Tech Career Talk - The value of Database Skills

(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Tom Hendrickson from my IT career coach where we build great tech careers and welcome to Tech Career Talk. Today we're going to talk about being a database developer and database skills with Ben Brum. Ben, introduce yourself to the people here at Tech Career Talk. - Thanks Tom, thanks for having me. Yeah, my name's Ben Brum. I'm from Melbourne in Australia. I've been working IT for about 12 years or so. I started out as a database developer working on majorly Oracle systems and then I've moved into a range of roles, currently working as a business analyst. And on the side I run a website that helps improve people's database skills as well. So that's a little bit about me. - So you're busy in all realms of databases? - Yeah, that's right, yeah, always right. So Ben, tell us why it's important to know database skills. - Well, I think because a lot of the software that we build and work with in IT runs on a database regardless of what language you use, developers need to know how to work with databases, not just how they're designed, but how to interact with them and get the most out of them. So I think it's one thing to sort of know how to create sort of a table and once some basic commands to really optimize the database that you're running and the software that you're working with that can help to sort of really improve your skills there and contribute better to the team you're dealing with. - So what type of database skills, should we know and should we learn? - I think the main one is SQL, the structured query language for working with databases and that's not just sort of the basic commands, but a little bit more than that, depending on the domain and the application working with. And also why databases are designed the way they are, they're not just sort of a set of tables to store data. I guess understanding why the particular database you're working with is designed the way it is. And also when you're sort of writing code that works with databases, sometimes the queries can get quite large and one skill that I've sort of improved over the years and can see others improving his how to write those large pieces of code or statements by starting off small and checking your results as you go and building up to your large query because unlike sort of other programming languages, it can be hard to sort of get something complicated that's working. And also being able to Google for solutions to issues that you find is also good skill to learn. - Yeah, Googling is important, isn't it? - Yeah, definitely. - I think it's important, like you mentioned, 'cause I know through my career, so I've been a developer for quite a few years and SQL has always been one of those things that can really be like you said, complex and get really, it's like the pool gets pretty deep, pretty quick if you get some joins and then you try to, like you mentioned, depending on what type of database you're using to optimizing an Oracle is different than when you get to my SQL or MS, Microsoft SQL server. So those are good things to know, aren't they? - Yeah, definitely, that's true. - So what's a good way to learn SQL or some of these other database skills, Ben? - I learned SQL and database skills in university a long time ago, but that's not the only way to learn. I think that there is a lot of different ways that you can learn your programming and database skills skills. And you can use whichever method that you prefer. Video is quite common these days from what I hear, we've got YouTube obviously, which has got a lot of free tutorials, but the quality can be quite varied on YouTube. So it can take a bit of effort to find one that you like and it's good quality. I've heard good things about plural site, the online training website for developers, they've got quite a good range of courses, not just for databases, but for a whole lot of other development skills. Also, you to me has a good range as well, but their quality can be quite varied too. There's also a range of websites out there that you can read if you prefer learning via text instead of video. And there's also still text books out there that help you learn skills. I also think it's important to practice what you're learning as well, so not just watching the videos or reading practice, obviously makes it, makes a lot easier to improve your skills quickly. These days, there's a lot of online websites that you can use to log in and set up a sample database or you can download the software that you need to just practice what you're learning to really improve your skills and get better at them. It's really important, as you mentioned, Ben, though, isn't it to get your hands dirty and really get in there and do it, isn't it? Yeah, definitely. It really helps you learning process. And because that reminds me, so I used to work with interns at a previous job that I had. And I remember how you learned some things at university with how the interns in over a few weeks in the summer would say, man, taking all those classes and throwing it into a real-world scenario, I really learned a lot. And I think, to your point, get your hands dirty, download, maybe it's my sequel or something and get a database up and running and play around with it. You're going to learn a lot more than just, like you said, reading a book or maybe a blog post. Yeah, definitely. Getting out of the real world and doing it is often a lot different from learning the theory in university or something. So what types of jobs use these database skills? There's a role at that called a database developer that obviously works with databases often working with web developers or on sort of a data warehouse for reporting. Web developers often use database skills. It's the ones that sort of work on the back end and often some front end or false stack developers as well can use those database skills. There's also the kind of role called business intelligence developer or a data warehouse developer that work with the data generated by applications to make them into a structure that's easy to report on to other areas of the business. So they spend most of their time in databases and working with that. Business analysts can also use SQL. In my business analyst roles, I've used that to find data and analyze it. And testers can also use database skills in SQL, I think, to run tests or prepare test data check results. And that's true, even if you're a manual tester or you're working with automated testing. Yeah, you bring up a good point there as all those different wide array of technology jobs. It's knowing those SQL skills and database skills is really an important thing, isn't it? Yeah, it is, it's a really helpful. I recently spoke at a business analyst event. And I actually co-wrote a book with a guy. He's a VP of technology at a company. And that's one thing he talked about was that like yourself, a business analyst should know some SQL and understand those things. Because I think as you probably see that, kind of having a little understanding really helps you broaden your knowledge and really help bring value to the company, doesn't it? Yeah, that's true. And I found that not only knowing how to read and run queries, but understanding how the database works can really help me as a business analyst work with the development teams and understand the kind of problems they have and the solutions they come up with. So that can help in more ways than one. Yeah, excellent. So Ben, you do a lot. You're a busy guy. How do you stay current with the changes in technology? As a few ways, I stay current. I watch a few YouTube videos that interest me. Recently, I discovered the concept of continuous integration and delivery. I read a book on that and then found a whole range of YouTube videos on presentations and that kind of thing. So I watched a lot of those to keep up to date on that. I think it's also good to follow websites and other blogs in your area. I subscribe to quite a few of them. And rather than visit them every day, I use a service called Feedley, which lets you add a whole range of blogs to that and websites and it all sort of aggregates it into the one place. And then I just sort of read the headlines and read the articles that interest me. There's a lot of people out there publishing articles and content on all kinds of things in technology. There are also conferences. I haven't been to any conferences, I don't think, but there's a lot of conferences on a range of topics, both large and small. So that's a good way to keep up to date with what's happening, I think. Yeah, and you also write a blog or a website dedicated to tell us a little bit about that. Yeah, sure. It's the website'sdatabasestar.com. I write a lot about SQL and database design and general skills for database developers and people working with databases to improve their skills. And that's been going on for a little while. Yeah, I've used your website a few times when I've gotten into a SQL Jam. It's very helpful. So I definitely think people should check that out. So what would you suggest Ben, for someone new, maybe starting out in a database development role? I think the main thing would be to ask a lot of questions. It's a good way to find out more and do a lot of reading. I've recently started a new role a couple of months ago. I found myself asking a lot of questions and doing a lot of reading as well. So I think that's good. Yeah, don't be afraid to ask what might seem like a silly question, because other people are probably asking the same kind of things. Use Google, I think, to research things you're not sure about, whether it's the type of systems or technology that they use or different keywords or strategies that have come up in the systems the teams that you're working with, if they're new to you. And also I think learn how to use the software you're working with with its IDEs such as S2L7 Management Studio or whatever you're working with, I think, learning how to use a tool effectively can really help you improve at the job, especially at the start when you're learning the ropes of how everything works. So Ben, you mentioned you've been doing this for 12 years, I think you said. So what are some, do you see any trends? Because I know I hear and you probably see these things too, like no sequel and all these things. What sort of trends do you see in the industry that maybe you're catching your eye? Yeah, I've read a little bit about the no-seqal concept. I haven't looked too much into it, but it's good that there's different options for people who are wanting to work with these technologies. I think the main one I've seen is the move of, I guess, the infrastructure onto the cloud, so rather than all the companies that I sort of started working with back in 2007, having inbuilt servers where we deploy all of our applications that's now sort of hosted on things like Amazon or Google Cloud. Also, the entire deployment process, I mentioned earlier, I've read a bit about that back in 2007 and those days, the whole team would come in on the weekend to deploy everything over a few days, and now it's depending on how mature the company's processes in, it can be done pretty easily and automated. So there's less need for human intervention in that process, which is good. Yeah, lots of automation. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So Ben, as our time comes to a close, any closing thoughts? None of that I can think of. I think just if you're starting an e-roll or going to an existing road, just try and find out more about the technology that you're working with and the databases, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Yeah, stay curious. Yes, that's right. Excellent. Excellent. Well, thanks for coming on, Ben. No problem. Thanks for having me, Tom. If you have any questions, please email me, Tom at myitcareercoach.com and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and our podcast. I'm Tom Hendrickson from my IT career coach, where we build great tech careers, and thanks for watching Tech Career Talk.