“This ugly hack is only temporary,” you think. Six months later, a coworker curses your name, sacrificing a chicken to any deity that will help expedite your getting struck down by lightning, a school bus, or both.
Crap code. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all created it. We’re all guilty. Yes, even you. Sometimes our crap is purposeful—the ugly, “temporary” hack. Sometimes we produce crap because we simply don’t know any better. But there is no excuse good enough. As professionals, we must strive to rid ourselves of bad habits. And the only way to learn the difference is to see lots, and lots, and lots of examples.
That’s where you come in. This month’s T-SQL Tuesday challenge: reveal your crap to the world. Why is (or was) it crap? Why did you do it? And how did you learn from your mistake?
I’m posting a day late, and the subject matter may require a bit of thought, so I’m slightly changing the rules—temporarily, of course.
Here’s what you need to do.
- Write a blog post talking about your crap. This doesn’t mean that your post should be crap. Two wrongs, in this case, do not make a right!
- Your post must go live some time between 00:00:00.00 GMT and 23:59:59.99 GMT on Wednesday August 10, 2011
- Your post must contain the T-SQL
TuesdayWednesday logo from above and the image should link back to this blog post. - Make sure that a link appears in the comments section below, either via a trackback or a manual comment. I’ll take all of the posts that are reported and write a round-up.
Even better…
- Include a reference to T-SQL Tuesday (or Wednesday) in the title of your post
- Tweet about your post using the hash tag #TSQL2sDay
- Consider hosting one of these. Ask me how.
Enjoy! Here’s hoping for a truly cathartic blog event.
Great topic :-). I love it.
Love the updated graphic.
Thanks. Graphic design service is available at a very modest rate!
For consistency, I would suggest fixing the hash tag too: #TSQLWnsDay.
We’ll keep the usual hash tag. Don’t want to lose conversations due to this change.
Great topic and loving the graphic too!
I think my main issue will be the agony of choice!!
I think I am in Rich’s situation… too many to choose from 🙂
Rich and Nigel: the fact is that we’re ALL in that situation. What separates the professionals from the amateurs? The ability to be self-aware enough to KNOW that we’re in that situation!
Adam makes a good point between armatures and professionals. As I understand it there are four levels of "understanding / progression"
unconscious incompetence (You’re rubbish and you dont know it)
concious incompetence (You’re rubbish but you’re aware and working to improve)
concious competence (You’re ok at it but you have to put a lot of effort in)
unconscious competence(You’re very good and it just happens naturally without much effort)
Just my tuppence 🙂
Here’s my contribution in case track-back fails, thanks Adam!
http://noelmckinney.com/2011/08/t-sql-tuesday-021-educational/
Mine’s at http://sqlblog.com/blogs/rob_farley/archive/2011/08/10/how-failure-can-be-useful.aspx
Thanks Adam!
Rob
Ace idea. Here’s a confession and a warning! http://tekstlogik.blogspot.com/2011/08/making-mistakes.html
Thanks for bringing it home this month Adam. Here is my contribution:
http://www.sqlmashup.com/t-sql-tuesday-21-a-day-late-and-totally-full
A contribution from asleep guy sitting at the back of the room on the righthand side from your perspective…
😀
http://leka.com.br/2011/08/10/t-sql-tuesday-21/
My first ever TSQL Tuesday post:
http://nelsonsweb.net/2011/08/my-first-tsql-tuesday/
Contribution on : http://www.sqlserver-dba.com/2011/08/database-autogrow-and-slow-database-recovery.html
Adam , thanks for hosting the event.
My contribution to T-SQL [Tuesday|Wednesday].
http://colleenmorrow.com/2011/08/10/t-sql-tuesday-21-crap-code/
In case the ping back doesn’t work – here’s my entry:
http://www.sqlfeatherandquill.com/2011/08/10/t-sql-tuesday-21-9-tips-to-avoid-the-hack-title/
Great Topic – thanks for hosting/coming up with the idea and throwing the curveball of a Wednesday
Doesn’t appear that my pingback worked, so here’s a link to my contribution:
http://www.timmitchell.net/post/2011/08/10/t-sql-tuesday-er-wednesday-crap-code.aspx
Thanks for hosting, Adam. Great topic. Here’s my post: http://blogs.lessthandot.com/index.php/DataMgmt/DBProgramming/MSSQLServer/t-sql-wednesday-21-t.
Finally! My blog entry is up! I would’ve had it earlier, but crap hit the fan.:-O Here is the link. Thanks, Adam!
T-SQL #21 – Yes, Today is Wednesday
http://bit.ly/qaRIiH
Thanks for hosting Adam.
Here’s my brief contribution!!
http://richbrownesq-sqlserver.blogspot.com/2011/08/t-sql-beware-hardcoded-switch.html
Gold leader, reporting in.
http://billfellows.blogspot.com/2011/08/t-sql-tuesday-21-day-late-and-totally.html
Here is my entry. Not my code, but instruction, nonetheless.
http://interflextech.com/blog/post/2011/08/07/Crap-Code-Total-Disclosure.aspx
Hey Adam, here’s my contribution on nested views.
http://mattvelic.com/tsql-tuesday-21/
Once more, with feeling http://sqlblog.com/blogs/merrill_aldrich/archive/2011/08/10/ouch-chasing-the-isv-or-that-code-makes-my-teeth-hurt-t-sql-tuesday-ish-21.aspx
Pingback working? It appears not.
In absentia: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/jamie_thomson/archive/2011/08/10/t-sql-tuesday-some-code-is-born-crap-some-code-achieves-crapness-and-some-code-has-crapness-thrust-upon-it.aspx
Thanks for hosting, Adam. Here’s my story: http://www.douglane.net/t-sql-wednesday-21-wait-for-it-wait-for-it/
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/paul_white/archive/2011/08/11/t-sql-tuesday-21-why-most-of-the-scripts-i-write-are-awful.aspx
Bringing Ugly Back: http://www.sqlsoldier.com/wp/sqlserver/bringinguglyback
T-SQL Tuesday/Wednesday #21: A Crappy Workaround – http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/brian_kelley/archive/2011/08/10/t-sql-tuesday-wednesday-21-a-crappy-workaround.aspx
I didn’t see a pingback so here is mine. http://www.ryanjadams.com/2011/08/t-sql_tuesday_wednesday/
Here’s mine, I think you’ll regret it…I sure do: http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/robv/archive/2011/08/10/t-sql-tuesday-21-crap.aspx
I am not sure if I am late for this t-sql event but it is 11:50 pm here in Trinidad. If I am late I understand.
However if I am not then you can add my blog post to your list as the last post for the event 🙂
http://www.nigelpsammy.com/2011/08/too-much-of-good-thing-can-sometimes-be.html
Ted Krueger: http://blogs.lessthandot.com/index.php/DataMgmt/DBAdmin/t-sql-tuesday-21-a
Whatever happened to this? Did you discontinue it or merge it into different initiative?