Unit Testing with SQL Developer

December’s release of SQL Developer 2.1 has a number of new bells and whistles. Two of the main new features are:

Data Model Viewer. This is a free, read only, viewer based on Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler. With this viewer you can open existing data models as well as generate data models based on your database. The generated data model can not be saved though.

Unit Testing. Based on the popular xunit Four Phase Test pattern, this feature makes testing of procedures and functions a breeze. Put simply, it allows one to construct a repository of unit tests cases which includes what one would expect for automated testing: setup, execute, assert result, record results, teardown.

The free Data Model Viewer is a nice introduction to the Data Modeler product which is not free. The unit testing framework though really does mean that the quality of code in the database can be asserted and maintained much easier than previously possible. There is a simple Oracle By Example tutorial on the SQL Developer Unit Test feature available at:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/11gr2_db_prod/appdev/sqldev/sqldev_unit_test/sqldev_unit_test_otn.htm

Your ScrumMaster is a project manager in disguise

In 6 attributes of a good ScrumMaster Mike Cohn repeats the common line that the ScrumMaster role does not always require a full-time, eight-hour-a-day commitment. Often the ‘orchestra conductor’ role of ScrumMaster is an unofficial one within your organisation even though it clearly has well defined functions and responsibilities. So many people do ask the question Is a ScrumMaster a full time position? As Boris points out, it is, and he explains why it is a 100% fulltime job.

The ScrumMaster has internal and external responsibilities. Even if the team is well disciplined with following the process, and they address most of their own impediments there is still the challenge of being a gatekeeper between the management and the team. This is being recognised in many organisations now and you can even see ScrumMaster as a recruitment position. It’s interesting to note that many of these positions have Project Manager / ScrumMaster as the title.

What does a Project Manager do that a ScrumMaster does not (or vice versa)? A project manager is the person who has the overall responsibility for the successful planning and execution of a project. This title is used in the construction industry, architecture, information technology and many different occupations that are based on production of a product or service. While strictly speaking, the team, rather than the ScrumMaster has responsibility for the success of the project, a ScrumMaster does assume responsibility for the team’s adoption of Scrum and practice of it. A ScrumMaster takes on this responsibility without assuming any of the power that might be useful in achieving in it.

To boil it all down to it’s essence, a ScrumMaster is a Project Manager who has realised that they don’t really have the power to successfully deliver a project, and has adopted a framework to take advantage of that humbling position.

Oracle VPN

Virtual Private Networks have made remote working and access to critical corporate resources so much easier over the past few years. In fact, there is so much about the way we work today that is dependent on being able to get at data remotely yet in a secure manner. The VPN diagram to the left provides a simple representation of what a VPN does. It creates a secure tunnel (red lines) for the transfer of data (green line) between two points.

So what do you do when you need to get some work done, but you’ve got your corporate laptop safely and securely locked in a drawer in the office?

There is a website for Oracle employees that has software downloads, remote access tools, patches and so on. It is called Oracle Desktop External Support and can be accessed over the internet without the corporate VPN. Almost all downloads on the site are suitable for installation and are licensed for use on Oracle employee’s personal systems. I have the site on my synchronised bookmarks and it comes in very handy.

Strange cloud heads for Iceland

Google appears to be always thinking about new tools or approaches to make or save money. Lots of these ideas sneak out onto the internet and lots of discussions, articles and opinions get generated. Occasionally, a real product is eventually seen. Way back in 2008 rumours about a Google data centre navy abounded. That particular Times Online article mentions some statistics and reports about data centres and carbon footprint which I have yet to verify. However, other articles and press releases have suggested the data is not without foundation. Here’s a quote:

Data centres consumed 1 per cent of the world’s electricity in 2005. By 2020 the carbon footprint of the computers that run the internet will be larger than that of air travel, a recent study by McKinsey, a consultancy firm, and the Uptime Institute, a think tank, predicted.

It was with great interest that I read about a zero carbon foot print data centre being proposed in Iceland. The data centre will not be up and running until next year, but is being built on an old NATO base. Expecting to take advantage of free ambient cooling and 100% renewable electricity verneglobal are predicting substantial reductions in carbon released from day to day operations.

While a great idea, I feel the greatest speed bump in the migration to Iceland is regulation and legislation, or rather the perception of compliance with data privacy laws and in particular the Patriot Act.

Ireland’s new Baywatch mashup

Due to a new initiative from the EPA you can keep up to-date on the water quality of Ireland’s major bays (hence the article title), beaches and rivers. Made possible by some hard work from the clever people at IBM’s Water Management Centre of Excellence, Splash provides a great way to research different beaches and decide where to visit based on a number of parameters — water quality, weather, and whether or not a lifeguard is on duty, and so on. You’ll note from the spelling of Centre that it is European based. In fact it’s current home is right here in Dublin.

The site is a clever mashup of EPA water quality data, which is provided by the local councils, some location data and weather reports from AccuWeather. There also appears to be a Twitter status check as well but I have not seen any data from this actually displayed on the site. The location data includes a description of the area and some images.

For the Oracle offices in Dublin, the nearest beach is Dollymount Strand. The Splash website provides the following description:

Dollymount provides tremendous respite from Dubliners from the vagaries of city living. It is along beach with sweeping views of the Dublin Mountains. This seaside area and wildlife reserve is located north of Dublin Harbour. The strand is connected to the shore by a late 19th century wooden bridge. Dollymount is on the seaward side of Bull Island, one of the most protected pieces of property in Ireland. Cars are allowed on a small section of this beach which is separated from the Blue Flag beach by wooden pilings.

I’m not sure how ‘respite from Dubliners’ is achieved. Anytime I’ve been on the beach, at least one Dubliner has been there. The images are also of great interest as the site provides a birds eye view that you can zoom in and out of as well as a photo of the location. No Dubliners, or people for that matter appear in the images, so perhaps that is the respite referred to.
One of the IBM blogs suggests that this form of mashup will be rolled out to other countries in the future. Personally, I think this is a great example of innovation within Ireland and I look forward to seeing more if it.