Microsoft Press book is quite good for this. This with the transcender will probably see you through it. Areas to look out for

• File Access Control
• Generics
  Application Domains
• Code Access Security
• Cryptography

There’s obviously more but these areas kept cropping up

70-528
Even though my job is primarily web development I found this part the worst. Don’t rely on knowledge of ASP1.0 to get you through. It’s focussed on the new features and particularly the (obscure parts) of the new controls. The Microsoft Press book is of less use but still worth a read. Areas to look out for

• Any new controls to ASP 2.0 (particularly the security controls such as login,changepassword etc…)
• Master Pages
• Themes and Skins
• Web Parts (know the difference between them)
• Mobile Controls

70-547
This is like ASP1.0 70-300. If you loved that then you’ll love this. I didn’t love either. The Microsoft Press book was no help. White papers were of limited use as well. It comes down to experience so it that respect it’s a very effective exam. The following areas may help

• Know the common design patterns (Factory, Observer, Singleton, Decorator etc..)
• A familiarity with UML wouldn’t harm. No need to be an expert. I didn’t see any ORM though.
• Technicalities of ASP.Net validation and health monitoring, tracing is useful
• Know development good practice e.g. exception handling and logging.

Last word
It’s a lot to know and many things can go wrong so expect to fail. You can pass on the second time (I did). You only need to be lucky once.

Flow

There’s all kinds of advice around for career development in IT (career calculus, coding horror, red queen) but if I really think back to projects that have gone well when I’ve received a pat on the from the boss du jour – it seems effortless. I haven’t waded through treacle and hacked away the woody vines of confusion to get the outcome – it’s just happened. I’ve felt energised, focussed, in the zone – I’ve been in flow

Flow is a psychological state when concentration is easy. It’s the time when you lose yourself because the task is so absorbing. It’s the time when you look up and everyone has gone home except the office cleaner and you didn’t notice. It’s the time when you LOVE your job. I contend that to truly be a great developer you should aim to spend as much time as possible in the groove i.e. in flow.

There are certain things from a task perspective that can encourage this. The task should be challenging without been overwhelming. It should have immediate feedback (software development provides this in spades), have a clear goal and you should have a measure of control over it.

Unfortunately many of us for much of the time don’t have control over our individual tasks at work. So are there ways an individual can broaden there capability to go into flow? Michael Buffington gives some tips but interestingly practicing martial arts, yoga or meditation have been linked to increased flow states. So if you want to do well in your job you could work late, read a new text book and offer your wash your boss’s car. Alternatively you could take up karate, buy a yoga mat or meditate before work.

The BMA, BCS and the Devil

It’s said that the best trick the Devil ever performed was convincing mankind that he didn’t exist. In the same vain the best trick the British Medical Association (BMA) performed was convincing the British public that it’s not a union. The BMA appears to style itself as a professional body that’s only concern is for patient welfare. The doctors that I have personally known are more of the opinion that it is a highly efficient union getting the absolute best deal for its members. I have nothing whatsoever against the BMA, in fact I wish we had a bit of that in computing. But instead we have the British Computer Society (BCS).

I’m sure that the good people at BCS believe they are doing their very best to professionalise the computer industry. However the fact remains that I have never met anyone who professes to be a member let alone speaks of the BCS in glowing terms. Never …. Ever.

Play this game with your family and friends. Which one is the odd one out? The BMA, The Law Society, The Royal Institute of Charter Surveyors, The Mafia, The British Computer Society. Answer – the BCS because the rest actually seem to do something for their members.

The Red Queen

"Well, in our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else — if you run very fast for a long time, as we've been doing."

"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"

Alice Through the Looking Glass

As a software developer – I feel a bit like Alice Through the Looking Glass. It’s not that I dress like a Victorian school child (we’re only allowed to cross dress on a Friday – boooo). It’s that I often seem to be running to stand still. Just mastered ASP.Net 1.0. Here’s 2.0 – to dig through. Just at the top of your stored procedure game. Here’s LINQ to chew on. Really chuffed that you’ve done a fancy windows form with tabs and everything. Well here’s Windows Presentation Layer. And Sliverlight, and the Semantic Web and WAP, and XAML and WCF and and and and ………….

How is it possible to manage? Is it? Should we just abandon all hope? In my humble opinion – if you want to continue to be a software developer you’ve got to do something. Probably quite a few things. Here’s a few

1. Do some certified type exams – Microsoft, Sun et. al.


2. Read a book. Maybe go mad and read two. Jeff Attwood (IT blog hero) comments that’s developers don’t read – easy to fix. Read something.


3. Join a professional society (IEEE, BSC etc..)


4. Volunteer to do a bit of IT outside work


5. Hope that you get to use exciting new technologies in work – or change jobs to one that lets you.
   
6. Step off the escalator altogether And become a manager and spend your time explaining to angry clients exactly why the project is over budget, over schedule, over sized, under performing and over tired.

It’s hard. Running to stand still always is. But it you don’t keep running sadly you won’t keep up. Unfortunately IT isn’t a slow sort of country – it’s a very fast one.

A note: how effective are the above and other things at coping with a fast country? I really think that some a better than others, some are better for some people and some are better a certain career points. And some are probably no good at all. Further musings to follow.