Buck Woody : Career

Link List: Becoming a Data Professional

BuckWoody — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:02:57 GMT

Whenever I present at a conference, I try and make sure to include references to the topics I discuss in the session. That means you either need a lot of handouts, or I need to wait for you to take lots of notes. While note-taking is essential, writing out web links (especially long ones) is not a good use of your time. So I post the references here on my blog, with the tag “Link Lists” and you can simply write down one small URL to get to them all.

This topic deals with the skills needed to become a data professional. I’ll include references here on the role of a data professional, and also some places where you can drill in further for the skills that you need to fill those roles. I’ll try and keep this list updated, and if you have some information on any of these topics, feel free to leave that as a comment below. This list isn’t meant to be an exhaustive web search of all the technologies and concepts I mentioned, but it does cover the references I cited in the talk.

The Data Professional Roles

http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=sqlserver&seqNum=299 – The Data Professional

http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=sqlserver&seqNum=247 - Becoming a DBA

http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=sqlserver&seqNum=132 – DBA Levels

http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=sqlserver&seqNum=131 – Certification

http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=sqlserver&seqNum=356 – SQL Server Development Plan

http://www.simple-talk.com/opinion/opinion-pieces/learn-where-you-are/ - Learn where you are

Groups and Associations:

http://www.simple-talk.com/opinion/opinion-pieces/the-value-of-professional-associations/ - The value of professional associations

http://www.sqlpass.org/ - The Professional Organization for SQL Server

http://www.sigkdd.org/ - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) SIG for Knowledge Discovery from data

http://www.sigmod.org/ - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) SIG for Data Management

Data Technology Futures

http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/database-administration/big-data-is-just-a-fad/ - “Big Data” is just a fad

http://www.faithpopcorn.com/ - Demographic trends and predictions (Click “Tredbank” when you open the link)

http://blogs.the451group.com/information_management/2013/02/04/updated-database-lanscape-map-february-2013/ - Database Landscape Map

http://pragprog.com/book/rwdata/seven-databases-in-seven-weeks - Seven Databases in Seven Weeks

Data Science

http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/06/what-is-data-science.html - What is Data Science?

http://www.ocdqblog.com/home/demystifying-data-science.html - Demystifying Data Science

http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/database-administration/setting-up-a-data-science-laboratory/ - Setting up a data science laboratory system

http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/database-administration/mission-critical-database-design/ - Data Design Checklist

Reading Lists

http://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/81991-data-science - Goodreads Data Science list

Special Interest Groups

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Data-Science-Central-4298680 - LinkedIn Data Science Group

http://amstat.org/ - American Statistical Society

http://www.rss.org.uk/site/cms/contentChapterView.asp?chapter=1 – The Royal Statistical Society

How Does the Cloud Change a Developer's Job?

BuckWoody — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:26:51 GMT

I've recently posted a blog on how cloud computing would change the Systems Architect’s role in an organization, another on how the cloud changes a Database Administrator's job, and the last post dealt with the Systems Administrator. In this post I'll cover the changes facing the Software Developer when using the cloud.

The software developer role was the earliest adopter of cloud computing. This makes perfect sense, because the software developer has always used computing "as a service" - they (most often) don't buy and configure servers, platforms and the like, they write code that runs on those platforms. And there's probably not a simpler definition of a software developer to be found, but as with all simple statements, you lose fidelity and detail. I'll offer a more complete list in a moment.

Because the software developer's process involves designing, testing and writing code locally and then migrating it to a production environment, all of the paradigms in cloud computing - from IaaS to PaaS to SaaS - come naturally.

The Software Developer's Role

The software developer has evolved since the earliest days of programming.The software developer not only "writes code" - there are far more tasks involved in modern systems development:

Assisting the Business Role(s) in developing software specifications
Planning software system components and modules
Designing system components
Working in teams writing classes, modules, interfaces and software endpoints
Designing data layouts, architectures, access and other data controls
Designing and implementing security, either programmatic, declarative, or referential
Mixing and matching various languages, scripting and other constructs within the system
Designing and implementing user and account security rights and restrictions
Designing various software code tests - unit, functional, fuzz, integration, regression, performance and others
Deploying systems
Managing and maintaining code updates and changes

Like most of the previous roles, those tasks also unpacks into a larger set of tasks, and no single developer has exactly that same list. And like the DBA, the role is often more, or less of that list based on where the developer works. Smaller companies may include the development platform in the duties so that a developer is also a systems administrator. In larger organizations I've seen developers that specialized on User Interfaces, Engine Components, Data Controls or other specific areas.

How the Cloud Changes Things

The software developer role obviously has the same concerns and impacts of "the cloud" as the Systems Architect. They need to educate themselves on the options within this new option (Knowledge), try a few test solutions out (Experience) and of course work with others on various parts of the implementation (Coordination).

The big changes for a developer include three major areas: Hybrid Software Design, Security, and Distributed Computing.

Hybrid Software Design

After the PC revolution, software developers designed systems that ran primarily on a single computer. From there the industry moved to "client/server", where most of the code still lived on the user's workstation, and various levels of state (such as the data layer) moved to a server over fast connected lines. After than followed the Internet phase, which had less to do with HTML coding than it did with state-less architectures. While no architecture is truly stateless, there are ways of allowing the client to be in a different state than the server of the application at any one time - this is the way the Web works.

Even so, the developer often simply moved one the primary layers (such as Model, View or Controller) to the server, using the User Interface merely as the View or Presentation layer. While technically stateless, this doesn't require a great deal of architecture change - there are various software modules that run on a server, and perhaps that connects to a remote data server. In the end, it's still a single paradigm.

We now have the ability to run IaaS (hardware abstraction), PaaS (hardware, operating system and runtime abstraction) and SaaS (everything abstracted, API calls only) in a single environment such as Windows Azure. A single application might have a Web-based Interface Server with federated processes (using a PaaS set of roles), a database service (using a SaaS provider such as Windows Azure SQL Database), a specialized process in Linux (using an IaaS role in Windows Azure) and a translator API (from the Windows Azure Marketplace). This example involves only one vendor - Microsoft. I've seen applications that use multiple vendors in this same way.

Thinking this way opens up a great deal of flexibility - and complexity. Complexity isn't evil; it's how complicated things get done many times. The modern developer needs to understand how to build hybrid software architectures.

Resources: Hybrid Architectures with step-by-step instructions and examples: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh871440.aspx and Windows Azure Hybrid Systems: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh871440.aspx?AnnouncementFeed

Security

Having a single security boundary, such as "everyone who works in my company", is a relatively simple problem to solve. Normally the System Administrators configure and control a security provider, such as Active Directory, and developers can access that security layer programmatically. That allows for good separation of duties and role-based control.

In modern applications, clients, managers, and users both internal and external need various levels of access to the same objects, code and data. A client should be able to enter an order, a store should be able to accept the order, the credit-card company should be able to check the order and authorize payment, and the managers should be able to report on the order or change it if needed. Using role-based security across multiple domains would be impossible to maintain.

Enter "claims-based" authentication. In this paradigm, the user logs in with whatever security they use - corporate or other Active Directory, Facebook, Google, whatever. The application (using Windows Identity Foundation or WIF) can accept a "claim" from that provider, and the developer can match whatever parts of that claim they wish to the objects, code and data. And example might be useful.

Buck logs in to his corporate Active Directory (AD), and attempts to use a program based in Windows Azure. Windows Azure rejects the login silently, and is configured to check with Buck's AD. Buck's AD says "yes, I know Buck, and he has been granted the following claims: "partner", "manager", "approver". The developer does not need to know about Buck's AD, Buck, his login, or anything else. She simply codes the proper data access to allow "approver" to approve a sale.

This allows a lot of control, at a very fine level, without having to get into the details of each security provider. .

Resources: Overview of using claims-based Azure Security: http://adnanboz.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/claims-based-access-and-windows-azure/

Distributed Computing

Is there a difference between stateless computing, or even the hybrid programming I mentioned earlier, and "Distributed Computing"? Yes - the primary difference is latency. Even stateless code can have too small a tolerance for latency.

Dealing with slow connectivity, or breaks in connections has many impacts. One method of dealing with this is to locate data and computing of that data as closely as possible, even if this means relaxing consistency or duplicating data. Another method is to go back to a great paradigm from the past that is possible underused today is a Service Oriented Architecture. The Windows Azure Service Bus is possibly one of the fastest and easiest way to adopt cloud computing without completely rearchitecting your application.

References: Great breakdown of the thought process around a distributed architecture: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/jj553517.aspx and using a Windows Azure Relay Service: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/develop/net/how-to-guides/service-bus-relay/

How Does the Cloud Change a Systems Administrator's Job?

BuckWoody — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:46:02 GMT

I recently posted a blog entry on how cloud computing would change the Systems Architect’s role in an organization, and another on how the cloud changes a database administrator's job. This time I'll cover a few of the changes the cloud brings for the Systems Administrator.

The systems administrator shares some similarity with the database administrator, in that it's rare to find a single job description that fits all people in that role. There are some basic similarities among various organizations, so I'll use those as a starting point.

The Systems Administrator Role

The systems administrator role is perhaps one of the earliest in technology, at least as far as the implementation of a system goes. In the earliest days of computing, electronic technical professionals built prototype computers, and newly minted "programmers" wrote logical instructions for these systems. In time, the systems administration role owned the installation, configuration, operation and tuning of these systems once they went into production and use on a larger scale. A few of the tasks associated with the role are:

Planning, installing and configuring systems
Planning, designing and creating storage, networking and other system components
Planning, designing and implementing High Availability and Disaster Recovery for each system
Maintaining and monitoring systems
Implementing performance tuning systems based on monitoring
Re-balancing workloads across servers based on monitoring
Securing systems, networks and individual computers based on requirements and implementation
Planning, implementing and controlling user and account security rights and restrictions

Like the DBA, that’s just a short list, and each of those tasks also unpacks into a larger set of tasks. And like the DBA, the role is often more, or less of that list based on where the system administrator works. In smaller companies I've been a "systems administrator" that also ran the database and mail servers, web systems, front-line end-user support and made the coffee. In larger organization I was only able to spend the day on one or two parts of that list, since there were so many systems and they interacted with so many other systems.

Systems administrators often deal with multiple operating systems. In one company where I was a system administrator, I worked with no less than six operating systems from mainframes to PC servers, two of them highly specialized to the hardware.

How the Cloud Changes Things

The systems administrator has the same concerns and impacts of "the cloud" as the DBA and the Systems Architect. They need to educate themselves on the options within this new option (Knowledge), try a few test solutions out (Experience) and of course work with others on various parts of the implementation (Coordination).

I've mentioned the three big buckets of cloud computing, dealing with Virtual Machines (IaaS) writing code (PaaS) and using software that’s already written and being delivered via an Application Programming Interface (API). In my experience, the systems administrator role normally tackles the first "bucket" most often - IaaS, which has at its base the technology of virtualization.

Virtualization

One of the first areas the systems administrator is involved with "the cloud" is in the area of virtualization. This technology isn't new - in fact, I worked on Virtual Machines (VM's) way back in my mainframe days. It's the process of using software to emulate hardware - which has implications far beyond that simple sentence.

Virtualization is normally a standard on-premises process. When you take Virtual Machines and host them in another location, this is called Co-Location, or CoLo. Personally, I don't define either of these activities as "Cloud" computing - it's simply virtualization. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) normally involves several more components, at the very least being able to set up the systems (provision) and deploy them in a standard, automated way. It also involves (at a minimum) the ability to monitor, move and alter the systems using a prescribed methodology. There are other parts of IaaS to be sure, but this level above simply scripting installations or virtualizing a machine is where the system administrator becomes involved in this new "cloud computing" paradigm.

There are multiple VM technologies available, from the hypervisor that is built-in to the Windows operating system (Hyper-V) to third-party alternatives such as VMWare. The choice of cloud provider often dictates the selection of hypervisor. Windows Azure uses Hyper-V, and allows you to move systems from the cloud to the desktop and back again. Other providers use VMWare, or a proprietary format. Some allow you to push or pull images from the cloud service, others do not. The systems administrator must educate themselves on the business need and then select the cloud provider that best fits the requirements for a workload. It's also common to use several cloud providers within a single company.

Resources: Windows Azure Virtual Machines: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/windows/tutorials/virtual-machine-from-gallery/ and System Center: http://blogs.technet.com/b/server-cloud/archive/2011/12/01/managing-and-monitoring-windows-azure-applications-with-system-center-2012.aspx

Cloud Computing Architecture - Private, Public and Hybrid

It's important to note that IaaS can be on-premises, at another facility, or both. The first is called "private cloud", the second "public cloud", and the third "hybrid cloud". Yes, these are marketing terms, but they are useful in describing where the decisions are for deploying a system. If data security is paramount, then private cloud may be the right choice for a given workload. If agility or cost is an issue, public cloud may be the right answer for another workload. And in many cases - perhaps most - using both architectures is the right way to split the workload.

The key is to understand the workload well. In the past the system administrator needed to know the component requirements, such as how much memory, CPU, network and storage a workload needed. In cloud computing, these are also concerns, but you need to add in the questions of cost, business use, location of users, security and other vectors. These concerns bring the systems administrator closer to the business and its goals.

Resources: Windows Azure Hybrid Systems: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh871440.aspx?AnnouncementFeed

DevOps

One new term introduced into cloud computing is "DevOps" - short for Developer Operations. Not everyone agrees that this is even a real "thing" - that it's a made-up term by cloud vendors. Regardless, there is a new set of tasks that the cloud brings that may sit within the purview of the system administrator.

Basically it involves the administration needed at the PaaS or SaaS level. The IaaS function of cloud computing holds most of the same characteristics as an on-premises system, defined the in the first list I mentioned above. But when the organization uses Platform as a Service, the operating system, much of the security, scale and other components of infrastructure are abstracted into the platform, and are often even controlled by the developer.

But once the application "goes live", there are a host of billing, controlling, scaling and other security questions that developers aren't equipped to handle. Who takes care of those? As companies are finding out, they need to appoint someone to cover these overlapped areas between developers and administrators.

References: How DevOps brings order: http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/feature/How-DevOps-brings-order-to-a-cloud-oriented-world and Managing Windows Azure: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/overview/

How Does the Cloud Change a Database Administrator’s Job?

BuckWoody — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:08:32 GMT

I recently posted a blog entry on how cloud computing would change the Systems Architect’s role in an organization. In a way, the Systems Architect has the easiest transition to a new way of using computing technologies. In fact, that’s actually part of the job description. I mentioned that a Systems Architect has three primary vectors to think about for cloud computing, as it applies to what they should do:

Knowledge - Which options are available to solve problems, and what are their strengths and weaknesses.
Experience - What has the System Architect seen and worked with in the past.
Coordination - A system design is based on multiple factors, and one person can't make all the choices. There will need to be others involved at every level of the solution, and the Systems Architect will need to know who those people are and how to work with them.

The Database Administrator Role

But a Database Administrator (DBA) is probably one of the harder roles to think about when it comes to cloud computing. First, let’s define what a Database Administrator usually thinks about as part of their job:

Planning, Installing and Configuring a Database Platform
Planning, designing and creating databases
Planning, designing and implementing High Availability and Disaster Recovery for each database (HADR) based on requirements for its workload
Maintaining and monitoring the database platform
Implementing performance tuning on the databases based on monitoring
Re-balancing workloads across database servers based on monitoring
Securing databases platforms and individual databases based on requirements and implementation

That’s just a short list, and each of those unpacks into a larger set of tasks.

The issue is that I’ve never actually met a DBA that does all of those things, or just all of those things. Many times they do much more, sometimes the systems are so large they specialize on just a few of them.

And as you can see from the list, some of these areas are shared with other roles. For instance, in some shops, the DBA plans, purchases, sets up and configures the hardware for database servers. In others that’s done
by the Infrastructure Team. In some shops the DBA designs databases from software requirements, and in others the developers do that – or perhaps it’s done as a joint effort. The same holds true for database code – sometimes the
DBA does it, other times the developer, and still others it’s a shared task.

In fact, you could argue that there are few other roles in IT where the roles are so intermixed. Also, the DBA works with software the company develops, and software the company buys. They work with hardware, networking, security and software. There are certain aspects of design and tuning that are outside the purview of some of those things, and inside the others.

With all of these variables, simply telling a DBA that they should “use the cloud” is not the proper approach.

How the Cloud Changes Things

To be sure, the DBA has the same vectors as the Systems Architect. They need to educate themselves on the options within this new option (Knowledge), try a few test solutions out (Experience) and of course work with others on various parts of the implementation (Coordination). But it goes beyond that.

There are three big buckets of cloud computing, dealing with simply using a Virtual Machine (IaaS) to writing code without worrying about the virtualization or even the operating system (PaaS) and using software that’s already written and being delivered via an Application Programming Interface (API). Each of these has so many options and configurations that it’s often better to think about the problem you’re trying to solve rather than all of the technology within a given area - although some of that is certainly necessary anyway.

Database Platform Architecture

I’ll start with when the DBA should even consider cloud computing for a solution. Once again, it’s not an “all or nothing” paradigm, where you either run something on premises or in the cloud – it’s often a matter of selecting the right components to solve a problem. In my design sessions with DBA’s I break these down into three big areas where they might want to consider the cloud –and then we talk about how to implement each one:

Audiences
HADR
Data Services

Audiences

If the users of your database systems all sit in the same facility, you own the servers and networking, and the application servers are separate from the database server, it doesn’t usually make sense to take that database workload and place it on Windows Azure – or any other cloud provider. The latency alone prevents a satisfactory performance profile, and in some cases won’t work at all. It doesn’t matter if the cloud solution is cheaper or easier – if you’re moving a lot of data every second between an on-premises system and the cloud it won’t work well.

However – if your users are in multiple locations, especially globally, or you have a mix of company and external customer users, it might make sense to evaluate a shared data location. You still need to consider the implications of how much data the application server pushes back and forth, but you may be able to locate both the application server and SQL Server in an IaaS role. Assuming the data sent to the final client will work across public Internet channels, there may be a fit. There are security implications, but unless you have point-to-point connections for your current solution you’re faced with the same security questions on both options.

Your audience might also be developers looking for a way to quickly spin up a server and then turn it down when they are done, paying for the time and not the hardware or licenses. This is also a prime case for evaluating IaaS. And there are others that you'll find in your own organization as you work through the requirements you have.

Resources: Windows Azure Virtual Machines: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/windows/tutorials/virtual-machine-from-gallery/ and Windows Azure SQL Server Virtual Machines: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/windows/common-tasks/install-sql-server/

HADR

The next possible place to consider using cloud computing with SQL Server is as a part of your High Availability and Disaster Recovery plans. In fact, this is the most common use I see for cloud computing and the Database Administrator. The key is the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO). Based on each application’s requirements, you may find that using Windows Azure or even supplementing your current plan is
the right place to evaluate options. I’ve covered this use-case in more detail in another article.

References: SQL Server High Availability and Disaster Recovery options with Windows Azure: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/buckwoody/archive/2013/01/08/microsoft-windows-azure-disaster-recovery-options-for-on-premises-sql-server.aspx

Data Services

Windows Azure, along with other cloud providers, offers another way to design, create and consume data. In this use-case, however, the tasks DBA’s normally perform for sizing, ordering and configuring a system don’t apply.

With Windows Azure SQL Databases (the artist formerly known as SQL Azure), you can simply create a database and begin using it. There are places where this fits and others where it doesn’t, and there are differences, limitations and enhancements, so it isn’t meant as replacement for what you could do with “Full-up” SQL Server on a Windows Azure Virtual Machine or an on-premises Instance. If a developer needs an Relational Database Management
(RDBMS) data store for a web-based application, then this might be a perfect fit.

But there is more to data services than Windows Azure SQL Databases. Windows Azure also offers MySQL as a service, RIAK and MongoDB (among others) and even Hadoop for larger distributed data sets. In addition you can use Windows Azure Reporting Services, and also tap into datasets and data functions in the Windows Azure Marketplace.

The key for the DBA with this option is that you will have to do a little investigation this time, and potentially without a specific workload in mind this time. I think that’s acceptable thing to ask – DBA’s constantly keep up with data processing trends, and most will consider different ways to solve a problem.

References:

Windows Azure SQL Databases: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/home/features/data-management/

Windows Azure Reporting Services: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/services/other/sql-reporting/

HDInsight Service (Hadoop on Azure): https://www.hadooponazure.com/

MongoDB Offerings on Windows Azure: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/linux/common-tasks/mongodb-on-a-linux-vm/

Windows Azure Marketplace: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/store/overview/

How Does the Cloud Change a Systems Architect’s Job?

BuckWoody — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:43:59 GMT

I know - I said I didn't like the "cloud" term, but my better-phrased "Distributed Systems" moniker just never took off like I had hoped. So I'll stick with the "c" word for now, at least until the search engines catch up with my more accurate term.

I thought I might spend a little time on how the cloud affects the way we work - from Systems Architects to Database Administrators and Developers, and Systems Administrators - a group often referred to as "IT Pro's". But each role within these groups have different aspects when using cloud computing. In this post we'll take a look at the role of the Systems Architect, and in the posts that follow I'll talk more about the other roles in the IT Pro area.

The Systems Architect Role

What does a "Systems Architect" do? Like most IT roles, it depends on the company or organization where they work. In fact, the term isn't even specific to technology, but I'll use it in that context here. In general, a Systems Architect takes the requirements for a given system, and assembles the relevant technology areas that best fulfill those requirements. That's a single-sentence explanation, and needs further unpacking.

As an example, a Systems Architect at a medical firm is presented with a set of requirements for tracking a patient through the entire care cycle. The Systems Architect first looks at all of the requirements for the data that needs to be collected based on business, financial, regulations, and other requirements, and then how that data needs to flow from one system to another. They check the security requirements, performance, location and other aspects of the system. They then check to see which options are available for processing that data, and which parts they should "build or buy".

For instance, the requirements might be so specific that only custom code is the proper solution - but even there, choices still exist, such as which language(s) to use, what type of data persistence (a Relational Database Management System or or other data storage and processing) will be used, what talent within the company is available for the system and a myriad of other decision.

All of this boils down to three primary vectors:

Knowledge - Which options are available to solve problems, and what are their strengths and weaknesses.
Experience - What has the System Architect seen and worked with in the past.
Coordination - A system design is based on multiple factors, and one person can't make all the choices. There will need to be others involved at every level of the solution, and the Systems Architect will need to know who those people are and how to work with them.

How the Cloud Changes Things

From the outset, it doesn't seem that using a distributed system would change anything in the Systems Architect role. Isn't the cloud simply another option that the Systems Architect needs to learn and apply? Yes, that is true - but it goes a bit deeper. Let's return to those vectors a moment to see what a Systems Architect needs to take into account.

Knowledge

The first and probably most obvious impact is learning about cloud technologies. But the important part of that knowledge is to learn when and where to use each service. It's a common misconception that the cloud should be an "all or nothing" approach. That's just not true - every Windows Azure project I work on has some element of on-premises interaction, and in some cases only one small part of a solution is placed on the Windows Azure architecture. Since Windows Azure contains IaaS (VM's) PaaS (you write code, we run it) and even SaaS (Such as Hadoop or Media Services), a given architecture can use multiple components even within just one provider. And I've worked on several projects where the customer used not only Windows Azure and On-Premises environments, but also components from other providers. That's not only acceptable, but often the best way to solve a given problem.

As part of the learning experience, it's vital to keep in mind what you need to pick as key decision points. In your organization, cost could be ranked higher than performance, or perhaps security is the highest decision point.

To stay educated, there are various journals, websites and conferences that Systems Architects use to keep current. Almost all of those are talking about "cloud" - but there is no substitute for learning from the vendor about their solution. I'm speaking here of the technical information, not the marketing information. The marketing information is also useful, at least from a familiarity standpoint, but the technical information is what you need.

Resource: For Windows Azure, the Systems Architect can start here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/buckwoody/archive/2012/06/13/windows-azure-write-run-or-use-software.aspx

Experience

Cloud computing is relatively new - it's only been out a few years, and the main competitors are only now settling in to their respective areas. It might not be common for a Systems Architect to have a lot of hands-on experience with cloud projects.

Even so, there are ways to leverage the experience of others, such as direct contact or even attending conferences where customers present findings from their experiences.

You can also gain hands-on experience by setting up pilots and proof-of-concept projects yourself. Most all vendors - Microsoft included - have free time available on their systems. The key to an experiment like this is choosing some problem you are familiar with that exercises as many features in the platform as possible. There is no substitute for working with a platform when you want to design a solution.

Coordination

Probably one of the largest changes in the Systems Architect role that the cloud brings is in the area of coordination. When a Systems Architect deals with the business and other technical professionals, there is a 20+ year history of technology that we are all familiar with. When you mention "the cloud", those audiences may not have spent the time you have in understanding what that means - and often they think it means the "all or nothing" approach I mentioned earlier.

I've found that a series of "lunch and learns" for the technical staff is useful to explain to each role-group how the cloud is used in their area is useful. In the posts that follow this one, I'll give you some material for those. For managers and business professionals, you'll want to go a different route. I've found that an "Executive Briefing" e-mail, consisting of about a page, with headings that are applicable to your audience.

Resource: Writing Executive Summaries: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=76

How I Work: A Cloud Developer's Workstation

BuckWoody — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:55:00 GMT

I've written here a little about how I work during the day, including things like using a stand-up desk (still doing that, by the way). Inspired by a Twitter conversation yesterday, I thought I might explain how I set up my computing environment.

First, a couple of important points. I work in Cloud Computing, specifically (but not limited to) Windows Azure. Windows Azure has features to run a Virtual Machine (IaaS), run code without having to control a Virtual Machine (PaaS) and use databases, video streaming, Hadoop and more (a kind of SaaS for tech pros). As such, my designs run the gamut of on-premises, VM's in the Cloud, and software that I write for a platform.

I focus on data primarily, meaning that I design a lot of systems that use an RDBMS (like SQL Server or Windows Azure Databases) or a NoSQL approach (MongoDB on Azure or large-scale Key-Value Pairs in Table storage) and even Hadoop and R, and also Cloud Numerics in F#.

All that being said, those things inform my choices below.

Hardware

I have a Lenovo X220 tablet/laptop which I really like a great deal - it's a light, tough, extremely fast system. When I travel, that's the system I take. It has 8GB of RAM, and an SSD drive. I sometimes use that to develop or work at a client's site, on the road, or in the living room when I'm not in my home office.

My main system is a GateWay DX430017 - I've maxed it out on RAM, and I have two 1TB drives in it. It's not only my workstation for work; I leave it on all the time and it streams our videos, music and books. I have about 3400 e-books, and I've just started using Calibre to stream the library. I run Windows 8 on it so I can set up Hyper-V images, since Windows Azure allows me to move regular Hyper-V disks back and forth to the Cloud. That's where all my "servers" are, when I have to use an IaaS approach.

The reason I use a desktop-style system rather than a laptop only approach is that a good part of my job is setting up architectures to solve really big, complex problems. That means I have to simulate entire networks on-premises, along with the Hybrid Cloud approach I use a lot. I need a lot of disk space and memory for that, and I use two huge monitors on my stand-up desk. I could probably use 10 monitors if I had the room for them. Also, since it's our home system as well, I leave it on all the time and it doesn't travel.

Software

For the software for my systems, it's important to keep in mind that I not only write code, but I design databases, teach, present, and create Linux and other environments.

Windows 8 - While the jury is out for me on the new interface, the context-sensitive search, integrated everything, and speed is just hands-down the right choice. I've evaluated a server OS, Linux, even an Apple, but I just am not as efficient on those as I am with Windows 8.

Visual Studio Ultimate - I develop primarily in .NET (C# and F# mostly) and I use the Team Foundation Server in the cloud, and I'm asked to do everything from UI to Services, so I need everything.

Windows Azure SDK, Windows Azure Training Kit - I need the first to set up my Azure PaaS coding, and the second has all the info I need for PaaS, IaaS and SaaS. This is primarily how I get paid. :)

SQL Server Developer Edition - While I might install Oracle, MySQL and Postgres on my VM's, the "outside" environment is SQL Server for an RDBMS. I install the Developer Edition because it has the same features as Enterprise Edition, and comes with all the client tools and documentation.

Microsoft Office - Even if I didn't work here, this is what I would use. I've just grown too accustomed to doing business this way to change, so my advice is always "use what works", and this does. The parts I use are:

OneNote (and a Math Add-in) - I do almost everything - and I mean everything in OneNote. I can code, do high-end math, present, design, collaborate and more. All my notebooks are on my Skydrive. I can use them from any system, anywhere. If you take the time to learn this program, you'll be hooked.

Excel with PowerPivot - Don't make that face. Excel is the world's database, and every Data Scientist I know - even the ones where I teach at the University of Washington - know it, use it, and love it.

Outlook - Primary communications, CRM and contact tool. I have all of my social media hooked up to it, so when I get an e-mail from you, I see everything, see all the history we've had on e-mail, find you on a map and more.

Lync - I was fine with LiveMeeting, although it has it's moments. For me, the Lync client is tres-awesome. I use this throughout my day, present on it, stay in contact with colleagues and the folks on the dev team (who wish I didn't have it) and more.

PowerPoint - Once again, don't make that face. Whenever I see someone complaining about PowerPoint, I have 100% of the time found they don't know how to use it. If you suck at presenting or creating content, don't blame PowerPoint. Works great on my machine. :)

Zoomit - Magnifier - On Windows 7 (and 8 as well) there's a built-in magnifier, but I install Zoomit out of habit. It enlarges the screen. If you don't use one of these tools (or their equivalent on some other OS) then you're presenting/teaching wrong, and you should stop presenting/teaching until you get them and learn how to show people what you can see on your tiny, tiny monitor. :)

Cygwin - Unix for Windows. OK, that's not true, but it's mostly that. I grew up on mainframes and Unix (IBM and HP, thank you) and I can't imagine life without sed, awk, grep, vim, and bash. I also tend to take a lot of the "Science" and "Development" and "Database" packages in it as well.

PuTTY - Speaking of Unix, when I need to connect to my Linux VM's in Windows Azure, I want to do it securely. This is the tool for that.

Notepad++ - Somewhere between torturing myself in vim and luxuriating in OneNote is Notepad++. Everyone has a favorite text editor; this one is mine. Too many features to name, and it's free.

Browsers - I install Chrome, Firefox and of course IE. I know it's in vogue to rant on IE, but I tend to think for myself a great deal, and I've had few (none) problems with it. The others I have for the haterz that make sites that won't run in IE.

Visio - I've used a lot of design packages, but none have the extreme meta-data edit capabilities of Visio. I don't use this all the time - it can be rather heavy, but what it does it does really well. I also present this way when I'm not using PowerPoint. Yup, I just bring up Visio and diagram away as I'm chatting with clients. Depending on what we're covering, this can be the right tool for that.

Tweetdeck - The AIR one, not that new disaster they came out with. I live on social media, since you, dear readers, are my cube-mates. When I get tired of you all, I close Tweetdeck. When I need help or someone needs help from me, or if I want to see a picture of a cat while I'm coding, I bring it up. It's up most all day and night.

Windows Media Player - I listen to Trance or Classical when I code, and I find music managers overbearing and extra. I just use what comes in the box, and it works great for me.

R - F# and Cloud Numerics now allows me to load in R libraries (yay!) and I use this for statistical work on big data loads.

Microsoft Math - One of the most amazing, free, rich, amazing, awesome, amazing calculators out there. I get the 64-bit version for quick math conversions, plots and formula-checks.

Python - I know, right? Who knew that the scientific community loved Python so much. But they do. I use 2.7; not as much runs with 3+. I also use IronPython in Visual Studio, or I edit in Notepad++

Camstudio recorder - Windows PSR - In much of my training, and all of my teaching at the UW, I need to show a process on a screen. Camstudio records screen and voice, and it's free. If I need to make static training, I use the Windows PSR tool that's built right in. It's ostensibly for problem duplication, but I use it to record for training.

OK - your turn. Post a link to your blog entry below, and tell me how you set your system up.

A SQL Saturday in Cambridge – Buck Woody’s Ragtime Database Workshop

BuckWoody — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:49:00 GMT

The SQL Server community is really engaged. They are an active bunch on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, they help each other on forums, they attend conferences. But that isn’t enough interaction – the community started a grass-roots effort to hold local conferences on a Saturday. Free conferences. Odds are there’s one near you… http://www.sqlsaturday.com/default.aspx … and if not, you can start one.

Sessions at SQL Saturdays are all over the map, and there’s something for (almost) everyone, from Business Intelligence to Database Administration and Development. Some of these events have “training days” associated with them – longer, more in-depth training that has a fee. I’ve taught quite a few of these, and of course I’ve done my share of other presentations at the events as well.

I’m honored to be presenting at the Cambridge, UK SQL Saturday this year (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/162/eventhome.aspx) in September. For one thing, I used to live near there and plan to take the family with me to show them my old stomping grounds. For another, I’m excited about the sessions I get to present.

The Training Day

Friday I’ll be leading one of those training days – and I’ll be delivering a very important workshop, where I’ll cover SQL Server – all of it. OK, maybe not *all* of it, and maybe you won’t be a complete PhD after the class, but we’ll do a complete immersion in learning SQL Server as a product from the ground up. It’s a workshop format, so no sitting and listening to someone droning on and on for hours. You’ll be asked to bring a laptop, and do actual work on the product from the first few minutes of the 8-hour day to the last of the workshop. You’ll be jumping in from the very start, and in deep until the end of the day.

But wait – this is kind of a “beginner” thing, isn’t it? Shouldn’t I be doing something on the internals of the locking mechanism of the hashing system in memory on x64 architectures, with complete code diagrams? Shouldn’t you be able to snatch the T-SQL pebble from the master’s hand when you’re done, or be able to shoot the wings off of an XML fly when you’re done?

No.

We need this kind of session. For one thing, you can get that depth in other sessions. For another, we need to have a place for someone that wants to learn SQL Server but doesn’t have a lot of time to do that. We need something relatively inexpensive that a boss can send a developer, administrator or new employee to learn how to take over the SQL Server, or augment the DBA team. We need a place where good habits are formed, and where someone can branch out into a new part of technology, into one of the best places in tech to be – data.

After you’re done with this session, stick around for Saturday – now all those presentations will make more sense. And you’ll be able to network with a lot of folks that already do what you learn about on Friday, and who knows – find out where to look for work in this amazing career field.

What will you learn?

You’ll start with knowing that SQL Server is a database product by Microsoft. That’s all the pre-requisite you need, other than being the technology industry. From there we’ll cover:

The Data Professional Career
Installing, setting up and configuring the right Edition of SQL Server for the job (including SQL Azure)
Database engine fundamentals – How does the engine work, what are the components, what can you configure and tune
Transactions, Locking and Blocking
Creating and managing databases
Database options and their impact
Database Objects including Tables, Views, Stored Procedures, Functions and more
General maintenance including backups and recovery
Security fundamentals including users, roles, and object security
Performance tuning fundamentals including indexes and query research tools
Multiple resources to help you get to the next level

In 8-hours. Come ready to learn. You’ll need a laptop, and complete focus for a few hours. You’ll leave with the ability to manage and work with a SQL Server system – and you’ll learn what to do next.

Who should go?

If you’re new to Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS’s) but not technology, and you’re looking to expand your technical reach, coming from another platform (to be sure, there will be some repeat info here), want to explore a new tech career area, want to learn more about developing against an RDBMS or know someone who does.

The registration for the training day is here: https://www.regonline.co.uk/?eventID=1120017&rTypeID=242030

What else are you doing whilst (I love saying whilst) there?

I’m also pleased to be providing the keynote on Saturday. (I can’t wait to see what I’m going to say), as well as two other sessions – more on those soon. My daughter wants to be a Zoologist, so while we’re there we’ll be visiting the Zoology museum at one of the colleges, I’ll probably eat too much and potentially go punting. I’ll also mingle with you, my SQL Family, and we’ll just generally have a good time.

If you’re not busy in September, and even if you are, make plans to come check all this out. It promises to be awesome. (Americans think everything is awesome)

See you there.

How I Work– Working From Home

BuckWoody — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:54:24 GMT

I work from home – and I would find it difficult to work any other way. For decades I’ve worked in traditional offices, cubicle-farms, and open-plan work areas. I find them too bright, too loud, too distracting, and in some cases, too depressing to be effective. Working from home offers me a zero-commute, largely stress-free way of working that I really like. I just find it one of the most effective, efficient and enjoyable ways to work.

But there are some caveats.

I’ve read a lot of blogs that talk about how difficult it is to work from home, articles that explain how ineffective home workers are, and how it’s difficult to monitor and manage remote workers. I find those interesting, since I’ve not experienced that. I thought I might take a few moments to explain how I work at home, and the attributes that make this style of working most effective. Every person is different, so perhaps it’s a combination of factors that make working remotely successful for one person and not another.

Personal Work Style

I am a very self-motivated person. I am goal-oriented, which means that when I’m given an assignment, I start a work-back schedule and immediate sort out my time and start working the tasks to get to the goal. And I don’t have to be given a specific goal – if my company gives me the direction they want to go, I’ll make goals that take us both in that direction. That’s a large part of working remotely – you have to be self-motivated.

I also like to focus during certain periods of time. No music, no talking, no e-mail, twitter, or Facebook; no interruptions, just an hour or so of “heads-down” work. I don’t work like that all the time, but when I do, I want that extreme focus available. Working remotely allows me to control the environment enough to do that.

In fact, I don’t like having set tasks to do each day. I can certainly do that kind of work, but I’d much rather work towards a goal, and set up my own tasks.

To work remotely, you’ll need to be self-motivated as well. In many cases, those who work remotely don’t have a daily stand-up meeting or scrum that they are part of. That means no one is watching to see if they are on-task – and for some folks, that allows them not to be as focused as having that pressure of knowing they are being tracked.

You’ll need to be able to stay focused on the work you need to do. It is incredibly easy to be sidetracked when you work remotely. You have to be ruthless about looking forward to the goal, creating a schedule and staying on that schedule. I live and die by my Outlook Tasks. Every e-mail I get is turned into a task if there is anything needed from me. I make those tasks visible to my boss, so he knows at all times what I’m up to without bothering me for status. When I finish the work, I close the task.

You’ll need to be able to be “compartmentalized”. When you’re at work, be at work. When you’re done, shut it off. When you’re working at home, it’s far too easy for those lines to become blurred, and for your home and work life to mix. Some of that is unavoidable, but I minimize it as much as I can. Even my family helps – they know that when I’m in my room that serves as my office with the door closed, I’m not home. I’m at work. Unless it’s an emergency, they treat it as if I’ve left the house.

That doesn’t mean I work 9-5 – far from it. I get up very early, and make coffee, open up the house, and turn on the laptop. I check e-mail (but I don’t answer them yet) social networks, and my RSS feeds (I have several hundred I glance through). When my family wakes up a few minutes later, I stop work, we go for a walk around a pond near our home (about a half-a mile) rain or snow. We come back, I get back to work on the day’s tasks. I stop again, we eat breakfast together, and then my wife is off to work and my daughter is off to school. I’m now ready to start phone calls, client visits, or work on architectures and solutions. When I can I eat lunch, take the dog for another walk, and get back to work. My daughter comes home from school, and I stop and chat with her about her day. She goes off to do her homework, and I get back to work. When my wife gets home in the evenings, I stop work, cook dinner, and then read most nights when I’m not teaching college. On the weekends we go various places around Washington and Oregon, and on Sundays I go to church. I do have to work a weekend here or there, but I don’t work on Sunday – or even open the laptop very often – unless I have to. That’s my schedule, and it suits me not to have to sit in traffic or deal with office politics. I’m most effective this way.

Work

Not every job can be done remotely.

I chose the Role I have at Microsoft carefully, and in the largest part because it allows me to work remotely. My job is to support customers when they are investigating using our technologies to solve a problem. It’s at various parts of the sales cycle, but I’m assigned a territory (the entire Pacific Northwest of the U.S.) to work directly with our clients and whatever team at Microsoft is helping them at the moment. I currently work with Windows Azure, specializing in things like architecting systems, data systems, and security. That means I’m either on a web-conference, at the client’s office, or working architecture designs. That lends itself well to working remotely.

So your work needs to be able to be done remotely. If you’re able to use e-mail and the phone/webcam to communicate, if your work doesn’t require a lot of in-person meetings, and if you’re able to work independently and then submit your part of the work to a larger group using a computer network, then you’re probably able to work remotely. Also, if your work involves visiting clients often you’re not in the office most of the time anyway – so you could probably work remotely then as well.

Environment

Having the location and tools to work remotely is essential to success. First, you need a place where you can work. I have a home office, a dedicated room in the house that I use for work. It has a door, and when I close that I can isolate myself for calls, web broadcasts, collaboration and to focus. For me, a specific, private room or place in the house is very important.

That being said, I very often take my office with me to another location. When the family leaves for the day, I can pick up my laptop (I use a Lenovo X220 with SSD’s and a lot of RAM, with Windows 8 and Microsoft Office) and head outside when the weather is nice. I grab a cup of coffee, head to the porch, and stay heads-down on the work. Sometimes I go to a coffee shop, sometimes I go to the Public Library, a University of Washington location, or just by a lake or stream. When I am remote I take my phone with me.

You’ll need a fast Internet connection – business class if you can get it – if you’re doing web conferences. You want to remain professional, and nothing says “I’m an amateur” faster than a spotty network connection, especially if you use an IP phone. My company doesn’t pay for the connection, I just treat it as my commute-money. It’s worth it. And you’ll need a backup. I do have a MiFi device in case I’m by that pond or mountain or when the Internet goes out – I don’t rely on public Internet when I’m out. And I try to be on my business class Internet when I’m on a call or web conference. If I have to I’ll drive in to a Microsoft office to use a dedicated connection if the one at home is out. I won’t compromise the client’s experience on my convenience.

I have an inexpensive server in the house, where I run Windows 2008 R2 Server. I have several VM’s there that I remote into, and those are my demo machines, development workstations and so on. I back that up to an external drive which I keep at a friend’s house. I also make sure all of my critical work files are kept in Windows Azure storage for a remote backup.

I use my regular laptop for just a few tools:

OneNote – For everything. I use it for typing, a light spreadsheet and math tool, graphics, presenting (yup, that’s what I use), whiteboarding, everything. I use my Windows Live SkyDrive for all my notebooks, and then I open them using the local OneNote tool. That way I have the rich tool interface, backups of all my data, and when needed I can use the web OneNote to do my work on any computer connected to the Internet. I can even share out the NoteBooks (I do this all the time) and work with clients or internal teams real-time. It’s a one-product SharePoint, at least for me.
Outlook – From e-mail to RSS feeds to calendar and tasks, I live and die on Outlook. Once again I use the “fat” client for almost everything local, but connected over the web interface whenever I need to, and of course that’s backed up on corporate.
PowerPoint – don’t be a hater. I love PowerPoint. In fact, every time (every single time) I’ve seen someone whining about how bad PowerPoint is I find out they stink at using PowerPoint. If you take the time to learn it, you can do everything from presentations to simple designs, whiteboarding and even full on training sessions using it. I also store the Presos on my Skydrive, and I can (and have) presented from Office Live Apps.
Visual Studio – I do all my coding, database and data work, and design work in VS. I check all my code into GIT or VSTS, depending on the client.
Lync – One of the best communication tools I’ve used. It’s my IP phone, internal chat, internal groups, webcam presentation, and a really nice collaborative whiteboard tool. I do entire design sessions using only Lync.

You’ll have to decide whether you like a noisy, busy environment, or a quiet, serene one. I like both, depending on what I’m doing. I normally work mostly here at home listing to music, but from time to time I’ll get out where there are more people I can interact with.

Communication

You’ll find that working at home can be very solitary. The whole point of being away from everyone is that you’re away from everyone – but this can be a problem. You need periodic interaction. I have regular staff meetings online with my team, I stay connected and chat often using Lync, and I do visit client and Microsoft offices from time to time.

And I use social media. Twitter I use for general chatter, and I do this throughout the day when I’m waiting for a compile or some other task to finish. Facebook is where I post more family or longer interactions. LinkedIn, which I use a great deal, is for only work-related information, chats, groups and so on. Can these be time-wasters, or not be useful? Of course. That’s where the self-discipline comes in. I put into those networks exactly what I want out of them, and when I’m busy, I shut them off.

I don’t like e-mail. I get tons of it – but I try to use the phone whenever I can. I think that’s especially important for a remote worker. I also make sure my boss knows what I’m up to. I want to make sure come promotion time that he knows I’m effective, efficient, and valuable. That means chatting with him on a weekly basis, and letting him know my successes and challenges. I don’t want our first conversation to be at review time.

And I go to in-person events as often as I can. From PASS to SQL Saturdays, user groups, anything I can make time for. These are not part of my job – I’m not paid to do public speaking, nor is it a requirement of my job – but I’ll volunteer to speak so that I can go to an event.

The key is to develop your lines of peer-to-peer contacts with whatever tools you like so that you’re not an island. I use Lync, internal groups at Microsoft, and LinkedIn to stay up to date with my industry peers. There’s a lot of chaff in all of those, but I put the work in to make them effective for me.

Company

Your company has to buy in to all this.

If they simply allow you (begrudgingly) to work at home, you’re doomed to fail. You’ll be left out of the loop, not invited to meetings, forgotten, and your professional brand will slowly wither and die. You have to get your manager and your company to see the value in your not taking up space in their building. You have to sell it.

Microsoft is very remote-worker friendly. They have an entire set of tools to make us successful. We have training for working remotely, and our managers are trained to have remote workers. Some do that well, others don’t. I don’t work for the managers that aren’t good at managing remote workers.

So it seems that there are a lot of factors that go into making a successful remote worker – it’s not just staying at home in your pajamas, checking e-mails now and again. It’s a combination of how you work, what the work is, how well you can stay connected, and the level your company supports you.

And I love it.

Book Review (Book 12) - 20 Master Plots

BuckWoody — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:34:07 GMT

This is a continuation of the books I challenged myself to read to help my career - one a month, for a year. You can read my first book review here, and the entire list is here. The book I chose for May 2012 was:20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias. This is my final book review - at least for this year. I'll explain what I've learned in this book in particular, and in the last twelve months in general.

Why I chose this book:

Stories and themes are part of software, presenting, and working in teams. This book claims there are only 20 plots, ever. I wanted to find out.

What I learned:

Probably my most favorite read of the year. Deceptively small, amazingly insightful. The premise is that there are only a few "base" themes, and that once you learn them you can put together an interesting set of stories on most any topic. Yes, the author admits that this number has been different throughout history - some have said 50, others 14, and still others claim only one or two basic plots. This doesn't change the fact that you can build very complex stories from a simple set of circumstances and characters.

Be warned - if you read this book it takes away much of the wonder from almost every movie or book you'll read from here on! I loved it. My favorite part is that the author gives you exercises to build stories, right from the start. I've actually used these as the start of a meeting to foster creativity. Amazing stuff.

One of my favorite sections of the book deals with plot and story. Plot: The king died, and the queen died. Story: The king died, and the queen died of heartbreak. Add one or two words, and you have the essence of storytelling. A highly recommended read, for all folks of all ages. You'll like it, your spouse will like it, and your kids will like it. I learned to be a better storyteller, and it helped me understand that plots and stories are not just things in books - they are a direct reflection of human nature. That makes me a better manager of myself and others.

And this is the last of the reviews - at least for this year. I probably won't post many more book reviews here, but I will keep up the practice. As a reminder, the goal was to select 12 books that will help you reach your career goals. They don't have to be technical, or even apply directly to your job - but they do need to be books that you mindfully select as getting you closer to what you want to be. Each month, jot down what you learned from the work. And see if it doesn't in fact get you closer to your goals.

These readings helped me - I got a promotion this year, and I attribute at least some of that to the things I learned.

Book Review (Book 11) - Applied Architecture Patterns on the Microsoft Platform

BuckWoody — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:50:34 GMT

This is a continuation of the books I challenged myself to read to help my career - one a month, for year. You can read my first book review here, and the entire list is here. The book I chose for April 2012 was: Applied Architecture Patterns on the Microsoft Platform. I was traveling at the end of last month so I’m a bit late posting this review here.

Why I chose this book:

I actually know a few of the authors on this book, so when they told me about it I wanted to check it out. The premise of the book is exactly as it states in the title - to learn how to solve a problem using products from Microsoft.

What I learned:

I liked the book - a lot. They've arranged the content in a "Solution Decision Framework", that presents a few elements to help you identify a need and then propose alternate solutions to solve them, and then the rationale for the choice. But the payoff is that the authors then walk through the solution they implement and what they ran into doing it.

I really liked this approach. It's not a huge book, but one I've referred to again since I've read it. It's fairly comprehensive, and includes server-oriented products, not things like Microsoft Office or other client-side tools. In fact, I would LOVE to have a work like this for Open Source and other vendors as well - would make for a great library for a Systems Architect. This one is unashamedly aimed at the Microsoft products, and even if I didn't work here, I'd be fine with that. As I said, it would be interesting to see some books on other platforms like this, but I haven't run across something that presents other systems in quite this way.

And that brings up an interesting point - This book is aimed at folks who create solutions within an organization. It's not aimed at Administrators, DBA's, Developers or the like, although I think all of those audiences could benefit from reading it. The solutions are made up, and not to a huge level of depth - nor should they be. It's a great exercise in thinking these kinds of things through in a structured way.

The information is a bit dated, especially for Windows and SQL Azure. While the general concepts hold, the cloud platform from Microsoft is evolving so quickly that any printed book finds it hard to keep up with the improvements.

I do have one quibble with the text - the chapters are a bit uneven. This is always a danger with multiple authors, but it shows up in a couple of chapters. I winced at one of the chapters that tried to take a more conversational, humorous style. This kind of academic work doesn't lend itself to that style.

I recommend you get the book - and use it. I hope they keep it updated - I'll be a frequent customer. :)

Book Review (Book 10) - The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood

BuckWoody — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:24:00 GMT

This is a continuation of the books I challenged myself to read to help my career - one a month, for year. You can read my first book review here, and the entire list is here. The book I chose for March 2012 was: The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick. I was traveling at the end of last month so I’m a bit late posting this review here.

Why I chose this book:

My personal belief about computing is this: All computing technology is simply re-arranging data. We take data in, we manipulate it, and we send it back out. That’s computing. I had heard from some folks about this book and it’s treatment of data. I heard that it dealt with the basics of data - and the semantics of data, information and so on.

It also deals with the earliest forms of history of information, which fascinates me. It’s similar I was told, to GEB which a favorite book of mine as well, so that was a bonus.

Some folks I talked to liked it, some didn’t - so I thought I would check it out.

What I learned:

I liked the book. It was longer than I thought - took quite a while to read, even though I tend to read quickly. This is the kind of book you take your time with. It does in fact deal with the earliest forms of human interaction and the basics of data.

I learned, for instance, that the genesis of the binary communication system is based in the invention of telegraph (far-writing) codes, and that the earliest forms of communication were expensive. In fact, many ciphers were invented not to hide military secrets, but to compress information. A sort of early “lol-speak” to keep the cost of transmitting data low!

I think the comparison with GEB is a bit over-reaching. GEB is far more specific, fanciful and so on. In fact, this book felt more like something fro Richard Dawkins, and tended to wander around the subject quite a bit. I imagine the author doing his research and writing each chapter as a book that followed on from the last one. This is what possibly bothered those who tended not to like it, I think.

Towards the middle of the book, I think the author tended to be a bit too fragmented even for me. He began to delve into memes, biology and more - I think he might have been better off breaking that off into another work. The existentialism just seemed jarring.

All in all, I liked the book. I recommend it to any technical professional, specifically ones involved with data technology in specific. And isn’t that all of us? :)

“I could use a little help here” or “I can do it myself, thank you” for Cloud Projects

BuckWoody — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:20:55 GMT

Windows Azure allows you to write code in languages within the .NET stack, you can use Java, C++, PHP, NodeJS and others. Code is code - other than keeping things stateless, using a Web or Worker Role in Azure is not all that different from working with an on-premises system.

However….

Working in a scalable, component-based stateless architecture that can use federated security is not all that common for many developers. Some are used to owning the server, scaling up, and state-full paradigms that have a single security domain. Making the transition whilst trying to create a new software application or even port a previous one can be daunting. Sure, we have absolutely tons of free training, kits, videos, online books and more to learn on your own, but some things like architecture can be pivotal as you move along.

So the question is, should you just strike out on your own for a Cloud project, or get Microsoft Consulting Services or another partner to work with you on your first one? I use a few decision points to help guide the projects I assist in.

Note: I’m a huge fan of having help that ends up giving you training and leaves you in charge. If you do engage with someone to help you, make sure you keep this clear and take more and more ownership yourself as the project progresses.

How much time do you have?

Usually the first thing I ask is about the timeline for the project. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are, if you have a short window to get things done it’s better to get help - especially if this is your first cloud project. Having someone that knows the platform well can save you amazing amounts of time. If you have longer, then start with the training in the link above and once you feel confident, jump in.

How complex is the project?

If there are a lot of moving parts, it’s best to engage a partner. The reason is that certain interactions - particularly things like Service Bus or Data Integration - can be quite different than what you may have encountered before.

How many people do you have?

I have a “pizza rule” about projects I’ve used in my career - if it takes over two pizzas to feed everyone on the project, it’s too big and will fail. That being said, one developer and a one-week deadline does not a good project make, usually. It’s best to have at least one architect (or someone in that role) guiding the project along, and at least two developers to work on a cloud project. That’s a generalization of course, since I’ve seen great software on Azure with one developer writing code all by herself, but for more complex projects, more (to a point) is better. The nice thing about bringing on a partner is that you don’t have to hire them full time - they help you and then they go away.

How critical is the project?

There’s no shame in using some help. If the platform is new, if the project is large and complex, and if it is critical to the business, you should engage a partner. That’s regardless of Cloud or anything else - get some help. You don’t want to hit your company’s bottom line in a negative way, but you have to innovate and get them a competitive advantage. Do your research, make sure the partner is qualified to help you, and get it done.

Don’t let these questions scare you off. There are lots of projects you can implement on Windows and SQL Azure with nothing other than the Software Development Kit (SDK) that you get for free with Windows Azure. And assistance comes in many forms - sometimes just phone support, a friend you can ask. Microsoft Consulting Services or any of our great partners. You can get help on just the architecture piece or have them show you how to write the code. They’ll get involved as little or as much as you like.

Book Review (Book 8) - The Elements of Persuasion

BuckWoody — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:57:23 GMT

This is a continuation of the books I challenged myself to read to help my career - one a month, for year. You can read my first book review here. The book I chose for January 2012 was: The Elements of Persuasion by Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman.

Why I chose this Book:

As I mentioned in a previous review, I think good storytelling is an essential part of any career. Communication is basic in not only our professional but personal lives, and everyone I’ve met responds well to stories, from children to executive audiences. Not only that, learning to tell a story helps you formulate concepts about the topic, which is yet another way of learning.

I heard about this book from a couple of folks, and it landed within search of “storytelling” and “business”. Whenever I just search for “Storytelling” I either end up with lists of stories (which is fine) or lists of children’s books on storytelling (which is also fine) but neither of these are quite what I’m looking for.

A quick search on Amazon and I located the book, and then a quick check of my various e-library offerings and I downloaded it to my laptop for reading.

What I learned:

This is a “selling” book, but not like you might think. It’s not a book of a quick sale like at a car-lot or a “quick-sale” environment. It’s more along the lines at the executive level and longer-term sales - those involve stories as well.

Sadly, this is another “business book” - the kind I normally don’t like much. There are typical case-study layouts with lots of examples, but in my mind not enough didactic information to actually help you develop a good story-telling mantra.

Even so, I learned some interesting things about the process these authors use. Some of the case studies are interesting, and I did pull out that a story should work towards a single, defining sentence. This isn’t unique to this book, but it is a reinforcement of what I’ve learned elsewhere. Although nothing to do with storytelling, I did like the reference to Lockheed’s “14 Rules”, which I hadn’t read before. They also break down the storytelling process into five elements, which is actually covered better (in my mind) in a book called “20 Master Plots” , which may actually be the storytelling book I’ve been searching for.

Or perhaps I should just write the one I’m looking for.

At any rate, not sure I would recommend this book to others - perhaps as a check-out, but not a purchase, at least if this is for the same reason I looked it up.

Raw Notes:

As I read, I take notes - it’s called “reading with a pencil”. These are the notes I made to myself, in no particular order and with no context other than the book itself:

Stories are interesting to us all.
Describes five elements in a story, but in fact this is for only one type of story. Other books describes more story types.
Very standard business book, but there are good tips in some of the chapters.
Explained how to connect with the audience, good points Spends a lot of time referring to other books The book of five rings Work towards a single, memorable sentence.
Changes partway through into stories about stories. This is better.
A mix of storytelling and sales, although this was touted for sales, feels much more like selling than storytelling, advertisements.
Interesting story about memory championships, where contestants memorize cards. They use unusual stories.
Look up Lockheed and the 14 rules

Valentine’s Day and Your Career

BuckWoody — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:53:17 GMT

The new year has begun. It’s traditional to make “Resolutions” at this time, but as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t do that. I make goals instead. I like things to be measurable, and I hold myself accountable to those goals - some of which deal with my professional life.

But you might not buy into all that. Perhaps you’re the kind of person who doesn’t buy Valentine’s day cards, or take your significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s day. After all, it’s a manufactured, made up holiday from the greeting-card companies, right? Somebody just decided to come up with a day to make you do something you don’t normally do.

Here’s a tip: do it anyway. Buy the flowers. Jump into the hype. Yes, it’s a made-up holiday. Yes, they’re making money off of you. But take that person out for the nicest dinner you can find. Treating someone you love in a special way on a periodic date is shown to increase the bond in a relationship, simply because it’s a ritual date that others keep. The ritual is the magic.

What does this have to do with New Year’s, or your career? Everything. Not to burst a bubble here, but the universe is not aware of human timekeeping mechanisms. The New Year is just as artificial as Valentine’s day. In fact, many other cultures don’t even count the 1st of January as the New Year. But it’s OK - just like Valentine’s day, you can use the “start of the new year” as a time to focus on something you need to do.

It’s pretty simple to do this - but of course simple != easy. Goals need to be realistic - so sit down sometime this week, and follow this process:

Write down where you want to be in a year in your career. Make it specific. An award, a position, a company, a raise. Write it down.
Write down a few books you want to read that will help you get there. Blog about these books.
Write down the people you need to talk to, inside your company and out. Send an invite out to these people to chat. Do that this week.
Write down the things you need to accomplish for that goal in your job.
Tell others you are doing these things, and what you expect.
Implement your plan.
Review your plan and adjust as needed each month.

Yes, the “new year” is artificial, like Valentine’s day. So what. Use it to get where you need to go.

Happy New Career.

Book review (Book 6) - Wikinomics

BuckWoody — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:35:02 GMT

This is a continuation of the books I challenged myself to read to help my career - one a month, for year. You can read my first book review here. The book I chose for November 2011 was: Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, by Don Tapscott

Why I chose this Book:

I’ve heard a lot about this book - was one of the “must read” kind of business books (many of which are very “fluffy”) and supposedly deals with collaborating using technology - so I want to see what it says about collaborative efforts and how I can leverage them.

What I learned:

I really disliked this book. I’ve never been a fan of the latest “business book”, and sadly that’s what this felt like to me. A “business book” is what I call a work that has a fairly simple concept to get across, and then proceeds to use various made-up terms, analogies and other mechanisms to fill hundreds of pages doing it.

This perception is at my own – the book is pretty old, and these things go stale quickly. The author’s general point (at least what I took away from it) was: Open Source is good, proprietary is bad. Collaboration is the hallmark of successful companies. In my mind, you can save yourself the trouble of reading this work if you get these two concepts down.

Don’t get me wrong – open source is awesome, and collaboration is a good thing, especially in places where it fits. But it’s not a panacea as the author seems to indicate. For instance, he continuously uses the example of MySpace to show a “2.0” company, which I think means that you can enter text as well as read it on a web page. All well and good. But we all know what happened to MySpace, and of course he missed the point entirely about this new web environment: low barriers to entry often mean low barriers to exit.

And the open, collaborative company being the best model – well, I think we all know a certain computer company famous for phones and music that is arguably quite successful, and is probably one of the most closed, non-collaborative (at least with its customers) on the planet. So that sort of takes away that argument.

The reality of business is far more complicated. Collaboration is an amazing tool, and should be leveraged heavily. However, at the end of the day, after you do your research you need to pick a strategy and stick with it. Asking thousands of people to assist you in building your product probably will not work well.

Open Source is great – but some proprietary products are quite functional as well, have a long track record, are well supported, and will probably be upgraded.

Everything has its place, so use what works where it is needed. There is no single answer, sadly.

So did I waste my time reading the book? Did I make a bad choice? Not at all! Reading the opinions and thoughts of others is almost always useful, and it’s important to consider opinions other than your own. If nothing else, thinking through the process either convinces you that you are wrong, or helps you understand better why you are right.