RE: Metalink forums - effects of the outsourcing
- From: "Powell, Mark D" <mark.powell@xxxxxxx>
- To: "Oracle-L (E-mail)" <Oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 11:24:55 -0400
>> If you are the analyst (or the DBA) having to deal with a support
issue that doesn't have a test case is an absolute waste of time - for
both parties involved. <<
I will disagree that a repeatable test case is necessary for the
majority of iTAR requests in that for the great majority of times I have
entered an iTAR there is an entry in the alert log that references a
trace file. With the message and the trace file support should be able
to identify if the issue we have encountered is a known bug, if there is
a patch or workarounds, and provide advice on how to deal with the
issue.
Repeatable test cases are nice but the majority of serious problems were
have encountered are intermittent and are apparently not tied to any
specific process but rather are due to fundamental flaws in the Oracle
kernel design and code. Even with repeated system state dumps, heap
dumps, and trace files created from event settings Oracle support has
been unable to find the problem code for what they have acknowledged as
a bug. In cases like this support just tells you to open a new iTAR
after you upgrade. So we upgrade, the error re-occurs, we open a new
iTAR, and the process repeats until this problem disappears and a new
one takes it place on the heap.
The real problem is too much emphasis on new features and not enough
emphasis on design analysis, code analysis, unit testing, and system
testing.
IMHO -- Mark D Powell --
-----Original Message-----
From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Paul Drake
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 5:01 PM
To: jrsmiley@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: Oracle-L (E-mail)
Subject: Re: Metalink forums - effects of the outsourcing
If you are the analyst (or the DBA) having to deal with a support issue
that doesn't have a test case is an absolute waste of time - for both
parties involved. I'll bet that most times, by the time the test case is
constructed and entered into whatever ticketing system, that most issues
are solved.
Solving solved problems sucks.
I realize that solving problems of human stupidity is more of less job
security but its still highly uninterested for anything other than
making fun of people backchannel. Often times, when even just glancing
at a good test case, the solution jumps right out off the screen and
whaps you upside the head.
I don't have a magic 8-ball or a OUIJA board here - and I like to save
my guessing for opponents hands playing Tejas Hold-Em. Diagnosing "the
system is slow" issues makes me want to put the carpenter bags back on.
I'll leave out the Soldier of Fortune references for now.
Paul
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