Re: Senior Developer looking for your asst in employmt issue (not job seeking!)

From: BJ Freeman (Newsgroup_at_newsgroup.news)
Date: 05/08/04

  • Next message: Randy: "DoCmd.OpenReport Prints to Printer, I must be missing something!" 
    Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 13:45:50 -0700

    I am looking to augment manpower for SQL 7 server and ADP. only Stored
    procedure used in ADP.

    We will eventually be converting to

    postgresql and Java interface.

    email me if you interested.

    "Timo" <timo@noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
    news:MPG.1b069282f18a94d19896f4@msnews.microsoft.com...
    > Xavier,
    > In light of your boss's instructions to you to use "a Microsoft
    > tool" and his express desire to get "rid" of the Access
    > application, his bringing in FileMaker Pro's putative RAD
    > capabilities and his own skills with that tool as evidence of your
    > alleged incompetence is both irrelevant and unfair. FileMaker is
    > not a Microsoft tool. And what are the Microsoft counterparts to
    > FileMaker Pro? Access and FoxPro.
    >
    > Where you seem to me to have miscalculated, is in thinking you
    > could successfully convert in only 5 man-weeks (plus whatever
    > overtime your were willing to work) a project of the described
    > scope: 8 tabbed pages containing ~15 controls each, bound to a 40-
    > table SQL Server database via undocumented client-side queries,
    > where the original application apparently had bugs or was not
    > functioning as expected. It could be that some of those queries
    > were flawed and would require investigation. Was there any client-
    > side enforcement of business rules? Was the server enforcing the
    > referential integrity?
    >
    > Perhaps you would have had a slighly greater chance of timely
    > success by converting the thing to Access ADP. That would have let
    > you focus on the logic of the app without having to spend so much
    > time on the custom databinding classes and presentation layer. But
    > to begin to judge the situation really requires that we know if
    > your boss wanted to get rid of Access entirely, or simply wanted
    > to get rid of the problems arising from the original two-tiered
    > client-side implementation, whatever those problems were.
    >
    > However, it's quite evident to me, from your description of the
    > situation, that you are not an incompetent developer. If there is
    > incompetency to be found in this situation, it is in the arbitrary
    > deadline of 5 man-weeks to fix a broken application of this scope.
    > Regards
    > Timo
    > P.S. I've been developing multi-user database applications since
    > 1985 (shared CPU mainframe with dumb terminals, DOS shared-file
    > networked apps, networked Access.MDB apps, Access ADP against SQL
    > Server, VB 2-tier and 3-tier client-server apps against Oracle and
    > SQL Server, and most recently .NET WinForms and ASP.NET. Also
    > earning today only about 35% of what I earned throughout the
    > 1990s.
    >
    > In article <eKQxY64MEHA.3348@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl>,
    > suggestion@x2sw.com writes...
    > >Community,
    > >
    > >I am dealing with a tough employment issue in which a supervisor - who is
    > >not a developer - is insisting that I am incompetent as a basis for my
    > >dismissal from a public entity (a California school district). Wondering
    if
    > >you'd mind sharing any thoughts you might have as a basis for my
    argument?
    > >There are no other developers in the midst who can substantiate what I
    have
    > >to say vs. my supervisor.
    > >
    > >I've been working professionally as a developer since 1993. I have
    advanced
    > >experience with Visual Basic versions 3 through 6, Access versions 1.1 to
    > >2000, SQL Server versions 4 to 2000, the .NET platform, Sybase, ASP 3 and
    4.
    > >I have consulted for the United States Navy, Bankamerica Mortgage,
    > >Neutrogena, express.com, SunAmerica. In 2000 I even marketed a shareware
    > >product developed in VB, called Acidizer. I am no longer marketing or
    even
    > >distributing it, but there are still links for it all over the Web.
    > >
    > >I began employment in my current situation on June 25, 2003. Prior to
    > >starting, I interviewed with my supervisor in April, who told me then
    that
    > >he had an Access application that he needed to rid himself of, and that
    > >whichever new platform could be used wasn't important to him as long as
    it
    > >was a Microsoft tool and worked successfully.
    > >
    > >I learned immediately that this conversion project needed to take place
    by
    > >August 1, 2003 - a mere five weeks. As it turned out, it was an Access
    > >front end linked to a SQL Server database. It was shared on the local
    area
    > >network by about twelve people. There were no written technical
    > >specifications or user manual. The SQL Server database consisted of
    about
    > >forty tables with foreign key relationships.
    > >
    > >I proposed to rebuild the front end as an ASP.NET application, mainly to
    > >reap in the benefits of a thin client. I sought to mirror the existing
    > >design to lower the learning curve. The existing design consisted of one
    > >form with a tab control containing several tab pages (maybe 8) and those
    > >pages containing maybe 15 controls each, all data bound to ODBC linked
    > >tables (this was not an Access ADP project) and a gaggle of slow-running
    > >local queries. My liason for usability testing was a novice user in
    another
    > >department who still, at this point, had a lot of trouble understanding
    > >things like data relationships.
    > >
    > >I made assurances to my supervisor to meet the deadline, sink or swim. I
    > >set to meet my deadline by developing an ASP.NET object class to mirror
    > >Access data binding. I developed ASP.NET containers and controls with
    the
    > >same properties and functions as the Access object model. Subforms!!!
    > >Figured out ways to make data binding and error reporting work with so
    many
    > >controls and subforms in an ASP.NET page all at once.
    > >
    > >I didn't make the deadline, despite working plenty of unpaid overtime. I
    > >hadn't had much time to understand how the current application was used -
    > >basically, the users were used to having eight full tabs of data
    available
    > >to them at all times without any refreshing, and I couldn't incorporate
    this
    > >into a web interface without lots of changes. About three weeks later, I
    > >ended up just stabilizing the Access application (after all that) and
    it's
    > >been purring ever since.
    > >
    > >My questions, if you please:
    > >
    > >1) Could this have been accomplished using any Microsoft development
    > >platform in just five weeks, without me having any familiarity with the
    user
    > >base, the data relationships on the back end, the idiosyncracies of the
    > >front end; also short of testing, training, and user acceptance?
    > >
    > >2) My supervisor's experience is in network technologies and not
    > >development. He's a director, but has limited management training and no
    > >exposure to the "developer community." What is the likelihood that he
    could
    > >really understand the ramifications of converting (porting) a
    client-server
    > >application?
    > >
    > >3) My supervisor has offered that he could have re-built the entire
    > >application -by himself - in Filemaker Pro over the course of a weekend.
    > >Based on what you've read, what would be the likelihood of such, even for
    an
    > >experienced developer?
    > >
    > >4) Did I act in good faith, or would you say that I am incompetent?
    > >
    > >If you choose to give your frank response, please share a name and
    telephone
    > >number if that's okay. I just want to make sure that management knows
    that
    > >there are real people connected to my evidence.
    > >
    > >Thanks and best wishes. My hearing's on May 13, 2004.
    > >
    > >
    > >Xavier Jefferson
    > >Hit reply, or respond to [x](a)[v]{i}(e)[r]{j} at yahoo.dot.com
    > >
    > >
    > >

  • Next message: Randy: "DoCmd.OpenReport Prints to Printer, I must be missing something!"

    Relevant Pages
    Loading