The Perils of Assumption

What drives us to commit resources so that we can make sure what should have happened has happened?

Why do we have to spend our time checking that everything is working as it should be?

I guess these traits come from the approach of not assuming anything and the need to verify everything.

It’s curious to draw comparisons between different aspects of our desire to implement the belt and braces approach and to trust that things are working until you are told there is a problem.

I have been fortunate to have had a few classic vehicles over the years and before each expedition (believe me in some classics even going down to the end of the road can be an expedition) I will check all the vital signs; oil, water, tyres, etc.

In my day to day vehicle I just jump in and go, making sure it’s serviced fairly regularly, assuming that if a light comes on then something is going wrong.

It costs a lot less in time, and effort (and operational money) to look after my modern vehicle than the one from the ‘60s.

So where does this leave us with information? I think we are all in concurrence that the databases of a few years ago were in constant need of verification as to their status, the success of the backups, resource availability and extensibility, performance and condition. This process took considerable time and effort, required an on-going discipline and, in the larger enterprises and mission critical applications, the constant attention of DBAs.

But times have moved on. Tools now exist that ensure the day to day monitoring and verification of the integrity of the database. Backup cycles and offsite recovery facilities are readily available. Dashboards and alerts can be created and distributed for almost any eventuality.

Applications will now allow organisations to maximise the use of their teams allowing them to focus on moving the business forward through the implementation of new tools or the optimisation of data infrastructure. The technical staff are still available to respond to situations and circumstances that cause alerts but aren’t shackled to the task of confirming that everything is still OK for hours each day.

Yes, sure, you will still need the regular services and have confidence in the tools you are using to monitor and manage, but they are available and can have a massive impact in today’s climate when we are all looking at how we can use what we have to more effect.

Perhaps, once we have learnt to trust the messenger we can assume a little more and gain a lot more.

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