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richard102
Starting Member
25 Posts |
 Posted - 2013-12-19 : 11:47:55
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| My Boss seems to want to implementing Change Control to enforce hiarachy. What I mean is that according to him every change I (the contract DBA) make eg: rebuilding indexes, should be approved through CAB (him). Whilst changes he makes (eg: changing the log backup schedules) are not - as he was just returning them to there original frequency.I want to LOL ... but he signs my timesheets :). Instead I emailed him about my past experience implementing approved changes from developers ... to no effect.My question - is there some RELEVENT documentation somewhere covering this odd Change-Control issue.thanksrichard102 |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2013-12-19 : 12:05:56
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| Some reason not to just do as he asks, and add the time to your timesheet?, as you are "just" the hired hand ?? |
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richard102
Starting Member
25 Posts |
Posted - 2013-12-19 : 12:14:02
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| Hi Kristen, good call! yes I will - but I'm still wondering - are production DBA activities normally subject to change-control? sure I can see the need for upgrades and such. I'm doubting myself now! Perhaps I've just had a sheltered life :)thanksrichard102 |
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djj55
Constraint Violating Yak Guru
352 Posts |
Posted - 2013-12-19 : 12:46:37
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| Yes we track changes to the production server. In the past we used audit trace to track the changes but recently we started using third party software.djj |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2013-12-19 : 13:02:19
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quote:
Originally posted by richard102
Hi Kristen, good call! yes I will
When I was still young, but had experience, I tried to improve the knowledge of people above and around me. It was usually a fruitless exercise, they wanted a simple life, or were just plain stupid.Colleagues have an appetite for doing things right / faster / "coding defensively", and we share ideas and knowledge. I've given up bothering for anyone not in that mindset. I just charge the clients to sort it out, and take control of the code so that I know it is done right thereafter.quote:
but I'm still wondering - are production DBA activities normally subject to change-control?
We try to peer review everything. Sometimes there is not enough budget ... but other than that we do. There are some areas where we self-review (e.g. when we check code into the Revision Control System we first DIFF against the old code, so that all changes are considered; that process is maybe not repeated by a separate peer-review by a genuinely different person!)Other than that we want written records, so if a key person is on holiday / run over by a bus / etc. a stand-in can do the procedure correctly and/or understand how/why it is how it is and change it appropriately, AND record the change that they have made - for the person returning from holiday / reincarnated!There must come a point where the organisation is too small to warrant it but, IME, not doing it means that things slip through the cracks and you wind up with increased work to sort it out - time that would have been saved if the change controls had been in place. SO it may actually be cost effective even for the smallest shops.There is no excuse for your boss NOT using the same change control system; but you are not in control of that. |
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denis_the_thief
Aged Yak Warrior
596 Posts |
Posted - 2013-12-19 : 14:36:23
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| I sympathize, I'd be annoyed if I needed permission for everything.But there can be some merit. Everytime a contractor finishes, it's like why did him/her do that? Why is there no documentation for what he/she did? Who approved this? Also there can be the need for historical tracking. Someone asks you when did you implement this change, if you answer about 2 months ago, that could be a problem if you are dealing with an SP Change on a large Financial Report. Or, someone could ask your boss after you left when the change was done.If you just started, maybe the boss wants to see how you do first and loosen the reigns later.We had a similar issue when I started, I became responsible for updating QA Databases rather than Developers. Some Developers seem annoyed because they used to make the changes themselves. But in the long run it worked.Here may be a relevant source, ITIL: http://www.axelos.com/officialsite.asp?FO=1230360 |
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richard102
Starting Member
25 Posts |
Posted - 2013-12-20 : 06:03:57
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| Thanks Friends, all very helpful :) I seem to have gotten hung-up on system-changes not being software-changes. Perhaps to dodge contiplating the possibility that my change-requests may NOT be approved by someone I dont rate technically ;) There's definately a down-side to not being in the hiarachy myself anymore. (BTW I was never suggesting not documenting changes). Seasons greatings all :)thanksrichard102 |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2013-12-20 : 06:31:41
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I doubt anyone will not approve your changes. If they suggest a change that you've overlooked then that's good - and they can go up in your estimation  .If they just file them, so that the next guy can figure out what's-what, then that's good too. Up to a point.If the first few go through on the nod maybe stick an obvious error in the next one and see if anyone notices. Then go back and file a changed-change with the fix, before actually implementing it, if they don't. It will at least tell you that all they are doing with the paper is wiping their posteriors! (or, hopefully, not ) |
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Whats NOT covered by change control.