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Bar Codes with Reporting Services?
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Departmental Databases – Why, How, When… Do You Support
(Send in your thoughts here)
Jack: "As long as I am not expected to support it I am pretty hands off.
I have found that these databases usually are used to fill a need the "approved" systems do not meet, so when I find them I encourage the user/owner/creator to request the functionality be added to the "approved" system so everyone can benefit."
John: "For me it depends on how much control I have over the network as a whole. As far as ferretting out the rouge databases, I use an App I wrote that searches the programs and files on each of the computers visible to the computer I’m on and looks for SQL related tools and file and Access dbs as well as the results returned from SQL Browser. Recording the name of the computer and currently logged on user let’s the discussion begin about what the database is and what it does.
If more stringent requirements are needed, I like the software restriction policies in Windows 200x and XP because they block unwanted installation of stuff without your knowledge."
Ed: "One process that has worked for me is to publish ‘Corporate Database Support Guidelines’ and ‘Departmental Database Support Guidelines’, signed off by a company Chief Officer. The departmental guidelines make it clear that departments can do their own thing and are completely responsible for all support issues. They also say when departmental managers should transfer control of their systems to central support, but make clear they remain responsible until the handover is complete. The corporate guidelines cover the type of support provided centrally. Most managers then realise the central support will do what it can if a departmental database goes awol, but nothing is guaranteed. If a departmental manager gets too stroppy about having to loose some data, escalating the issue to management quickly sorts things out – in the worst case it means a manager who avoided their data protection responsibilities finds the company has now avoided employing them. "
Daniel: "One way to resolve the issue is to do an IT Staff Consolidation… This is what we have done with some success… These user departments that have high IT flexibility usually rely on a small departmental IT staff either as tech-friendly analysts or as a full blown division of the department. The staff can be brought into the staff as Departmental IT staff or dedicated IT staff for the department. With the staff you bring in, you bring in expertise and process flow that then gives you the authority to move technical infrastructure at some future point of time… This takes care because it could disrupt process flows already established within the department but can be a way to "bring it into the fold""
Ben: "The last 3 employers I’ve had were all the same way. Database, application, or just plain PC – if it’s broke, regardless of its origins, internal IT better figure out a way to fix it if it is critical to the business functioning. IT is always cleaning up the messes created by others in the company, a lot like the janitorial staff. It doesn’t matter what policies are written about “everything IT-related must go through IT”, you still have to fix those DOS and Access 97 apps since they are critical to the business running. Departmental managers don’t know how they work. And, of course, the departmental “smart guy” who created the app had left the company two years ago. So you have to step through the code, hoping to figure out how it works and how to fix it. And, of course, these are always 3AM phone calls. At least most are smart enough to put the MDB files on corporate file servers so at least these things get backed up.
This has been a constant in my 7+ years experience in the industry. It doesn’t matter what policies you write or how many times it’s happened in the past. If a critical app vomits somewhere in your business, management is going to make internal IT roll in the mop bucket. Which, I admit, is a logical decision by management in the face of the disaster. Disciplining the departmental manager is not going to get the business up and running. But on the other hand, you can bet management is going to ride your behind every minute until that app is running!"
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